hopi reservation

The Hopi Cultural Center is located on Second Mesa about 4 miles West of the 87 and 264 highway junction.It is a motel and restaurant with a museum. The motel was basic, clean, and looked to be the only motel on the Hopi reservation. The restaurant served a very good selection of food options from 7AM to 8PM from a very clean and professionally run kitchen. Buildings are several years old but modern and nice. Parking is dirt and gravel, (appears it never has been paved).

BLUF - The Hopi world teaches us to strive to become human beings. For me, the visit to the Hopi Reservation, and the tour with Gary Tso was one of the greatest experiences of my life and has helped me on my path. WHO WILL LIKE THIS - Native American Arts fans, naturalists, photographers (no photos in the villages themselves, but the natural landscape is breath taking), history and cultural addicts, Marines, and people who seek to understand.WHO WILL NOT LIKE THIS - Those adverse to heat, OCD time/list people, cellphone addicts, and ethnocentrists. MY $.02 - Gary is both Hopi and Navajo which, IMHO, allows him to give insight from both inside and outside the Hopi world. He is also a Marine, which my brother (also a Marine) and I found extremely helpful as we adapted and overcame obstacles all day. Gary did a wonderful job explaining the religion and culture throughout the day and gave us tremendous insight to the trials and tribulations of current village life. Because there was just the two of us, we had no problems hearing Gary during the tour. Other reviews have commented that without a microphone larger groups could have trouble hearing everything. HIGHLIGHTS - We visited all three villages with First Mesa, Walpi Village, by far my favorite. Highly recommend you try to visit during the Summer dance/festival season which starts on Mother's Day. We also visited a home of a famous kachina carver and visited an amazing petroglyphs site. Gary altered his tour based on my brother and my preferences and made sure we stayed hydrated.NEED TO KNOW - This tour isn't for everyone. The environment is hot and unforgiving and you will be confronted with both profound natural beauty and poverty. Many of the roads were unpaved/ungraded and rough. Gary offers a 1/2 day and full day tour. There is a restaurant and hotel at the Cultural Center, but they are very basic (Motel 6 quality). Still I highly recommend them as they are a tremendous resource for the community. Gary take cash or a personal check. He does NOT take a credit card.

This a truly amazing, living part of American history! We drove up the Second Mesa, then took a tour of the First Mesa. The tour was OK but not wonderful. I'm glad to have taken it, but will not likely again. The $40 for the 2 of us and we just walked a circle in Walpi village. Our guide, Brennan did explain a lot of the culture, history and religion of the Hopi people. I had hoped to at least see a little of the old ways of living on the Mesa. The best part of our stay is a testament to the friendly, kind Hopi people. As we were leaving a grandma stepped out of her house and waved. I stopped and asked her if she made the native Piki bread. She didn't but did invite us into her home to see the pottery she had made, even after we assured her we weren't buying pottery. As we were leaving she had us wait in our car while she got us 6 rolls/pieces of the Piki bread from someone else! She then explained how it is made. We paid her went our way very excited! I loved the place!!!

High above the valley on First Mesa, Walpi Village is the original home of the Hopi and still the heart of Hopi culture. The village can only be visited by guided tour. Tour office is in Polucca village, just off Hwy 264 next to the Post Office. Turn at sign for First Mesa administration. Cost is $20 per person and lasts about one hour. We visited in January, so no one else around. The old village has no water or electricity, so it is mostly vacant in winter months. Nonetheless, a fascinating look at history and well worth the investment of time and money.

We visited much of the area on our own terms- as others have said don't take photos, always ask permission and be friendly. To access other areas e.g. Hopi Prophecy stone a guide is needed as these areas are now patrolled and protected. We found Ernie Northrup via friends we made at the Hopi cultural Center. Ernie shared fascinating stories about his mother, events at the whitehouse during Kennedy's time and also about his crafts- beautiful flute playing and hand-crafted jewellery.He jumped in our vehicle and not only showed us the land but explained its meaning and culture. Many times I was nearly moved to tears, quite humbling.

