AU
Spotlight on South Dakota
featuring Mount Rushmore & The Badlands
7 DAYS
From $3,799
$3,419
pp*
Save up to 10%
*Rate is per person, land only, double occupancy.
Discover the spirit of the American West and come to know the legends of the past. Discover the stories of the Lakota and Sioux through a Native American chronicler and a visit to a Oglala Lakota Living History Village. See Crazy Horse Memorial, the world’s largest mountain sculpture still in progress. Visit iconic Mt. Rushmore. Journey through the natural beauty of Badlands National Park and stop to browse at Wall Drug. Explore historic Deadwood, the former home of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. Choose how you delve into the local history, with a tour of the Adams Museum in Deadwood or at the exhibit Tatanka: Story of the Bison. Travel the backcountry of Custer State Park on a Jeep safari. Marvel at Devils Tower, the country’s first National Monument. Rapid City is your gateway into wild landscapes and historical landmarks.
Your Tour Includes
- 1 Handpicked Accommodations
- 9 Meals
- 2 Choice on Tour Options
Included Highlights
- Mount Rushmore
- Oglala Lakota Living History Village
- Badlands National Park
- Wall Drug
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Your Tour at a Glance
Getting Prepared
Know Before You Go
Enhance Your Tour
Accommodation
Hyatt Place Rapid City
Nights 1-6
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Trip Reviews
Live, Unedited, & Independent Traveler Reviews
Rating
208 reviews
4.7
Out of 5
Based on 208 independent reviews
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The activities were fun, the historical sights were amazing, and the tour guides were great!Beth Kreinin
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Great historical sights and visits. Loved all the places we saw. Loved seeing Badlands National Park and was most impressed with Devil's Tower! The driver and our guides were all amazing. The cultural interactions were really nice, also. Only nitpick thing is that we would've liked a hotel closer to Downtown Rapid City.
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Everything about this tour was done well. It was organized, the tour guide and bus driver took into account the needs of the group, always more than attentive to our needs.Martha Brooks
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Absolutely no complaints. The only thing i would add was to include the chuckwagon dinner and show as part of the package. Take away the Latoka Village adventure. That was a dud.Gary Brooks
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Centrally located hotel with excursions from there. Very convenient.Philip Rightler
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All of our stops were fantastic
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Everything about this trip exceeded expectations. The itinerary, the tour manager, and the bus driver could not have been better. They both went above and beyond every day. And every day the excursions were more than I expected. I would recommend this trip to anyone.
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I got to see a lot of things I wouldn’t have been able to on my own. My tour manager was fun and I really enjoyed going to Badlands national park. We stopped at a few places that were surprise like Chapel in the Hills and I learned a lot about where we went.Natasha Oshinski
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The Tour guide was the best very nice bus. Beautiful countryWanita Rahn
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Planed out well very friendlyReiser Rahn
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Accommodations awful , dogs barking at 5;00 a.m. loud kids, no place to have a nice meal, nothing to do, far out of town. Location, location, NOT happening at the Marriot Hotel where you had us stay for the week.Judy Carter
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Very well planned. Guide was very knowledgeable and informative. Our bus driver was excellent.Donna Martin
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Guide, Steve, and driver, Scott, were excellent. Tour hit all the right spots and provided enough time at each attraction as well as for meals. Seeing Mount Rushmore, particularly the night lighting ceremony was great as was the Jeep tour of Custer State Park. The ancillary speakers were very good as well.. Would have liked more at the Minuteman Silo site.Mark Weissman
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IT WAS OUR FIRST TIME IN THE AREA AND WE APPRECIATED THE COMPLETNESS OF THE TOUR.Ruth-Elin *Prefix Riley
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The tour manager was the best we’ve ever had! He was one step ahead of us regarding our every need and want. The driver was great too. Every day was extremely well planned, and not a touring minute was wasted.
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My. Rushmore ceremony and lighting at nightDiane Michelmore
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I very much enjoyed the Shoot out in Deadwood
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Everything was perfect except the hotel and breakfast. Poor location, poor quality breakfast, sink in our room smelled so badly, we couldn't use it and needed to keep it plugged to hide the odor.
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Hotel and breakfast was not good. location was poor and not easy to find dinner during our free evenings. no decent place close by.
