There are places on this earth that don't feel entirely claimed by man where the air sits heavier,…read morewhere silence hums just a little too loud. Havasupai Falls is one of those places. Now listen I'm gonna tell you straight. You can hike it, sure. Strap on your pack, bake in that canyon heat, follow the mules and the dust like you're reenacting some pioneer tragedy. Or... you take the helicopter. Drop in like you've got better sense than the rest of 'em. Because when you're only staying a night, you don't waste half your trip pretending you enjoy suffering. You get there quick, boots on the ground, eyes wide open. And what waits for you... ain't normal. The water this unreal shade of blue, like someone spilled paint straight outta heaven itself cuts through red rock like it's been there since before memory had a name. The canyon walls stand tall, watching. Always watching. You can feel it. Not in a poetic way... in a you're not alone kind of way. The people there, the tribe they carry a quiet presence. Like they know something they're not in a hurry to explain. Respectful, grounded... but there's history in their eyes. Old history. Night comes different down there. The fire was crackling low. Shadows stretching just a little too far, bending where they shouldn't. That's when I saw it. Across the canyon, tucked behind a tree like it didn't quite understand hiding... something big. Hairy. Not a trick of the light. Not a deer. Not a man. It stood there. Watching. Then came the sound. Tap... tap... tap. Something hitting the tent. Not hard. Just enough to say, "I'm still here." I thought maybe rocks... maybe pinecones. But there weren't any trees above us that could explain it. And whatever it was it had aim. I told the others. Nobody laughed. Nobody slept. We sat around that fire like it was the last safe place on earth, eyes fixed into the dark, waiting for something to step forward... or worse, not step forward. Because sometimes what you don't see is worse than what you do. Finally, in a moment of pure, desperate brilliance or stupidity someone grabbed a sandwich and chucked it out there into the black. We waited. Minutes stretched. The canyon held its breath. And then... nothing. Whatever it was... it was gone. No footsteps. No sound. Just silence again, like the place had swallowed it whole. Now I ain't saying I believe in Bigfoot... ...but I'm also not saying I slept worth a damn that night. And here's the part where I switch gears for ya because after all that spooky nonsense, you gotta laugh a little. Look, I'm just gonna say it .. "I paid good money to fly into a canyon, not to get mugged by a damn woodland gorilla." You got folks hiking ten miles, riding donkeys, sweating like they owe the sun money... and I'm down there getting harassed by what I can only assume is the canyon's unofficial night manager. Five stars. Would absolutely go again. ...but next time, I'm bringing two sandwiches.

Out in the middle of the desert in Arizona pretty much near the end portion of the Grand Canyon and…read moreabout an hour away from Route 66 is the trail to get to Havasupai. There's a lodge in the village and a campground area another 2 miles from the village, both have different dates to apply for permits online about a year in advance. There are 5 amazing water fall sites once you pass the village. 50 Foot Falls, Lower Navajo Falls, Havasu Falls, Mooney Falls, and Beavers. An additional journey heading out 6 miles past Beaver falls you can get to the Confluence where you can see the Havasu Creek water meet up with the Colorado river. For the camp sites you aren't assigned an actual location you just grab any available site that's not directly on the trail. There's a fresh water spring in the camp site where we refilled out bottles for the 4 days & 3 nights we were here. Also 2 miles back up at the village they do have a cafeteria with burgers fries, hot dogs and all that other stuff. If you're not up for the 8-10 miles hike into the village/campground with all your camping gear on your back they have options at additional cost. You can have your bags packed on miles/horses and carried into the site & they also have helicopter rides in and out of the village (first come first serve, the natives have priority to skip the line at anytime)

From the campgrounds this hike is maybe an around a mile and a half and it's a journey. You'll have…read moreto descend down a cave that has chain rails and a couple suspect ladders to get to the bottom. Bring some gloves because the chains get slippery from the mist of the waterfall and have some water shoes with good traction grip because parts of the cave are pretty slick.

This was a little tricky to get down to and required using chains and a ladder. But it was so worth…read moreit! So incredibly beautiful!