There are three Hopi Mesa where the Hopi's have lived for hundreds of years. Each mesa has it's own character and handicrafts. The first mesa has an older section that can only be visited by being part of a tour, but probably 50% is available for tourists to drive up to and around. Several houses had things to sell by the front door like kachina dolls, baskets, bread. The day we were there the second mesa was having a basket dance - very interesting an unique, We ended up staying there for about three hours...but, on may not take photographs. The third mesa has OLD ORAIBI which is a collection of ruins that still has active residents. It's worth a look. It's really old.Our visit was a one day drive from Chinle and back.

Gary Tso and the tour he offers is the real deal. We are non-local locals. That means we have lived on Southwest Reservation lands for the past 10 years because we are employed here, but we are not the traditional people. Of the many, many things that we have seen and done, of the many people here we have met, talked with, and learned from, Gary and his tour is as real as it gets. Our half day tour included a wonderful visit with a local silversmith, seeing a brilliant petroglyph site, and a walk through Oraibi, perhaps the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the U.S. Gary is an absolute fountain of knowledge and information. He doesn't pull punches either. Mostly though, he's enthusiastic about sharing his world, The Land of the Hopi.Two others were on this trip with us, and they had a solid background in Native American petroglyphs and general history. For those individuals who come to this tour with some understanding and knowledge about the Hopi and Indigenous Peoples of North America, like the 4 of us did, it is perfect. So some of the previous reviews offered here that gave ones or twos ... and made quite negative comments about the place or the environment or the people or even questioned Gary's knowledge ... only serve to expose those authors as unknowing and, perhaps, small minded people. Therefore, be respectful and leave your cultural paternalism at home.

We stayed at the Hopi Cultural Center and Restaurant. The hotel was probably about 3 star but this is the only game in town. The restaurant food was a Hopi experience with typical dishes and blue corn breads. We took the full day tour with Gary Tso, Left-Handed Hunter Tour Co. (get his phone number from the Hopi Cultural Center). He was extremely well spoken and knowledgeable, having led tours since 1998. I had driven through the area many times but never fully understood what I was seeing. Taking this tour was enlightening. I learned a lot about the culture. This is the only way to tour the Hopi Reservation. We toured the ancient villages of Walpi and Oraibi, continuously inhabited for over 1100 years (no photos allowed in the villages). We saw ancient petroglyphs carved on stone cliffs. We watched the silversmith, Duane Tawahongva work his magic with very ordinary tools to craft beautiful jewelry. We watched carvers who carve the traditional kachina dolls from the roots of the cottonwood tree. Gary suggested we come in June when the public is allowed to view some of the ceremonial dances on the weekends. Travel agents: Gary will negotiate commissions for booking your clients for a really unique experience. We travel thousands of miles to view ancient cultures of Egypt, China, etc. and overlook the ancient culture in our back yard.

Our jeep trip with Gary Tso of Left-Handed Hunter Tour Co. was a highlight of our Southwest Road Trip. We stayed at the Hopi Cultural Center and they gave us Gary's card that afternoon and we booked our trip for the next morning. We took a half day tour, and I wish we had had more time for the all day tour. All the other reviews are exactly right---the tour was enlightening, breathtaking, informative, fascinating. We learned so much about the Hopi culture, way of life, and history. This is an experience you don't want to pass up.

My six hour road trip (round trip from Sedona) to visit Hopi land with Gary Tso was worth every minute of driving. Gary immediately engages you with curiosity and respect, and pulls you into a vortex of energy made up of his own life's story and Hopi history. I woke up at 5am to meet Gary at 9am at the Hopi Cultural Center, Second Mesa. From 9am to 6pm Gary immersed me (and two other tour guests) in Hopi culture through storytelling, Hopi language, Hopi song, and taking me to a few different villages, Petroglyphs, Hopi artisans, and various stops along the way. I only wish I could have had the entire tour recorded because Gary is so full of life, stories, information, and wisdom. I felt a kinship with him and felt honored to spend the day with him. He goes way beyond the call of tour duty, and I highly recommend his company and touring Hopi lands.

