CA
Tours
Spotlight on South Dakota
featuring Mount Rushmore & The Badlands
7 DAYS
$3,449
pp*
*Rate is per person, land only, double occupancy, tour inclusions and available options may vary based on departure date.
Please select a date below for more details.
Please select a date below for more details.
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
- Badlands National Park
- Wall Drug
- Deadwood
READ MORE
Your Tour at a Glance
Getting Prepared
Know Before You Go
Enhance Your Tour
Accommodations
Hyatt Place Rapid City
Nights 1-6
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Trip Reviews
Live, Unedited, & Independent Traveler Reviews
Rating
508 reviews
4.7
Out of 5
Based on 508 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
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This tour was great! We have never done a land tour and were pleasantly surprised. Steve the tour manager and Sherry the tour bus driver were awesome. Friendly, knowledgeable, punctual and overall great guides! We really enjoyed Mt Rushmore and getting to go back at night for the evening ceremony. Next, would be Cuter State Park and experiencing the Buffalo. There is really nothing I can say bad about the entire experience.Darla Pate
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Mount Rushmore
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Trip in itself exceeded my expectations. Tour director Steve was great. Very well organized and took pictures for everyone and shared an album with us. Accommodated our dietary needs. very informative an keep us abreast of times and places repeatedly. Hotel did not clean rooms like other places I have been to. If I have to make beds and reuse towels fine but they should tell us. Had to go down three times and ask for clean washcloths. Sometimes desk wasn't manned. Had to wait for washcloths and couldn't get ready for bed. Tours were very good, but felt that I needed more time at Wall Drug and Deadwood.
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Tour was a good variety and the hotel in Rapid City was really nice… the guide wasn’t as informative as others we’ve had from collette but she was nice and got us from point to point.
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Especially loved the lighting ceremony at Mt Rushmore, The Safari at Custer State Park was awesome, up close and personal with Bison! Hotel was immaculate, bus was immaculate. Great Trip for us!!KRISTINE GUILES
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The tour was GREAT! From the care taken by you with the pre-trip info and arrangements to the actual tour it made the trip almost seamless. Mike was a great host, guide, and friend to all and his knowledge of the area was very impressive. Our bus driver was also great. Her knowledge of local things and her care and cheerfulness to us all was appreciated. Riding in an open-air jeep to see buffaloes to the lighting of Mount Rushmore at night are great memories.Mary Beth Finke
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Much more to S. Dakota than I imagined. Most memorable was being within an arm's length of a 2-ton bison. Also, standing on the stage of the night lighting at Mt. Rushmore with other veterans hearing USA USA.Robert Finke
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National parks
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We were very happy we went to Mt Rushmore day and night. Loved the Badlands and Custers state park.Joann Clark
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Open air jeep ride in park close to roaming buffalo
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The Mount Rushmore Evening Lighting Program was really inspiring.Lynn Lash
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The tour was excellent. Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse memorials were awesome!
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We experienced our usual excellent Collette vacation. The Black Hills area is truly spectacular. Our guide and driver did an excellent job. All of the areas that we visited were interesting and were well represented by the local guides. Just riding to each day's activity was so worthwhile as the scenery is so beautiful. Collette does an excellent job setting up these adventures.Ross Paulus
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It was a great Trip, from the time we left for the airport to coming home. Every morning our bus and tour guide would be there right on time. Our tour guide would tell us where we were going that day and before each stop he played a video about it.
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the tour was well planned so that there was no moving around to different hotels. All the sites were memorable Mountain Rushmore, Badlands, Devils Tower, Crazy Horse, the different towns we stopped at, Custard's State Park with the Buffaloes, the museums, native American village and all the people and places we saw.
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Tatanka in Deadwood was my favorite. Deadwood town was least favorite. All other visits were very good. Staff in hotel very friendly and helpful. Hotel needs to define their rooms better; handicap room had a deep tub, hard to step out of. Toilets are all low. Breakfast at hotel: food was good but got cold, service was slow. We would have liked a little more time on our own.