18 MILES OF LUSH GREENERY AND PRESTINE WATER…read more STATS: 18 miles round-trip from campground Not recommended for Acrophobia's Very rugged and dangerous descent Slippery when wet, and it's always wet Minimal elevation gain or loss Freak-ton of water crossings A few ladders to climb Minimal rock scrambling ESSENTIALS: Know your limits 3 Liters of water, minimum. More during the warmer months Gloves Hiking shoes with netting for water drainage Swimwear Layered Clothing High protein food/snacks Electrolytes Camera Hat (optional) Sunscreen Trek poles (optional) OUR ROUTE: From our campsite at Havasu Falls, me and The Crew started out this amazingly jaw dropping 18 miler by heading down to the bottom of Mooney Falls via handrails made of chains and wooden ladders. Once everyone was at the bottom of Mooney Falls, we followed and crossed the vibrant blue water that is the perfect contrast against the striking red rocks of the canyon walls. At times the trail seems to hide, however, hiking to the Colorado is just a matter of following the downward flowing creek since the creek eventually converges with the Colorado. Once the Colorado River was in sight, we did a little upward rock scrambling and down the other side where we ate lunch on enormous flat rocks. While the water temperature of the Havasu water was comfortable to soothing with a calm flow, even in the cooler air temperatures, the Colorado River water was quite a bit cooler and ran fast. If you choose to take a dip in the Colorado, be sure you are a strong swimmer, otherwise you will be swept down the river. On the nine miles back to camp we stopped off at Beaver Falls for a swim, a jump and a few pics in the rock walls. Due to the gritty bottom of the falls, best to keep your shoes on. Those daring enough to jump off the rocks be warned there are areas where there are strong under toes that will open Velcro pockets and snatch your camera, that's what happened to a fellow hiker. After several attempts of diving below to look for it this strong hiker and former professional divers energy were expanded from the pulling of the under toes. There are no lifeguards on duty, so everything you do is at your own risk. Our path back to Mooney Falls was slightly different than our trek down, and the views were just as amazingly beautiful. Remember, there are no maids or clean-up crew, keep this part of Mother Nature cleaner than you found it. Pack out what you pack in and pick up what you can. DISCLAIMER: Hiking is not something that can be taken lightly. It can be life-threatening as you see and hear on the news, people die or get lost all time. Please, if you are going to hike, never go alone and prepare for the worst, hope for the best. Remember when going for a hike, no matter how short you think it may be, always be prepared. Carry at least two liters of water for every five miles (more if the weather is warm), protein bar, nuts, and electrolytes. Wear sturdy lug sole shoes and protective clothing. Some areas the weather can change quicker than a fireman can put on his gear. It is also very important, always always always let a family member or friend know where you are going and when you expect to be back. Lastly, have fun when you hike it up.

I don't think "Upper" Navajo falls exist anymore, but at this location after you make it out of the…read morevillage there are two water falls a little bit before you get to Havasu Falls and the campground called 50 Foot Falls, and Lower Navajo Falls. 50 foot falls is above Lower Navajo, parts of the pool can be about 3 & 1/2 feet in some of the walking parts. Here you can walk behind some parts of the water fall. At Lower Navajo you can walk around the majority of the pool and it's about waste high at the deepest parts near the water fall, there also a couple mini pools closer to the cascading water fall that you can relax in.

Just past the village of Supai and before reaching Havasu Falls, you can veer off to a small…read morenetwork of trails that will take you to 50-Foot and Little Navajo Falls -- both worthy in their own right. These are smaller than Havasu, Mooney, and Beaver but make for a nice side hike if you have extra time. Permits via the Havasupai Tribe website are required for all hiking and camping in the canyon, but it's well worth the effort to snag those and visit this exceptionally beautiful area!