We took a half-day jeep tour with Gary Tso and it was definitely the high point of our visit to the area. He picked us up at the Hopei Cultural Center and immediately asked us what were our main interests. We told him archeology and culture-history, and he started to talk about those subjects and basically continued for the rest of the time. He has clearly done a lot of reading in the history of the area and the early puebloans as well as his personal knowledge of the area and culture, and he is an eloquent and always-interesting teacher. We learned a good deal about Hopi history and culture, relations with Anglos and Navajo, and about archeological interpretations of the symbols left on the cliffs by the ancient Puebloans. One of the largest and most impressive petroglyph sites in the USA and the Southwest, are are within touching distance (No do not touch or photograph). He took us to on walking tour of Old Oraibi village and explained its fascinating history. We were able to witness one of the many native social dances for the day. Hopi Land was hosting at least 12 different social dances throughout all of the villages. What a special moment and memory. The tour ended with a visit to a Hopi silversmith, Duane Tawahongva, which we enjoyed. Duane demonstrated the Hopi overlay technique while making a piece and we found his explanations and watching the process to be quite interesting. Obviously jewelry is for sale (and we bought a spectacular piece) but it was not at all high-pressure. Tso is not a Hopi name, ask Gary and he’ll tell you about it. Without our tour with Gary we would have felt that visiting the area was not worthwhile, with Gary it was fascinating. There are no substitutes for Gary’s insights. He has the Hopi Way with You and feel you have experienced the people and their culture.

My wife and I had an incredible experience on First Mesa. The tour was enlightening and breathtaking. Our guide, niece of the chief, was friendly and spoke openly about her traditions and the history of her people. We learned about the clans and a little bit about their matriarchal system. We wanted to see some pottery and were invited into one of the residence on the mesa to see her pottery. I'd like to do a bit of reading and return.You can drive to the top of the mesa for free, but you won't see the oldest village, Walpi, without a guide. $20/person to visit the Walpi village. No cameras or recording devices allowed in the Walpi village. The "tour" office was a bit hard to find. Follow the signs that take you off 264. You'll drive around a few residential-ish streets and come to the post office and what looks like town offices. Enter the door on the north west side of the complex of buildings. If you get lost or are not sure which building, just ask a local and they'll kindly point the way.

i go through here every friday and make my way back to tuba city on sunday nights. I havent seen nor visit all the places but this little reservation blows your mind! haha the culture is different to the Navajos. but all in all i never discriminate. Polacca village is a must see before leaving. love it!

I have known Ernie Northrup for about 8 years. We spent the first visit drinking Pepsi and talking about carving, flutes, rattles and kachinas. My wife came with me the next time and was thoroughly entertained by Ernie's description of the dancers, complete with sound effects. We just returned from a tour of an ancient village with hundreds of petroglyphs. Ernie explained the creation story using these images. We were blessed to have two red-tail hawks in a mating ritual overhead. Ernie then took us into Hotevilla to see the village spring and community gardens, and then into Old Orabi to look at kachinas. We were invited into a home to talk to the carvers. Ernie is knowledgeable and entertaining in his explanation of the culture and current life. Even if you don't take a tour,be sure to stop by his gallery in K-town (Kykotsmovi). Hundreds of traditional and contemporary carvings for sale and others in his personal collection to enjoy. Be sure to say "kwa-kwa" when you leave.

Had a great visit in the middle of July. I visited most of the galleries on the Hopi Art Trail. All of the individuals I talked to at the shops were very knowledgeable, hospitable and gracious. White Bear Hopi Arts was particularly great to visit, and several members of the Fredericks family and other artists, such as Ron Honyouti, display and sell their art there. I got a chance to visit with Ron, and he was very willing to talk about his carvings and the wonderful artists that he works with. We got a chance to visit one of the villages and watch a dance. It was a fascinating experience, but one needs to remember that we are guests of the Hopi. While it was very clear that photography, recording, and sketching are forbidden at the dances, it is best to leave your electric devices i.e., (cell phones) in your cars or trucks. You really don't need your phones, and they make some of the Hopi uncomfortable, especially when observed in the hands of visitors during the dances. Even if the phones are not being used for any of the explicitly forbidden purposes, it is best that they be nowhere to be seen. Remember that we are guests and that we need to behave as such. The villages are not museums, they are communities of people adhering to and celebrating their cultural heritage.Tim E.