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It 2was lots of fun and lots of beauty in South Dakota. We were not rushed like the Paris tour. It was fun, we did a lot, but we were not rushed. I really liked ALL of the trip so it hard for me to pick a highlight.Ann Valleroy
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This was the first time we traveled with Collette. The 7 day/6 night tour, “Spotlight on South Dakota,” featured Mt. Rushmore, Devils Tower (in Wyoming), Badlands National Park, and much more. The itinerary was appealing because, in contrast to tours with multiple destinations linked by long, tedious motor coach rides between 1- or 2-night hotel stays, we would be headquartered in one centrally located spot with no more than a 2-hour drive to the various sites. The poor communication from Collette’s main office prior to the tour was unsettling. An invoice stating, "Please remit full payment no later than 17 Feb, 2025" was not received until March 7. An accompanying document included an alert that the names we had scribbled on our registration forms during a travel talk 5 months earlier had to exactly match the names on our Real ID cards. Unfortunately, Collette sent out this “reminder” AFTER they had purchased our airline tickets. I promptly submitted a minor correction. Well, imagine my outrage when they passed along an airline “name change fee” of $100.00. I disputed this ridiculous charge (and won). Many of our fellow tour participants were not experienced fliers. But beyond making our airline reservations, Collette offered not one iota of guidance – not even a useful web link – towards navigating online check-in, baggage, self-service kiosks, TSA, etc. Granted, every airport and airline has its own arcane modus operandi, but still … Nor was the Collette Compass app I installed on my smartphone useful. The itinerary was a mere copy of the printed documents previously mailed to tour participants. An accompanying list of restaurants and retail stores was woefully outdated; several had closed and others were inaccessible except by rideshare. Search engines (e.g. Google) provided far more concise and up-to-date info. Apart from the above ‘plaints, we truly enjoyed the tour. Our hotel, Hyatt Place, was centrally located in downtown Rapid City. Brand new and luxurious, it was within easy walking distance of multiple stores, restaurants, and other attractions. The activities and attractions included in the tour itinerary were generally well curated. At times, though, we felt rushed, especially at lunch stops. We surely could have stayed longer at Wall Drugs, Hill City and Custer … I’m certain most of our traveling companions would have been OK with returning to the hotel at 5:00 instead of 4:00. Also, after 3 days, multiple museums, displays and talks featuring the history and lore of South Dakota were becoming repetitive. Our tour included three dinners. A “welcome” dinner in a banquet room at a Best Western motel was catered by the adjoining Minervas Restaurant. A presentation by a native Lakota family was delightful but less so our meals, which arrived tepid and daintily portioned. In contrast, the food portions at the “farewell” dinner at Sabatino’s were hearty (but their kitchen was not so accommodating in meeting dietary restrictions). The chuckwagon supper and show at Ft. Hays – not included in the tour price – was better overall than the included chuckwagon supper and show at the High Plains Heritage Center located in Spearfish. Collette really ought to consider switching to Ft. Hays for future SD tours. We traveled between sites in a brand new motor coach, enjoying a wonderful driver who was not only punctual and friendly but also knew Rapid City backwards & forwards and shared some great suggestions (including the enjoyable evening at Ft. Hays). But I’ve saved the best for last, namely our tour manager Barry. He is the reason I rated my review 4 stars instead of 3. Never appearing stressed or impatient, Barry was unswervingly cheerful, polite, helpful, and an inspiring fountain of knowledge about the various sites we visited. When the weather turned sour, he got us to smile and laugh. In short, he was a great traveling companion and friend to every tour participant. We hope to travel with Barry again (and we hope Collette's HQ office gets their act together on communication and documents).
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Barry was very good professional and kind. I enjoyed the halter.
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The spotlight on South Dakota tour with Colette was our first tour with them. It was great from start to finish ,everything was taken care of, even picking us up from the airport. We got a real feel for the Badlands, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore and Crazy horse and didn't have to move from hotel to hotel which was wonderful. Even had some bonus snow in Deadwood....Highly recommend this tour.Rochelle Brodka
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Tour was a spotlight tour. Stayed in one hotel the whole time. Excellent accommodation and good tour. Would like more spotlight tours offered .
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Visiting crazy horse, mount rushmore, bad lands and the everyday activities. the tour guide kept us moving and interested while being very knowledgable of the area.Todd Babbitt
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The tour was professionally handled, well planned and coordinated, and overall very memorable and enjoyable. I would take the same tour again and again. One never gets tired of seeing the historic monuments and beautiful parks. I loved Crazy Horse. The museum at this monument was magnificent. I also liked Deadwood....that was fun.Irma Fernandez
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Great all aroundRobert Long
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The whole tour was very interesting, enjoyable, and I learned a lot. Everyone on the tour got along well and we met people we will stay in touch with. Bought a sweatshirt from Custer State Park, which I really needed on the Jeep Tour. Love the Peanut Butter Whiskey we bought in Deadwood!