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Well-organized, on time everywhere, great accommodations, knowledgeable tour guide, good mix of eventsWalt Osborne
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Staying at a central motel. Able to adjust the schedule to meet the requirements of the tour group. The courtesy of the bus driver and tour guide.
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Great trip. Enjoyed everythingRichard Davis
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Sherry the bus driver was great, knowledgeable and accommodating. Eric the tour guide was excellent. He was very knowledgeable and had lots of literature for us to use. I was reluctant at first as to wether I should go on this trip or not, but it turned out to be a great trio. I enjoyed everything and learned a lot.Judith Davis
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Excellent experience. Tour guide was very knowledgeable. It was nice to stay at one hotel and take trips from there.
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the director and the program were fantastic. Thus was one of the best tours I have been for a long while.Terry DiGruttolo
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Very well organized. Erik did an outstanding job. Everyone was extremely satisfied with everything. Sherry the bus driver was. spot on . The bus was always clean and a pleasure to ride on. Looking forward to my next Collette trip.Lawrence Kessler
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Meeting up with friends from Scotland and Wales. It was wonderful to be able to stay at one location for the entire tripNevin Cherry
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Wonderful experience only complaint is Charlotte airportHenry Bergfelder
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Great trip, tour director great' To bad we had to experience the Charlotte airportAntoinette Bergfelder
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Tour covered everything we wanted to see, was well organized and generally enjoyable.Mary Ann Pumilia
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I was disappoointed I was disappointed in the Crazy Horse memorial. I had been there before and it wasn't any further along than it was when I was there 10 years ago.
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I had the most wonderful trip of a lifetime......Our tour manager and driver were excelent.....It was one of the most enjoyable trips I,ve evere been on....Looking forward to the next one....Hugh Doran
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Excellent service overall.
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I had a wonderful time, and saw some great places. We were treated very well and I felt very safe like traveling with friends.
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Rapid City area is a great destination. I loved everyday of the tour and we had wonderful weather for all activities. Our tour manager was one of the best. Joel was patient,efficient,helpful and knowledgeable.Kristy Williams
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Well planned and conducted tour. Good hotel for amenities. One hotel for all destinations was a plus, since there was no packing and unpacking after one or two night’s stay. As for location, the hotel was not very good for accessibility to shops or restaurants, the rides to downtown in the evening for those counterbalanced the deficiency. Tour Director, Joel was great. He had a wealth of information regarding the location and visited places. Our driver Sherry was helpful and had good knowledge of the direction. Overall this tour was superb.Dipak Bagchi
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The only thing I would have changed is the breakfast at the hotel and the change of planes. We nearly missed our connection. Running to make it was not fun.Linda Ledbetter
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Everything was well organized and lots of fun.
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The tour guide can make or break a tour. If they are not informative or give contradictory information that causes confusion then we are left to worry which directions we need to follow. Tari was not a good guide.Brenda Moore
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I have spoken with "Ann" at (401) 335-6203 extensively on all aspects of the tour : travel - to/from and during, hotel, venues, food options, and Tour Manager.John Lebourgeois
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The communication with the office/agents was poor. I was asked 4 times about our travel, I sent all the requested information every time and did not get any confirmation that it was received or not. I called two day before our scheduled departure. I waited on hold for 20 minutes to speak to an agent. I find out a travel package was sent that we did not receive. We did not get the trip schedule, name tags or vouchers etc. We arrived at Rapid City, SD airport to discover the shuttle did not have our name listed to take us to hotel. The tour manager and bus driver were both excellent. The shuttle back to the airport after the tour was just as bad as our arrivalRobert Gross
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Everything was planned so well I just sat back and deeply enjoyed my vacation!!!
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Everything was so well coordinated and went off just as planned. The tour was great, and the tour guide and bus driver went above and beyond!Karla Ralston
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Mount Rushmore and a well organized tour.
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Excellent and easy Tour manager was terrificCynthia Zuppardo
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The tour guide abd the history were great.
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Everything was great, a wonderful experience!John Ray
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It was well organized, well paced and truly enjoyable!Susana Bouza
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Loved SD. Great people- tour manager and tour bus driver A special effort was made to get us back to MT Rushmore when it was completely fogged in on scheduled dayMarcia Dunne
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The tour was very informative. The tour manager was courteous, professional, and fun. Our favorite part of the tour was the Badlands.
