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Upper Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend from Las Vegas with Lunch

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/15

Duration15h

GroupUp to 55

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Light Beams & Desert Cliffs: Upper Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend in One Day

You start from a Las Vegas hotel pickup and spend the day driving to two of the Southwest's most photographed natural landmarks. At Upper Antelope Canyon, you walk through narrow sandstone corridors with a Navajo guide, watching light beams dance through the slot above. At Horseshoe Bend, you hike 1.5 miles to stand 1,000 feet above the Colorado River as it curves 280 degrees below you. Lunch and entry to both sites are included, plus bonus tickets to Madame Tussaud—just plan for a full day of driving and bring plenty of water.

15h

Step-by-step itinerary

Drive through Virgin River Gorge
Pass through Kanab town
View Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell
Enjoy views of Lake Powell
See Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Walk Upper Antelope Canyon with guide
Hike to Horseshoe Bend overlook

The Experience

"You gotta bring water—lots of it," our Navajo guide said before we stepped into the canyon, and he wasn't exaggerating. Upper Antelope Canyon is narrow, sculpted sandstone that funnels you down into a slot where the walls glow amber and gold when the sun hits them right. The light beams that filter down from the narrow openings above are real—not a trick of the camera—and they shift color and intensity depending on the time of day and the season. You walk the canyon floor itself, the same path that flash flood waters carved over thousands of years, and the whole thing takes maybe 45 minutes to an hour with the guide pointing out where the water shaped the rock and how wind erosion smoothed it all down.

After Antelope Canyon, you drive to Horseshoe Bend, which is a 1.5-mile round-trip hike on sandy and rocky terrain that ends at a viewpoint 1,000 feet above the Colorado River. The river makes this dramatic 280-degree turn down there, and you're standing on the edge looking straight down at it, with desert cliffs rising on the far side. It's the kind of view that makes you understand why people drive hours into the desert just to see it. The hike itself is straightforward—no scrambling, no technical stuff—but the terrain is loose in places, so good shoes matter. You'll want to bring more water than you think you need, because there's no shade and the sun reflects off the rock.

The tour leaves from Treasure Island Hotel in Las Vegas and includes a turkey sandwich lunch somewhere in the middle of the day, plus entry to both canyons and a local guide at Upper Antelope Canyon. You also get admission to Madame Tussaud in Las Vegas, which you can use anytime from one day before your tour date up to three days after—that's a bonus that doesn't cost extra. The drive from Vegas is long (you're looking at roughly 3-4 hours each way), and you'll pass through the Virgin River Gorge, see Lake Powell, and drive past Kanab, Utah, which has been the backdrop for a bunch of Western movies. The bus is air-conditioned, which matters when you're spending that much time on the road in the desert.

One thing to know: Antelope Canyon doesn't allow bags inside, so anything you bring has to stay on the bus. No walking sticks, canes, or wheelchairs are permitted in the canyon either. You need to be able to walk unassisted and handle sandy, rocky terrain at Horseshoe Bend. If you're storing luggage at your hotel before the tour, give yourself extra time to get to the pickup location—the bus leaves on schedule. And don't book anything else for that day; road delays happen, and you don't want to miss a flight or dinner reservation because the tour ran late.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup from Las Vegas, round-trip air-conditioned transport to Upper Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend, a guided tour of Upper Antelope Canyon with a local Navajo guide, entry to Horseshoe Bend, lunch, one complimentary bottle of water, admission to Madame Tussaud in Las Vegas (redeemable within three days of your tour), and WiFi on board. You'll also pass through the Virgin River Gorge, see views of Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam, and drive through Kanab, Utah.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersInfants must sit on laps

Operated by National Park Express

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see two iconic Southwest landmarks in one day without arranging your own transport, park entry, or timing—the fixed schedule and included guide handle all of it, and the long drive from Vegas is what makes both canyons possible in a single trip.