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Daily tours were great destinations. Director treated us like fifth graders, constantly changing times by five or ten minutes which were in conflict with the bus driver, who was an excellent driver, knowledgeable and safe. Mount Rushmore and lighting was great. Badlands, unbelievable! Hotel was too far from town when we had to find food not included in trip. Needed to be downtown Rapid City. When our flight was cancelled Collette said you are on your own, deal with the airline! We, people on our group, arranged transportation and hotel for the night and transportation back in the morning, Collette was of no help! When we got back to Albany, there was no bus! We were on our own, Collette was no help! I will never go with Collette again and will advise my friends not to. They need to step up! We have traveled with Viking and were never on our own when issues came up, and they did on our two trips.
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Open air Jeep ride through custard ParkDarlene Zuraw
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Mt. Rushmore!!! I always wanted to see mt. Rushmore growing up as a child .
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THe natural beauty of that area and the sculptures is amazing. We covered all the important places. Lots of places to eat, shop, explore. Nothing planned for the first day where we arrived very early in the day. No orientation, no planned group dinner or lunch even. Tour manager left alot to be desired. Next time send an adult. This one did take us to the places listed but was no where as informative as all your other managers. Didn't tell us about the area, geography, govt. Was goofy. Made jokes about our names even though she had a list. I liked her music bingo and her prizes. Bus driver made it all worth while. Hotel was too far out of town. They didn't have the staff to deal with all the Collette people staying there. And they didn't care. Despite all the seniors, the breakfast had all sugary items. No no-sugar-added items. And the butter for the items was FROZEN. With a sign not to put it on the toaster. And they had the NERVE to put out a jar for tips!!!! Really?? Ridiculous. And one of our members had a bat in their room! We didn't really have enough time at each major point of interest but alot of free time.
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Mount Rushmore especially at night Adam's museum Badlands Marriot especially breakfasts Tour director and bus driver
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My most memorable experience was the evening lighting of Mount Rushmore. Second most memorable was touring the city of presidents. Third was learning about the history of the Lakota tribes and their relationship with Buffalo/Bison. Fourth was gold rush in the Black Hills.
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I loved Custer State Park & the open air jeep ride. Scenery & wildlife incredible!! Wish we could have spent the afternoon in downtown Deadwood - would have enjoyed watching the staged reenactments since I'm an old TV western fan. Liked viewing Rushmore @ night, walking around Devil's Tower, & standing @ the almost geographic center of the earth. Despite damaged luggage enroute & delayed flight on the return, I truly enjoyed the trip. Weather was most cooperative, too - blue skies were brilliant!Gail Secunda
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I taught American history for many years. This tour was everything I hoped it would be. I saw many of the sites that were in my geography lessons, and it was wonderful to see them in person. I especially enjoyed the visit to the Tatanka site.
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Mr Rushmore and especially the lighting ceremony and Crazy HORSE WERE were most memorable. Also Devil’s Tower.Catherine Redden
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Great trip
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Very goodChong Hwa Lee
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MOUNT RUSHMORE.
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Learned so much history. Was moved to tears at the nighttime lighting ceremony at Mount RushmoreJean Welch
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Can't go wrong with this tour of South Dakota. We added in an extra day to visit Wind Cave National Park on our own.M.D.
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Our tour guide gave us background every day about our day tours. He had videos that enriched the tours. Joe the bus driver was always helpful and was cheerful and friendly. The activities on our daily tours were interesting and took us to spots we would not know about. Meals varied to in your own to restaurants along the way. Many meals were at different restaurants: 1 breakfast; 1 lunch snd 3 dinners that we were all together. Steve our guide took pictures of everything so we could enjoy the sites and shared them with us every night. We had a fabulous time.
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Loved Deadwood, and Wall Drug. Tour guide and bus driver were excellent. Location of Hotel wasn't ideal and the hotel itself was ok. Expected more for the money I paid
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Great Tour!! Hotel accommodation with kitchen was great. Not changing hotels was a big plus.
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It was a great experience, overall! Our tour manager, Steve, was very knowledgeable and friendly and caring. Our bus driver, Joe, was very friendly and helpful and caring, also. Mount Rushmore was very impressive, especially the lighting ceremony @ night! I loved hearing about the Native American culture and Western Heritage and culture, also. I especially loved Kevin Costner's Tatanka, and the Buffalo Jeep safari!! I really wanted to pet the Fluffy cows!! But I knew better!! The welcome and farewell dinners were very nice.