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The tour guide was very knowledgeable and the sites were memorable.
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Great venues and wonderful people!Robert Sandewicz
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We thought it was a really nice tour. Saw a lot. Weather was nice. Tour guide and bus driver were fantastic. We loved it.John Corbo
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Tour guide And bus driver very good. First bus tour we took. He kept us busy and trip was worthwhile. Even air flights were good.Trudy Telychka
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It was a wonderful tour, very informative, well organized and everyone was very professional.
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Hotel was too far from rapid city. Nothing within walking distance.Frank Lembo
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Hotel was to far away from city.Patti Lembo
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Tour guide not the best I have had.Jane Golden
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Several places were closed because of the time of year
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Not at hotel in town where we thought we would be staying. To go anywhere on our own we needed to hire an uber. Since most dinner meals not included, this was a problem.
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trip was carefree Tour Manager was beyond excellent
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Our tour manager (bryce Hill) was excellent. knowledgeable, friendly, Very knowledgeable of the area. Very personable. Our plane reservations got messed up when we arrived but he was able to meet us at our hotel (a day early!!!). Very accommodating to everyone. I think we were one of the last people to leave (at the airport) and he was there to "check us off" his list.
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Hotel location **** and food was horribleMalgorzata Huntbach
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Great tour and tour manager. I learned alot that I didn't know before, and the accommodations were very nice. It was a very enjoyable tour.Judith Mueller
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Accommodations were too far from town and any walkable restaurants
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I loved all the places we went to on the trip. They were well chosen and very enjoyable. I also liked the fact that we stayed in one hotel throughout the trip. It was nice not to have to keep packing and moving. Our tour guide Todd was awesome! He was incredibly helpful and positive throughout the entire trip. He made time for each and every person on the trip. And lastly (but certainly not least!), our tour bus driver, Sherrie, was the best driver ever. She was so professional and I never felt uncomfortable or nervous for even one moment.
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Todd was a great tour guide who was a good communicator. The Bus Driver was also very good and a pleasure to be with. All of the people on the tour were pleasant to be with and there were no complainers. Seeing the National and state parks was a great experience that all Americans should do!Wayne Jay Galler
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The tour itself was five-stars-awesome. Airline travel to and from was zero-stars-awful. Shame on American Airlines for the way they treat their customers. (Check the JD Power review) Mount Rushmore at night was an unexpected goodie. Lots of other "enrichment" stops added greatly to the overall experience. Our driver was a real professional- I didn't know that it's even possible to parallel-park a fifty passenger coach. Breakfast's at the hotel could have been a little better.
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Tina is a great tour guide. Sherry our bus driver is excellent. The whole package was superb. We enjoyed the whole trip.Jose Vijungco
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See all the wonderful sights of South Dakota in a short time.Leroy Onstine
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Great trip Mount Rushmore was amazingMarc Levine
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Enjoyed seeing Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park ( Jeep Safari), Walking around Devil’s Tower, Crazy Horse and the cultural activities!Edward Chidester
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It was wonderful to see Mount Rushmore especially the lighting ceremony in the evening, the Jeep Safari in Custer State Park, walking around Devil’s Tower, Crazy Horse ! Loved the Chuck Wagon dinner and entertainment!
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Mt Rushmore and Tatanka and Custer State Park
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Great bus touri9ng company!
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Seeing all of the sites was great.
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The best part of the tour was the optional evening at the Chuck Wagon. The food was hot and tasty and the entertainment was exceptional. the second best part was the restaurant KOL which had excellent food. The first night the food was cold and dinner was way too late with uninteresting entertainment and the last night the food was cold and they ran out of wine and food. 2 bad decisions.
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I liked everything we saw and did as far as sights go.Darlene Zumo
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That is hard - I suppose DeadwoodCarolyn Griffen
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Mount Rushmore was as impressive as I had anticipated.
