Lower Antelope Canyon - Natural wonder

A place that is known for its natural wonder, the unique pattern formed by the erosion of Navajo Sandstone due to flash flood. In addition, the place attracts thousands of visitors every year and is best known for photographers to visit during noontime. It is the Lower Antelope located in Page, Arizona, US.

The famous National Geographic Picture was taken from this place.  Image: © Ravindra Joisa

Where is antelope canyon national park

If you are in Arizona or in Vegas then consider visiting this place. An early morning five hours drive from Vegas will take you to Antelope Canyon. However, there are many tour operators you can opt for who can take you to this place. Lower Antelope is located in the Navajo Nation Parks. So, antelope canyon is a national park. The nearest airport to Antelope Canyon is Page (PGA) Airport which is 2.1 miles away. Other nearby airports include Cedar City (CDC) (105.1 miles) and St George (SGU) (119.7 miles).

What's near antelope canyon

Other places to visit on the way include Horseshoe Bend, Glen Canyon Dam, Navajo Village Heritage Center, Powell Museum. Note that you need to cross the Glen Canyon Dam bridge. Also, you may even visit the Upper Antelope Canyon.

Lower Antelope. Image: © Ravindra Joisa

About this place

Lower Antelope Canyon has copper-colored walls, full of natural patterns that have formed over the years. As you start walking through the canyon floor's chalky gold dust, gentle curving lines in the rock creates an illusion of waves, swirling around us in a flood of color. Reds, oranges, pinks, and blues dance, with the sun's rays and shadow, adding drama to an already striking location. 

Lower Antelope Canyon is full of narrow passageways to squeeze through and ladders to climb. Also, the narrow walls at the bottom, twisting and turning their way through the canyon, with the natural design patterns is a lovely walk-through, sometimes even scary. The place is famous for some of the iconic national geographic photos. In some places, the rock carvings and formation appear more like a human face, shark face, etc.

Why is antelope canyon red

Periodic rains sculpted Antelope Canyon out of the rock. Aeolian deposition generated Navajo sandstone between 191 and 174 million years ago. Since then, iron oxides have been deposited in various concentrations on some of the sand grains, giving the slot canyon layers upon layers of varied shades of red.

The pattern and design formation and the opening on top. © Ravindra Joisa

You might also like the Ropeway ride across Parilungbo Canyon – Chicham – Spiti Valley, India which is much deeper than the Canyon.

Why is antelope canyon called that

Antelope Canyon got its name from Navajo legends about antelopes grazing along the canyon during the winter. The Navajo people call the Upper Canyon "Tse' bighanilini." In English, this means "the location where water rushes between rocks."

What I did not like

The man-made stairs in this beautiful place are made for visitors. Spoiling nature's artwork with the drill holes, screws, nuts, and bolts is not something that I like. The place is overcrowded most of the time. Also, this place is not something where you can go solo but you will have to go with a guide.

The place is scary when you get to see the depth and hear the flash flood stories. Antelope Canyon remains closed once in a while for the same reason. In addition, the entry ticket to this place is overpriced at 50-60 USD. If you are allergic to sand then this is not the place to visit. Note that it is a place to do some photoshoots but tripods are not allowed and as it is a crowded place it is hard to spend even a minute more in one place.

The formation appears like a human face.  Image: © Ravindra Joisa

Is Antelope Canyon worth it

To conclude, this is a beautiful place to visit if Antelope Canyon is on the way to your destination. But, if you dedicate a trip only to this place, then it is not worth it considering the time it takes to reach this crowded place. In my case, it was a tour organized by tour operators from Vegas. Similarly, we have the Upper Antelope Canyon which is similar and good to visit in the morning at around 10:30 to see the sunbeams. Note that these canyons are not pet-friendly.

https://youtu.be/ZhsZ5COb9cg

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Kibber Chicham Ropeway - An Extraordinary Canyon ride

Chicham - a remote village in the Himalayas in India. Spiti Valley is one of the world's most beautiful places on planet earth and has some stunning landscapes, lakes, canyons, glaciers, and snow cap mountains. As a result, adventure lovers flock around Spiti valley from all over the world. In addition, you will find a lot of bikers exploring this place.

There are these little know villages where a few families have lived for generations without any infrastructure or connectivity. However, the beauty of this place and the considerate nature of people make this place an ideal getaway. One such village is 'Chicham'.

Chicham Village as seen from the trail to Kanamo Base Camp. Image Copyright: Ravindra Joisa

How did I come to know this place?

Exploring the Himalayas is something that I love. Visiting a place that is less crowded, peaceful, and away from any kind of mobile connectivity is what I like. This time, the trek was not the usual trek. I usually go on a hike for a few days. But, this trek was a summit climb to Kanamo Peak which is at 19600 feet. And Kibber which is the village adjacent to Chicham is the basecamp.

Where is Chicham Bridge situated?

The nearest town to Kanamo is Kaza and the best place to collect all the ration needed for the trek. There is road connectivity to the basecamp, Kibber which is another village similar to Chicham. We reached Kibber a day in advance to get acclimatized to 14,000 feet. The only village around is Chicham which is more like a backyard to Kibber village.

Parilungbo canyon and Kanamo peak to the top right. Image Copyright: Ravindra Joisa

What is Chicham Bridge famous for?

Which is the tallest bridge in Asia? - The tallest bridge in Asia may be seen in Spiti Valley. Yes, it is home to the Chicham Bridge, Asia's tallest bridge, and an amazing sight to behold. The bridge, which stands at a dizzying height of 13596 feet, is the highest bridge in Himachal joins the communities of Chicham and Kibber. The bridge was under construction at the time I visited this place and is now a major tourist attraction. The bridge has made the like of people living in these villages easier with better connectivity and an increase in tourism.

Spine-Chilling Chicham Ropeway

Chicham and Kibber had no connectivity before. Other than a round trip to Kaza, there is a Parilungbo canyon separating the two villages. So, the only way to reach Chicham from Kibber was to hike down to the Spiti river tributary and climb up. And, that would take half a day. This route was being used by the locals to carry heavy goods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwIVbhLvGBM

Crossing Parilungbo Canyon using a simple ropeway.

But, locals without luggage had an alternative to cross the canyon with a self-propelled ropeway. Also called the Kibber Chicham Ropeway. There is absolutely no safety, but locals risked their lives to cross the canyon. Recently, the government has built a bridge connecting the two villages. During my visit, the Chicham bridge was under construction and I doubt if the ropeway still exists.

The ropeway has no backup power, motor, or any kind of safety and is completely manual. Luckily, in the video, you can see our trekking team pulling the rope. Also, the present-day Chicham bridge can be seen to the right in the video but was under construction at that time. So, if you have the guts needed to sit in that little cart and cross the canyon which is at a height of 150 meters, without any kind of safety gear then leave a comment.

https://youtu.be/vx41M7sxoOs

You might also like: KANJI – A REMOTE VILLAGE IN THE HIMALAYAS

Kanamo Peak which is approximately 19,600 feet high can be seen from these two villages. People stay at Kibber before making an attempt to climb the summit. The village stay is ideal if you are not acclimatized to this high altitude.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBtUUJUvar6qBtz1_EuRE7QhnTGYN-d0S

To conclude, this was a true adventure trip that I had and something that you should definitely experience. So, SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel and to my blog for more travel and photography stories. In addition, you can follow me on Instagram - @ravindra_joisa to see all my travel stories.