3-day Guided Havasu Falls Hike: Costly but Worthy
My 3-day guide hike to Havasu Falls is probably my most costly hiking trip ever. And by far my most challenging hike to date. Not only that, it was almost a ‘spur-of-the-moment’ thing. No regrets, though. My hike to Havasu Falls is one of the best trips I’ve taken in my lifetime. I’m writing this blog so you can learn from my experience. That you can definitely get the best Havasu experience, just like I had, without breaking your bank account.
It started with love-at-first-sight turned into an obsession kind of thing. I fell in love with the beauty of Havasu Falls the very moment I saw it online. Then, I started researching on how to get there. I mean, how to get there ASAP. Bad news is, Havasu Falls permit is one difficult permit to get. Literally, one has to apply for Havasu Falls permit 6-12 months ahead of the intended hike date. Furthermore, your chance to reserve for a spot online is almost as good as slim to none. And getting someone on the phone is like playing hide-and-seek. Of course, that won’t work for an impatient person like me. LOL.
And by the way, to make matter worst, my obsession to hike to Havasu Falls worsen each day. Thankfully though, I found a way how to get around it. That is, to contact a tour guide company and go on a guided hike to Havasu Falls. To sum it up, my obsession costs me $1255+ guided tour fee excluding my airfare, car rental and other miscellaneous.
So, what is the morale of the story? Sounds cliché, but the saying ‘patience is a virtue’ never gets old. Patience could save you thousands of dollars too. LOL. Kidding aside though, I know my hike to Havasu cost a LOT. But, trust me, I would have not have it the other way. My hike to Havasu was beyond amazing I’d say it was a money well-spent.
My Amazing 3-day Hiking and Backpacking Trip to Havasu Falls
I spent the night before the hiking trip at Canyon Lodge in Seligman, Arizona. Our tour guide from Pygmy Tour Company picked us up at 0700. There were 5 of us in the group plus our guide of course. After hours of driving, we finally arrived at Hualapai Hilltop. This is the start and end base for all hikes to Havasu Falls. Parking is free but limited. There is a bathroom available to use for free.
The first one mile and a half of the hike is descending down a mountain hiking through the never-ending rocky and sandy trails. Thankfully, you will be hiking with beautiful views along the way; canyons, rock formations, creek, river, etc.
By the way, before I forget, please get out-of-the-way when you see a barren of mules and horses. Supposedly, hiking trails are to be shared. Interestingly, not in Havasupai. Havasupai is perhaps one of the very few places on Earth where people do not have the right of way. LOL. If not, be ready to be dragged down and along by the mules and the horses.
Finally, I’m almost there after hiking for what seems to be like forever.
Unfortunately, the beating, I mean, the hiking doesn’t end here. Seriously, after hiking for almost 8 miles at this point, I was ready to die. At least, that’s how it felt like. My impending death however was interrupted as I got closer to Supai village. This little village has one hotel/motel, grocery store, post office, school, church, helipad and more.
Finally, after 12 miles and almost 5 hours of hiking, we reached the base camp. The final stretch of the hike, which is about one mile, is where I struggled the most. Literally, at this point, I had to be dragged down up and down the hill to our campsite. In addition to exhaustion, the scorching heat of Arizona in June was too much to bear. Thankfully, I made it to the camp ground alive.
Up to this day, my boss still thinks I’m crazy for doing all that hiking. So, why did I put myself through that trouble and near-death experience? Scroll down to see why…
Havasu Falls
This is what I came for, to see the famous blue-green water of Havasu.
Mooney Falls
Fifty Foot Falls
So, what are you guys waiting for? Like, share and subscribe to my blog. And after that, start planning your own Havasu Falls adventure. Hopefully, my 3-day guided Havasu Falls Hike blog could help you in your future planning. More tips coming soon. Happy travels!
To begin with, I have to say that it’s so weird to sleep and wake up to the same ‘bright’ sight. Unfortunately, there is no amount of Tylenol and Motrin PM that could put me down to sleep on a ‘bright’ night in Iceland. Consequently, I wasn’t able to go to sleep until 4:00 in the morning on my first night in Iceland. With that being said, it was a late day for me as I woke up 10:00 in the morning.
After walking up to this beautiful sight, who would want to leave? Our loyal Snail van, however, is ready to hit the road again.
There is NO FEE to walk along the trail to Solheimajokull. It is not advisable to climb the glacier without proper gears and expertise. Parking is free and there is a bathroom on-site.
Tours to trek up the glacier are available for a small fee. I would love to do hours-long exciting Solheimajokull glacier hike someday. Sometime soon, I would like to climb on that greenish-blue colored glacier. But for now, a walk to the sinking glacier is way more than enough for me. By the way, even from a far, it was beautiful!
I always love white sand beaches and think they are the prettiest in the world. However, Iceland’s Black Sand Beach makes me think otherwise. Reynisfjara is a well-known black sand beach located in the south coastal area of Iceland. Undoubtedly, this beautiful black sand beach is one of the most famous stop-offs in southern Iceland. It is definitely a must-see tourist attraction. So far, I have to say that Iceland’s Reynisfjara is the most beautiful black sand beach I have ever seen in my life.
These are the basalt columns at the foot of the Reynisfjell. The seemingly picture perfect hexagonal-shaped columns look almost unreal. It’s so amazing to see such beautiful creation. And if that is not beautiful enough, take few more step and you will arrive to yet another magnificent view. Again, it looks so unreal and outwardly.