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My reason for going on this tour was to see Deadwood and the Black Hills. As a little girl one of my favorite movies was "Calamity Jane". I got to visit the site of the real Jane's grave along with Wild Bill Hickok. Great tour!Rosetta Henderson
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Not enough time allowed for shopping - always rushed
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Aside with hotel location and problems the Black Hill country was beautiful. Bus driver and tour guide were very nice. The side trip to Deadwood was fun.Oscar Puentes
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Mount Rushmore day time viewing.John Flippin
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Devils Tower and walk around it.Charles Semich
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Seeing Mount Rushmore was my favorite.
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Each day was an unforgettable experience but my favorite was Devil's Tower probably because we had time and opportunity to walk and view from multiple perspectives.Karen Brown
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all of it -- except Gold storeWendy Cotter
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The Needles Highway tour was the highlight for me. Awesome bus driver/tour guide!Ellen M
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Devils Tower, the Badlands, and Mount Rushmore.Christopher Miller
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some of the tour was a wast of time
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seeing mount rushmore, and also the devil's tower and to have perfect whether to walk around it.Paul Farrell
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Thee are too many great experiences to mention. People know about the East coast and the West coast but the middle of the USA has beautiful scenery also and this is missed if you just "fly over".Joann Fischer
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My Rushmore at night was spectacular
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Our tour was organized and highlighted the most interesting points of South Dakota near Rapid City.
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seeing Crazy horse and mt rushmoreJohn Rutschow
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Daily excursions were very enjoyableAlanna Chandler
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Love medora such a beautiful town and of course the medora musical so great, devil's tower in wyoming amazing and mt. Rushmore, crazy horse so spectacular. Also in our tour we have the most wonderful tour bus driver.
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Jeep Safari was the most fun. The bison were a great adventure.
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Refer to previous comments.Barbara Wells
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Medora show and jeep tour.Alan Smith
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Needed more foot time in Rapid City to explore downtown. Lot to see in the short time we had and that was done with some long bus days.
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Two dinner quality is not good, especially the last one. The bus to Custer is very old and produced bad dark and smoke.
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Mentioned already, lunch stop places are not good
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Wonderful. Loved our trip. Our tour manager was great. Jerri McBay our local tour lady does a wonderful job. Our regular bus driver was great. The spiral highway driver was very skilled and great.
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Seeing national landmarks wonderful - Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands Wall Drug cool but overwhelming w/trashy stuff to buy. Deadwood a waste of time, should have taken us to the Adams House. Nothing but restaurants and overpriced shops on main street. Hewlett a real gem. Brenda a wonderful guide. Hotel far from downtown and only one shuttle, restaurants near hotel up a long steep hill.
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Loved Mt Rushmore & Custer Park - able to see a lot of animals that I wasn't sure I would see(bison,burros,elk, and lots of prairie dogs).Carol Stearns
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Everything was great, no complaints.
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the whole trip was perfect
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I loved the Buffaloes, a very Educational trip and the Culture of the people.Elaine Williams
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Tour great. Hotel location bad and no available transportation.
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Seeing Mount Rushmore from different angles brought all the pictures that I have seen to life for me.
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We loved our tour director. It was an excellent experience. Our guide went out of her way to make sure our trip was a good one. We did love having one hotel stay and not having to pack up every couple of days. That was a plus on this trip.
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Arches national park and the cliff palace
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Had never been to South Dakota, and absolutely loved it. A beautiful State.
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Seeing a lot more than I had expectedIrving Sherman
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Mt. Rushmore on a sunny day. The sun reflecting off of the marble was amazing!Emma Levering
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I enjoyed the trip very much.Anita David
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Cannot get over how scenic area is. Bad Lands are perfectly named. Seeing so much wild life up close.
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There are beautiful places to see in South Dakota - more than just Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial, which are the most well-known. The tour not only opened my eyes to other spectacular natural wonders than I imagined, but I met amazing people who were my fellow travelers.
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Custer Park was unexpected delight-buffalo-wild burros 🤗 lodge had the best food of the trip!!Gloria Disalvo
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Seeing Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument; the Badlands Nat'l Park; Custer State Park.
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We loved the hike at Devil's TowerBartholomew Cook
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See previous. Devils Towers and mt. Rushmore were highlights.
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Great Mt. Rushmore experience!
