Top Arizona On the Water

Beautiful location. More strenuous than the description suggested, with more rowing required. Water level was low and we got stuck at one point, and at another we hit a rock and my brother fell out of the raft. Guide was knowledgeable and skilled. Viator did not communicate my request to Cliff Creek Outfitters that we wanted to be put in with another group. When I actually identified the tour provider and called them directly, I had lost the opportunity to cancel our private tour and paid for four people when there were only two of us. This was Viator’s problem, not the operators of the activity and I am less than pleased about it. If you have less than four people, call Cliff Creek Outfitters directly to schedule.

Lans was a great tour guide. He was easy to communicate with even before we started, with tips on where best to park and what to bring. It was a blustery April day but the 2 hour tour was very comfortable because the boat had clear Eisenglass encompassing the seating area.

I will say, if you’re not a “group tour” kind of person and you’ve kayaked before, you could easily rent kayaks and do this route on your own and have a bit more flexibility. That said, the tour was great! Skyler was outgoing, offered to take pictures for us, and tried to cater to the group (asking if anyone had a hard end time or if we could go over a bit on time to get further into the canyon, on the way back asking if anyone wanted to go swimming or just head back). The water on Lake Powell was very smooth on the way out, slightly wavy on the way back, but we weren’t in peak busy season yet, so there weren’t too many boats. The water in the canyon was like glass. The whole paddle was incredibly scenic, and the hike was very beautiful. The next day we did a Lower Antelope Canyon tour through Dixie’s and that part of the canyon was completely unique and magical. If you’re looking for the classic Antelope Canyon experience, the paddle and hike isn’t the same as you would get with a tribal tour, but it’s still worth it, I was happy to have done both. Some logistics, follow the directions to the meeting point listed on Viator, you drive all the way down almost to the water. There are bathrooms at the top of the hill before you head down the boat launch. The only drawback about this tour is it’s a long time without bathroom access in a setting where you should be hydrating!