US · Arizona and Utah · 36.98°N 110.10°W
monument valley
Red sandstone buttes, long desert views and Navajo-guided journeys beyond the main road.
- Best time
- April–May and September–October are mild. July–August are hot, with afternoon storms; winter days are clear and cold, nights freeze, and snow sometimes dusts the buttes.
- How long
- 1–2 days
- Getting there
- Fly to Phoenix with one stop via Taipei, about 20–22 hours all in, then drive about 5 hours north; from Las Vegas it's about 6 hours. Unlike the rest of Arizona, the Navajo Nation uses daylight saving, so it's 14 hours behind KL, 15 from November to early March. Malaysians need a US B1/B2 visitor visa, usually with an interview at the embassy in KL; ESTA isn't open to Malaysian passports.
monument valley
Dear group chat,Red sandstone buttes, long desert views and Navajo-guided journeys beyond the main road.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingMonument ValleyUS, Arizona and Utah
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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.
Monument Valley is the red desert of sandstone buttes from countless Western films. It's Navajo Nation land, run as a tribal park, and a Navajo guide adds the stories and the places a quick photo stop misses.
Makan
Things to do
- The MittensThe two buttes shaped like mittens, best at sunrise from the visitor centre terrace.Map ↗
- Valley DriveA rough 27 km dirt loop past the main buttes, fine in a normal car if you go slowly in dry weather.Map ↗
- Navajo-guided tourOnly guided tours go beyond the loop, to arches, rock art and traditional hogans. Book with an authorised Navajo operator.Map ↗
- Forrest Gump PointThe long, straight stretch of Highway 163 with the buttes ahead, where the film's long run ended.Map ↗
Good to know
- This is a Navajo tribal park, so US national park passes aren't valid, and photos of people or their homes need permission.
- There's no halal out here; pack food, and ask about lard in the frybread and beans.
Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.