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Mount Rushmore and Badlands. Totally unimpressed with Crazy Horse monument in progress for too many years... Optional excursion was a total rip off. Cost to enter the museum was just $ and the cost for the excursion was $$$. Very bad to do this to your patrons Collette.
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What we saw was very interesting; tour guide(s) did a great job answering any questions and made for an enjoyable trip. The programs after the dinners were very enjoyable. Also appreciated the limo service to/from airport. The Bad Lands were probably the most interesting to see. Also enjoyed a few dinners by ourselves. It was nice that the hotel had van service to/from town on the nights we were on our own. Probably would have liked a little more free time to explore Rapid City, but till got to see most of it. Good Job.David Bailey
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Not so much the tour, but the areas visited were beautiful and memorable. And a real treat, going to the Black Hills annual Pow Wow!
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agent sol was very helpful. i would recommend and i am buying again! i would not recommend buying the optionals until you get there and find out what they really are. the location of the hotel was not up to collettes style of being in the destination.
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I never give anything the top rating.Harriet Herb
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Best part was Mt. Rushmore.Anthony Vazzana
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Lots of sights and stops. One hotel stay was another plus.Gary Baldy
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The destinations on the tour were spectacular but the tour manager cast a negative feeling on things.
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Mount Rushmore was awesome. Tour of Deadwood with driver Dave was great He made it memorableCarole Harris
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Mt. Rushmore was the most memorable. I enjoyed going back in the evening as well. Also enjoyed seeing the Crazy Horse Memorial as it is being done.
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a scenic and informative tour of a unique part of the USA the bus tour of the Badlands and Custer National Parks
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Tour activities were excellent. Tour manager was great. As well as all other people attached to the tour.Robert Knick
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Learning about the Lakota way of life and the scenic Needles Highway with all the wildlife.Bruce Marshall
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We enjoyed Custer's State Park and seeing the wildlife.
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All of the experiences were great, but probably I enjoyed Devils Tower in Eastern Wyoming the most. I really enjoyed the Western Heritage Museum too. This was my first time touring and seeing South Dakota. Every bit of scenery was all that I hoped for. I want to take another tour!
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Seeing Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse on same day was fantastic. Needles highway was super! Loved Chapel in the hills.Tour of Black Hills gold factory was very interesting.
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Black Forest day. Who knew that was going to be so spectacular
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The tour was a bit on the busy side, but every stop was enjoyable except for Deadwood. I particularly enjoyed the Devil’s Tower and the Crazy Horse Memorial. Having heard about these sights for so long, it was great to see them in person. I was also appreciative of the Native American entertainment and museums. Deadwood, on the other hand, was very disappointing. The town looks nothing like an old Western town. It consists of bars with gambling casinos, gambling casinos on their own, and stores for shopping (although the items in the stores was varied and lovely as some compensation). The tour guide on the bus made political references that I did not appreciate and old sexist jokes that I found offensive.Judith Brodsky
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We saw parts of the USA we had not seen before. The bad lands were something! We had no idea. Mt. Rushmoore had been on bucket list for a long time and was not a disappointment except the rain and didn't get to see night light show. The tunnels were exciting and driver excellent. Our tour bus driver was great.Robie Cooper
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Thought it was very good!
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Enjoyed all sites. However my favorite was Crazy Horse Memorial and tour to close beneath the mountain and Cluster State ParkSherian Smith
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The geography was so different than I expected. National Geo never showed a picture of the Badlands that showed how it just starts at the edge of a rolling green plain.Beatrice Naylor
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Have already stated problems—poor hotel location, too many gift shops, Indian School/reservation eliminate as no tour there or info. Guide only adequate. Have taken 4 Collette tours—this the worst. Embarrassed for traveling friends as we recommended Collette.
