Monument Valey Guided Tour Suggestions?
We'll be in Monument Valley for a week over Memorial Day - staying at Gouldings. We know that to see the "good stuff" you need a Navajo guide. Any experiences or suggestions for which of the guided to...
Forum Discussion
We were there in mid-August of 2011, so this info is fairly recent but prices may be higher, of course. We took the 3.5 hour tour (see below*) at 3:45 in the afternoon, which I recommend because it ended around sunset - gave great color on the rocks in photos.
When you check in at Goulding's, the campground office will give you a pamphlet that includes their tour choices. You can then book in advance with the office (same place you check in for RV park, easy walk from campsites),and it will depart from there.
The Gouldings tours are given in open truck vans with bench seats. We were the only English speaking people I believe - everyone else spoke French or Italian. The guide made a few comments on a microphone, was hard to understand, and didn't impart much information... I am guessing that some are better than others.
For me, it was less of a tour, more of a way to get down into the valley without using my own RV - the roads were quite rough in places. And the guide does drive into places not on the regular 17 mile loop road open to drivers on the longer tours.
Basic Hour Tour $40 - departs 1:15 (2.5 hours long, covers the 17 mile loop)
*Deluxe Hour Tour $50 - Dparts 8:45 or 3:45 (3.5 hours long, does the loop plus some back country)
All Day Tour $90 - departs 8:45 (8 hours long)
Mystery Valley Tour $70 - Departs 8:45 (5.5 hours long)
Full Moon Tour $50 - departure times vary
Hiking Tours - $50 - Departs 9 and 4 (3.5 hours)
No senior discounts. Custom tours for a minimum of four people.
All tours include the entry fee to the Tribal Park, Navajo Guide and in theory water, though I don't think that was provided in reality - so bring your own.
The guide did stop fairly often for good photo opportunities in all the key places, but there was minimal walking involved. They all stop at a Navajo Hogan, to sell crafts. Be warned - there are no restrooms out in that valley except for some dismal portapotties near the end.
I'm glad I did it, and it was certainly worth $50 to me, but 3.5 hours was long enough. That full moon tour sounds like fun, though.
There are non-Gouldings tour guides too, perhaps better? - and maybe other people will weigh in with their info. We saw some tourists on horseback with a guide.
The RV Park was not bad, exceeded my expectations actually. You might ask for a site with a view - the best ones were the area of #9, 10, 11, 12.
When you check in at Goulding's, the campground office will give you a pamphlet that includes their tour choices. You can then book in advance with the office (same place you check in for RV park, easy walk from campsites),and it will depart from there.
The Gouldings tours are given in open truck vans with bench seats. We were the only English speaking people I believe - everyone else spoke French or Italian. The guide made a few comments on a microphone, was hard to understand, and didn't impart much information... I am guessing that some are better than others.
For me, it was less of a tour, more of a way to get down into the valley without using my own RV - the roads were quite rough in places. And the guide does drive into places not on the regular 17 mile loop road open to drivers on the longer tours.
Basic Hour Tour $40 - departs 1:15 (2.5 hours long, covers the 17 mile loop)
*Deluxe Hour Tour $50 - Dparts 8:45 or 3:45 (3.5 hours long, does the loop plus some back country)
All Day Tour $90 - departs 8:45 (8 hours long)
Mystery Valley Tour $70 - Departs 8:45 (5.5 hours long)
Full Moon Tour $50 - departure times vary
Hiking Tours - $50 - Departs 9 and 4 (3.5 hours)
No senior discounts. Custom tours for a minimum of four people.
All tours include the entry fee to the Tribal Park, Navajo Guide and in theory water, though I don't think that was provided in reality - so bring your own.
The guide did stop fairly often for good photo opportunities in all the key places, but there was minimal walking involved. They all stop at a Navajo Hogan, to sell crafts. Be warned - there are no restrooms out in that valley except for some dismal portapotties near the end.
I'm glad I did it, and it was certainly worth $50 to me, but 3.5 hours was long enough. That full moon tour sounds like fun, though.
There are non-Gouldings tour guides too, perhaps better? - and maybe other people will weigh in with their info. We saw some tourists on horseback with a guide.
The RV Park was not bad, exceeded my expectations actually. You might ask for a site with a view - the best ones were the area of #9, 10, 11, 12.
