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A compendium of what will happen or has happened; at the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, in our area, and on The Navajo Nation.
COVID Restrictions Lifted
January 20, 2023
The new Navajo Nation President Buu Nigren has lifted its COVID-19 mask mandate on January 20, 2023 with some restrictions. Masks are still to be worn in and around hospitals, schools, and senior centers. But, as a precaution many may still wear a mask in public places.
Navajo Nation Health Restrictions
December 12, 2022
The Navajo Nation still has its mask mandate in place for disease control. COVID-19, respiratory infections, and the flu have been high in the region in the past few months. The Navajo Nation is requiring everyone to wear a mask when entering public places, this includes the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park.
Navajo Nation COVID-19 Restrictions
March 03, 2022
The Navajo Nation, Navajo Nation Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park are currently limiting the amount of visitors that venture into the valley itself. We have seen an average of an hour wait on some days, and drive closures all together, the Navajo Nation has granted Navajo tour operators to bypass the valley drive limitations. Recently, the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal park management closed the park to everyone, due to snow and mud, vehicle traffic causes the unpaved road to become impassable due to snow packing and or mud.
Visitors waiting in line to enter the Monument Valley drive. Sometimes an hour wait.
Tourism, Navajo Nation, and COVID
November 30, 2021 @ 9:10 p.m.
As with the entire tourism industry, we at Blackwater Tours and other Navajo operators in the area are also affected by lock-downs, travel bans and restrictions.
In 2020, for almost the entire year, the Navajo Nation went into lock-down and kept all Navajo owned tourism based businesses closed. Mean while, tourism outside the Navajo Nation boundaries were operating with CDC and state COVID-19 restrictions, all we could do was wish and wait. However, later that year, we were fortunate to receive some business help from our Navajo Nation government, it was small, but it helped greatly.
In mid July 2020 the Navajo Nation finally decided to let tourism resume. Unfortunately, the closures had already taken a toll on many Navajo owned companies, and forced some to close their doors due to the hardship of trying to keep bills at bay.
We hope the on coming 2022 year will be more lenient with the terrible pandemic that has affected the entire world. We at Blackwater Tours will strive to keep our tour services available and our service rates as fair as possible.
We invite you to see our part of the world and thank you for your patronage.
Blackwater Tours Staff
Monument Valley and COVID-19
November 08, 2021 @ 8:30 a.m.
Though we are on the Northern part of the Navajo Nation we are experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases. Many locals have to drive 3 hours to a local town to buy supplies; food, toiletries, etc., others go there to gamble at Native owned casinos. Many come in contact with infected people or objects, then bring it home and spread it to family members and others.
The Navajo Nation does have a COVID-19 mandate in effect that requires all persons to wear a mask and social distance as much as possible. The state may not have this requirement, but here with the Navajo Nation borders it is mandatory.
Blackwater Tours
New Website Construction (Complete)
October 31, 2021 @ 6:13 p.m
Our former website was not based in the United States and made us uncomfortable.
Though WordPress is like using a sledgehammer to fix a leaky faucet, this will have to do for now.
We are now working on this website and hope to make it home.
Thank you.
Blackwater Tours Staff
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