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Purely personal, found that bus rides were long and dealing with 42 people on and off the bus multiple times per day annoying. Bus drivers were excellent, navigating some difficult terrain. Also,to really cover the area a few more days was needed. We actually only had 5 days of touring, 2 full days of air travel.Norma Mcdonald
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Can't think of just one! The whole trip was wonderful!Ellen Dimock
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Ever event exceed my expectation, I loved Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse, The Badlands and The Indian reservation
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Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and the BadlandsRobert Rutherford
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That was beautiful! The mountains and the landscape was great. The Needles Highway was wonderful.Kathleen Fetch
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All experience's were great, but being at one hotel and not moving from hotel to hotel was a good experience and this trip was made to do just that.Florence Chianese
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Mount Rushmore at night was great.David Chianese
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they brought us to a couple of places that where not on the scheduleMary Oconnor
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We had a game plan (itinerary) sent to us. But, the tour guides not followed the schedule but included other sites. We were very happy. The only thing we would have liked would be to add an extra dinner or two instead of us finding some where to eat.Charles Rivel
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Enjoyed the monuments and sitting in the first seat of the bus.Maureen Lizarazo
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Beautiful country. Mt Rushmore was awesome. My husband being a Veteran was very touched by the nightly service. I was awe struck at the badlands. Collette will get my business again.Kathleen Sanfelippo
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Great sites and enjoyed the 40 minute traffic jam....due to about 100 buffalo deciding to use the road vs. the trails/woods!
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The monuments were spectacular. The surprises were great -- Wooly mammoths and particle accelerators to name two.Patricia Lorentzen
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We had a very cramped and small room.Elizabeth Hubbard
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The tour guide was very knowledgeable and planned the days well.
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Very nice, well-planned trip.
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Tour lived up to expectations. Had a good tour manager and bus driver. However need to review breakfast in Rapid City. It was disgraceful.Patricia Cox
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See section 1 for review. Mount Rushmore was a favorite experience.Judy Johnson
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The tour was great, Tour guide very attentive and informative. Felt we had too much "free" time. The hotel was not conveniently located. No safe place to take a walk, in fact there wasn't anything interesting to walk to. A downtown hotel accommodation would have been a better choice The hotel we stayed at Garden Inn Hilton was average, breakfast OK, the cleaning group left a lot to be desired. They did not clean our room after the first night, in fact the tour director had to step in to get that resolved, which it was.
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All I wanted to see and more
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The highlights of this trip were Mt Rushmore, Custer State Park and the Badlands. You are given ample time to explore on your own and lots of photo opportunities. I was only disappointed by two things. Our visit to Red Cloud School on the Pine Ridge Reservation was a total fail. Hostile stares because we were there during a funeral and the local history of the Sioux guide didn't show up. *Personal Details removed by Feefo* sensed things were not going well and substituted a visit to the Mammoth Dig which was wonderful. Last year the tour did the wild horse sanctuary instead and I vote they go back to that. The other item is Deadwood was basically casinos, bars and gift shops. Not much history left except for Cemetery. Also Collette puts Deadwood on a Sunday which is the only day they don't do the historical reenactments in the street. My personal preference is less shopping and more history. I did the optional excursion and would not do it again. Too much time at the Journey Museum and very bad service at the restaurant.
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Most of the tour was very interesting, a good variety of things to see. Tour guide was very knowledgeable about places we visited and also the background and local culture Transportation was clean and comfortable.Leonard Ellsworth
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We could have spent less time at some stops such as downtown Deadwood which is only gift shops and casinos. The cematary and museum were good. Tatanka museum and Pine Ridge Reservation were great. The Black Hills gold mine store tour was nice but was used as a lure to purchase jewelry. The hotel was a hard walk to anywhere because it was at the bottom of a hill.
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Tour was worth the $ . All planned activities were great. Time spent at the jewelry store was too long and felt very rushed at the Chuck Wagon dinner.Susan Jean
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Our Tour Manager, was OUTSTANDING. Our tour guide provided great commentary and kept the tour moving at an excellent pace. The trip covered everything we wanted to see and more.
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Our Tour Manager, was OUTSTANDING. Our tour guide provided great commentary and kept the tour moving at an excellent pace. The trip covered everything we wanted to see and more.
