To get the most out of a visit to the Hopi mesas, it is best to take a guided tour. With a guide, you will learn much more about this rather insular culture than you ever could on your own. Tour companies frequently use local guides and stop at the homes of working artisans. This all adds up to a more in-depth and educational visit to one of the oldest cultures on the continent. For information on authorized guides, see www.experiencehopi.com/authorized-hopi-guides.
Bertram Tsavadawa at Ancient Pathways Tours (tel. 928/797-8145) specializes in tours to Hopi petroglyph sites, including Dawa Park, with its significant trove of more than 15,000 pieces of rock art. Three-hour tours cost $75 for adults and $35 for children under 18; 6-hour tours cost $165 for adults and $85 for kids. One-hour tours of Old Oraibi ($15) are also available.
Micah Loma'omvaya, an anthropologist, heads Hopi Tours (www.hopitours.vistaprintdigital.com; tel. 928/349-3063, text only), which offers 2-hour petroglyph tours for $45 per person, among other packages; half-day and full-day weekend tours are also available.
Half-day and full-day tours are also offered by Gary Tso of the Left-Handed Hunter Tour Company (lhhunter68@hopitelecom.net; tel. 928/734-2567). Half-day tours cost $160 for two people, and full-day tours cost $265 for two people.
Personalized tours by Hopi artist Evelyn Fredericks (www.evelynfredericks.com/tours.html; tel. 928/255-2112) take in petroglyph sites, Old Oraibi, Walpi, and the studios of local artists; the cost is $150 for one person and $50 per person thereafter, with no charge for children under age 18. (Add $15 per person for Walpi.)
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
