Over a year ago, I took an eight-hour road trip from Los Angeles to Antelope Canyon, one of the most beautiful and mysterious slot canyons in the world.

The canyon is located in Page, Arizona and can only accessible via a guided tour. As soon as I stepped into the canyon, I immediately got a sense of serenity and calmness.

It felt as if I was in a sacred place

Some curved parts of Antelope Canyon beautifully reflect light, and light beams can be seen in other canyon locations, especially in the Upper Canyon during summer.

Before European discovery, Antelope Canyon was the home to numerous pronghorn antelopes, hence its name and the native Navajo people call the Upper Canyon ‘Tsé bighánílíní‘, meaning ‘the place where water runs through rocks’ and the Lower Canyon ‘Hasdestwazí‘, which means ‘spiral rock arches’.

Things you need to know before going

Upper canyon vs Lower canyon – decide which one you want to do. Lower canyon is cheaper to visit and has less tourist, while upper canyon is more expensive and is usually more crowded.

Bring your camera and a fast lens – flash photography is not permitted in the lower canyon so you’ll need to have a camera and lens with low-light sensitivity.

Bring water and food – you’ll be hiking for a while and there are no restrooms or rest stops nearby.