Walk in beauty
A gusty wind blows over the arid, vast plains. On the horizon, flattened mountain ranges are showing off. Lake Powell shines in the sunlight. A condor whizzes silently through the thin air as wild horses gallop into the distance, clouds of dust. You are in Navajo Nation,the state's vast four-state and largest Native American reservation in the States.
Navajo Nation is home to the spiritual Navajo people who proudly call themselves Dineh, their word for "the people," children of Father Sun and Mother Earth. The sanctity of nature is, according to some, one of the most important features of their spirituality. Here you are really off grid. No signage and no addresses. Landmarks like Window Rock, Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend lead you the way.
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
One of the most photographed landscapes is Monument Valley, which is characterised by colossal red granite rocks rising from the desert with a dry shrub here and there. The desolate elevated plateaus with steep cliffs, the mesas and buttes, not only formed the dramatic backdrop of many westerns and Forrest Gump, it has traditionally been the site of the Indian market. You buy handicrafts such as silver and turquoise jewellery, pottery, woven carpets and blankets and share in stew of mutton and deep fried dough.