A true bucket-list, must-see wonder of the world! My first time out to Havasupai and it absolutely…read moreleaves you breathless. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16Sbr4ZSWPc (video start to finish of my trip!) HOW TO GET THERE Find Kingman, AZ and locate the 40 Freeway and head EAST. Take Route 66 EAST until you hit Indian Road 18 and follow that road north until it ends. The drive from Kingman, AZ to the trail head is approximately 1.5 hours. THE HIKE (Trail-head starts @ 36.1598594,-112.7090437) The hike itself is approximately 10 miles each way and will take anywhere between 4-6 hours to the campground and probably 4.5-7 hours back to the trails base. Reason for the difference is that on the way to the campgrounds the trail is primarily downhill with the first mile being fairly steep. Elevation drop from the start of the trail to the campgrounds is approximately 2000 ft with the campgrounds situated at approximately 2800ft MSL. For the elderly or for those who cannot make the hike, there is a helicopter option that will drop you off 2-miles south of the campgrounds in the Havasupai Tribe's village. To ease weight, you can also opt to have mules transport all your gear. Recommend starting the hike at 0300 to beat the sun's heat! COST For the 2-night/3-day trip, each person paid $81. I hear this price changes so it's better to call ahead and get the latest information. In addition, these are prices with reservation. Supposedly there is a maximum capacity of 250 which requires at least a 2-3 month reservation. When we were there, they were "mistakenly overbooked with 500 people." Without reservations, the price will be double so if you can't make the reservation list be sure to call ahead and ask for the current prices. The campgrounds and falls are all on the Havasupai Tribe's land so they have the final say. As mentioned above, if you can't make the 10-mile hike, you can opt to take the helicopter which picks you up from the trail base and drops you off at the Havasupai Village which is still approximately 2-miles out from the campgrounds. When I was there, I heard it was $90 each way. Again these prices may change so call ahead. The tribe also run "mule trains" back and forth from the trail base to the campgrounds that can take all your luggage. I'm not sure how the pricing works but I've heard somewhere around $25 each way. WHATS THERE The main attraction are the waterfalls -- Navajo Falls, Havasu Falls, Mooney Falls, and Beaver Falls. Havasu and Beaver Falls are within 15-minutes from the campgrounds and both are amazing. Mooney Falls is the highest of the falls standing at 190ft and the way to get to it is an adventure in itself requiring you to go through a couple tunnels and manage to "walk" down an extremely steep and narrow path with chain links to help and prevent you from falling to your death. Use extreme caution when going down this path as its wet from the waterfall's mist and there's two-way traffic when it's only narrow enough for one person. For those of you looking to jump off waterfalls, Navajo offers a 40ft jump. Havasupai has a 30ft drop but you'll need to "rock climb" along the left (if you're facing the falls). Mooney falls has a rope you can swing yourself off of. Beaver Falls supposedly has a 50-60ft jump but I was too tired to hike another 14-mile round-trip to get there. RECOMMENDED GEAR Water, water, water. At least 100oz. This should be enough to last you the 10-mile hike. The water from the river is not potable. However, at the campgrounds there is natural spring water that is safe to drink from. During the day the line can get extremely long and you can expect to wait up to 15-20 minutes to get through the line. If you have a fairly large group, I'd recommend bringing one of those collapsible water jugs to hold a lot of water so you don't have to constantly go back and forth to the spring water. A tent is recommended but if you want to shed weight, a small hammock will suffice. There are plenty of trees at the campgrounds and you can easily string up a hammock and use that for your sleeping needs. There are generally no mosquitoes (there was ONE one night) so a hammock option is okay. Even if you bring a tent, having a hammock is a good way to just relax. Flashlight is important. No electricity down there. Food -- to keep it light I'd recommend MRE's or those dehydrated food packs. If food is important to you, bring a stove because campfires are not allowed here. Clothes -- Keep it bare minimum. (2) shirts, (1) shorts, (1) bathing suit, (2) socks, (1) underwear. Shoes -- Running shoes are OK but I would strongly recommend a nice pair of hiking shoes. The hiking path can get very rocky at times so having good shoes will minimize the risk of getting bad blisters. Sandals are good to have but I would strongly recommend some wet shoes. The river bed is very rocky with a lot of sharp rocks.

MUST READ BEFORE YOU BOOK!…read more My experience with Havasupai customer service was extremely frustrating and disappointing. They simply do not respond to emails, and there is no phone number you can call to speak with someone directly. It feels like they operate entirely on their own terms, with very little concern for the people who have paid for reservations. I needed to transfer my reservation to an alternate, which is an allowable option, and reached out for assistance. Despite contacting them, I never received a response. When you're dealing with an expensive trip that requires significant planning, having no reliable way to get help is unacceptable. This cost me $500 The campground itself may be in an incredible location, but the customer experience and lack of communication were terrible in my case. Once they have your reservation, don't expect much help if you run into an issue. Beware and plan accordingly.

Did a tour of the bottom of the canyon. The canyon itself was amazing. The wildflowers were in full…read morebloom. The temperature was great. The guide was on time. The stop on rt 66 was fun. However the guide was very hard to understand and his lack of knowledge about flaura and fauna was shocking given how much the trip cost. The pre recorded audio was ok, but a real guide would have customized the trip to the time of year and the specific flowers in bloom and perhaps identified scat and tracks or otherwise found ways to share some passion for the canyon. There was also a mixup regarding the hike so I didn't get to do the one thing I was looking forward to most. Overall I would not recommend.