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I think the structure of the tour was Awsome. We were on the road every day and onto a new adventure. Mt. Rushmore and Custer Ntl Parks were the highlight with deadwood and Tatonka up there with them. I learned a lot of history I never knew about our country. They packed a lot of history and knowledge and scenery in very few days.. The hotel was beautiful and was very accommodating. We drove so we would have access to a vehicle to see anything around the area we might have missed or wanted to see more of. The hotel has a a shuttle for. Anyone without a vehicle. I loved the areas we toured and would do this tour again in order to see different aspects of each stop, plus I would like see a lot more of the Rapid City area. It is beautiful city and the area has a lot to see.Peggy
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Start to finish, trip was outstanding. Including the unexpected side trip to the Chapel In the Hills which was beautiful. Wild Horse Sanctuary was spiritual. Collette Guide was one of the most knowledgeable guides I've ever had. Can't wait to plan our next trip. Does he have any other scheduled trips?James Seibert
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covered all the things I wanted to see, and much more
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Beautiful scenery. Loved seeing so many animals, esp. wild horses and bison.Diane Hall
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Seeing Mt Rushmore at night was most memorable.Merle Cohen
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Feeding the wild burros at Custer.Colleen Bollivar
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Seeing Mt. Rushmore by day and night was unbelievable.James Lovely
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The visit to the wild mustang ranch.Donald Lockwood
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Mt Rushmore during the day outstanding and the optional evening there was even better.
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Badlands very impressive.Maria and Bob
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Mt. Rushmore was magnificent! I had always seen it in pictures but never in person. I had always wanted to see it in person. Mt. Rushmore lit up at night is also magnificent and it was nice to see all the Veterans recognized for their service. The Wild Horse Sanctuary is an experience I will never forget. That is a must see.
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Custer Park and one hotel location.Marcus
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The surprise of Custer state park and the Badlands.
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The tour was excellent! Every day was my favorite but a few things stand out. Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial and the Needles Highway were awesome.Nan
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Not sure if I would recommend Collette to others. The Prairie Edge Trading company was just a tourist trap. We spent that time sitting out on the street corner watching people go by. the Black Hills Gold Factory was interesting, but could have spent a great deal less time in the store. We wanted to take photos of the wild animals along the roads, but the bus was not slowed down so we could. The hotel was VERY good, but the restaurant was not, The choice of extra meals provided by Collette was not the best. Very unhappy with the Bayleaf Cafe in Spearfish. Many times throughout the tour, the Tour Manager had a warden attitude rather than a guide attitude.
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The crazy horse monument and the entertainment at the Chuck Wagon dinner.Rhonda
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The tour of Mount Rushmore was extremely magestic and the scenery of the surrounding area was gorgeous. The ability to connect with the Native Americans was terrific.Darren
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Tour manager was scatterbrained and continually changed the itinerary we signed on for.Some people we knew ended up paying for the Cowboy Dinner because he had moved it from the schedule and did not tell us. We spent an unnessary amount of time in downtown Rapid City in 90 degree heat. People should be warned that accommodations are a distance from everything, including restaurants. We would have rented a car, had we known this.Peggy
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The scenery was magnificent and the tour destinations were everything we were looking for and more in South Dakota. There were many educational experiences, including the highlight of the tour, Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial that has been in work for sixty-eight years and the Bison Jump. There was lots of fun too, like Deadwood where Wild Bill Hickok was killed and the wild horses, burros and bison (aka buffalo) roaming the Black Hills. The tour manager (Tom) was very knowledgeable about all kinds of interesting subjects, both about the area and other things in general.James
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The hotel was a little far to walk to restaurants and the town. The hotel did provide shuttle service which we did use.D-L-M
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Our six-day tour in Rapid City SD was one of the best vacations we have spent. Our tour guide was excellent. He has been conducting this tour for 11 years and his experience is so helpful. He was so upbeat and friendly. The 41 fellow tourists were friendly, thoughtful and fun companions. The area in and around Rapid City is fantastic. Mt Rushmore, the Black Hills, the Crazy Horse Monument, the wild horse sanctuary, Deadwood, Sturgis are all worth seeing. Our weather was perfect for touring.C. Bugbee
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The tour was great. Our tour manager was very likable and very knowledgeable. He went out of his way to make our trip pleasurable and busy. We were thrilled to see a herd of bison numbering several hundred. The wild horse sanctuary was awesome. I enjoyed the visit to Tatanka.Florence
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Excellent tour of Mt. Rushmore and Badlands. highly recommend it. Only suggestion we can think off would be on the day in Custer State Park area, spend time at the Hot Springs, instead of second afternoon in Rapid City. Would have enjoyed visit to hot springs.Larry
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Steve our tour director was fabulous!! Loved Mt Rushmore