We were very disappointed in this tour. My son had never seen the Grand Canyon, and I remember…read morebooking a tour that took us to the south rim overlook, and also down to the Colorado river water level, as well as a stop in an Indian reservation. I chose this only because it was the top result in the google search I made. Instead of the view of the grand canyon, we got to spend over seven hours in a smaller bus, with no air conditioning for much of the time captive inside on a very hot day. Much of the tour time was spent in construction traffic on the road, and on a very dusty bumpy dirt road. There was not much of a view where we were, and the water was very muddy and dirty, compared to other locations higher up the river in the canyon, which of course is out of the control of operators. This tour was twice the money as other options, but I felt we got much less than other tours. Other tour reviews rave about the great food, but in this case, we got a subway box meal. Our driver left for a section of the tour when we got to the river, causing us to be hassled by a local ranger, who wanted to know who was on the tour and to see our permit. I was not able to provide the permit for our tour bus, and he stayed by my child until we could find the driver who had the permit. We never went to the Grand Canyon Park, or the overlook, and this tour wasted our entire day on our limited vacation. Unfortunately, our efforts to get into the park the next day were thwarted by very heavy weather, and so we will have to actually see the grand canyon another time a few years from now. This tour went through the town of Seligman, an interesting and historical section of old Route 66, and the inspiration for the Disney movie "Cars", but did not even stop there. We saw other tour buses let people out for pictures and to walk around, but not this tour. Very disappointed. I cannot imagine who this tour is designed for, but I would not recommend it to anyone.

What a thrill. Just got back from the 8 day motorized raft trip! Been waiting my whole adult life…read morefor this trip and it did not disappoint! Our guide Adam was the best. He knew the river and canyon backwards and forwards. He was a great storyteller and a wonderful guide and boatman. I always felt safe and he got us the best camping spots and the knew the best side canyons to explore. Swamper Orion was awesome. He was a great cook and a hard worker. We were never hungry! Both these guys were the best.

Randy is a tool. One star because the guide was making sure your safety was #1. Come on man…read more I have just returned from a 7 day trip and it was the most epic experience ever. We were with A group from Grand Canyon Brewery and had the time of our lives. Guides made sure we were SAFE at all times and had our lives in their hands. We trusted them. They were super fun, had great knowledge of the history and geology of the canyons. The crew Prepared the most amazing restaurant quality meals using Dutch ovens and grills. They were super accommodating, charismatic, and professional. If you wanna be safe , experience they canyon, and have one of the best trips ever, then go with GCE.

We just returned from the best adventure travel experience in our lives - a 4 day hiking/camping…read moretrip through Wild Land Trekking. Our guide, Mary H. was amazing, providing direction and and encouragement to help us prepare for and enjoy this challenge. She made gourmet meals everyday, gave us great information about history, nature and culture of the area, and made sure we were safe through some incredible climbs. Our group of 6 agreed it was the best vacation ever!

While you can certainly hike the Grand Canyon without a guide, I can guarantee you won't enjoy the…read moreexperience nearly as much. Mike was a wealth of knowledge on the formation of the Grand Canyon, the foliage, and other points of interest. It was a very HOT day there, and he ensured for our safety and maximum entertainment. The snacks and lunch he provided/ made hit the spot and was absolutely delicious. He provided frozen Gatorade, and hiking sticks also. Who knew those would be so beneficial! Don't think twice about using Pygmy. The only glitch we had was communicating about the meeting time/ place. My cell service was spotty in the area, and Mike's busy schedule caused me to be a little panicked. However patience endured and a fantastic time was had by all.

I can't believe Pygmy Guides hasn't been reviewed yet, but as far as outfitters go, you can't get…read moreany better than them. Matt was our fearless leader when I hiked the Grand Canyon for the first time. Considering it was my very first backpacking trip and it was the Grand Canyon which is as fierce as it gets, I was confident I could make it. Matt was a gentleman and had passion for the Canyon and its inner mountain range, layers of beautiful lime and sand stone, and its beauty. Our small group was another lady, myself and Matt. We hiked down the South Kaibab Trail, camped at Phantom Ranch, and hiked up the Bright Angel Trail, camped at Indian Gardens, and hiked back up to the South Rim. What an amazing trip! Matt, if you're reading this, I couldn't have done it without you!!!