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The tour was a very interesting one. As named, it is a "spotlight" on the area. If you are interested in learning about some highlights of the area, this is the trip to take. However, if you are interested in spending longer periods of time on just a few areas, this is not the trip for you. Being from the East/Midwest areas, this was a true spotlight on the areas for us. Since we weren't sure if we'd be able to return, this hit the "spots" just right for us. There were several areas of interest for us, but I believe seeing the bison up close on the Jeep Safari trip was probably the best for us.
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Fulfilled my bucket list! All 50 states!Linda Aten
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Experiencing the Badlands took my breath away!Jonnie Myers Debbink
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Great Tour and Tour Manager
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Seeing Mt. Rushmore and also Crazy Horse monuments was an experience of a lifetime. Our tour guide Eileen was outstanding and had so much information to share about each place we visited. Her upbeat personality and quick wit made for a very enjoyable time!! Would definitely love to tour with her again.Debra Catena
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The entire tour was excellent, both the guide and bus driver did a wonderful job. The only down sides were a lack of stores/restaurants near the hotel and the air transportation. It originally had us flying from and returning to an airport that was 2 hours away from us as opposed to the airport that is 15 minutes away. Luckily we were able to switch to the closer airport but at an additional cost of $800.
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Favorite experience was the jeep tour of Custer State Park. Enjoyed all sites that were on the tour.Susan Paris
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Rushmore and Devil's Rock were spectacular; jeep safari in Custer State Park was also great; but the tour was very poorly managed by an abusive guide.
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I can pick out my favorite thing. There were too many. Lighting at Mt Rushmore. Jeep Safari with Buffalo. Devils Tower. Deadwood. They fascinating landscapes along the way. Narration by our great tour guide as we traveled in the bus.Vinita Tribble
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The tour was everything I expected and more. Steve, our tour manager, made sure schedules were met, individual needs addressed, and every stop was a unique experience.
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Great experience. We saw many fabulous attractions, especially Mt. Rushmore and the bison herds.
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Teytonka. Very good presentationMary Maloney
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The tour was great. Everything was nicely planned out. Mount Rushmore lighting ceremony was moving. Steve our tour guide was awesome!.Susan Barringer
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I would never had learned or experienced the beauty and history to this extent of the black hills area without this tour and guide. Highly recommend. The hotel was grand too.
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Enjoying the natural beauty of South Dakota, Wyoming and the indigenous peoples, Badlands, Custer National Park and everything in between. We were in awe of the monuments and the Devils Tower.
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Collette tours are outstanding. Never felt overly rushed. Accommodation were very good. The only place I would think about not returning to was Minerva’s Restaurant. The staff was great, but the 2 poor waitress had to serve the entire dinner for the whole tour group that night (May 17). Some of the food was not very good. My Sister-in-law had to send her food back to the kitchen, as did some other tour members. The apart from that, Lakota Culture Presentation was outstanding! Don’t lose that. This was the first time we used Collette and it won’t be the last. Haydee Schabelski, our tour guide, was outstanding. She was very attentive to our needs and very responsive. She was so attentive to minute details that she scheduled us to visit Mt. Rushmore in the morning so that the sun would be to our backs. That is really attention to detail. I asked Haydee about your overseas tours. She indicated she has never done a Collette overseas tour, but would love to do one. Hint, Hint Collette. Why not send her on an overseas tour if she wishes to work one? I know my wife and I will seriously be considering a Collette overseas tour. The whole tour was great. For me, the Tatanka tour was especially good. I also truly truly enjoyed the Lakota Culture Presentation and the Oglala Lakota Village. One last person that should not be neglected was Sherrie, our bus drive. She was great and a lot of fun. Kudos to Sherrie. And, by the way, the Coach we had was brand new! Sorry if I can’t think of one thing over another. Russell and Cynthia Griffin PS. The farewell dinner at the restaurant (don’t remember the name) was outstanding. Since they did not offer a linguine or similar dish, I ordered the Lasagna. I am not a big Lasagna fan, but I did try it. It was outstanding!!!! It would order their Lasagna again, any time. And, their wine selection was tremendous!
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It’s a draw between Tatanka Story of the Bison and Crazy Horse. Tatanka was very informative, how which parts of the animal was used for what purpose. And the sculpture out back was fantastic. I purchased a hoodie from them along with a small replica of Tatanka and a refrigerator magnet. And the work on Crazy Horse Monument is impressive from the last time I saw it. Glad it is 501c3 with no federal monies accepted. Their complex really brings in the tourists. I purchased a refrigerator magnet and left, I believe, a generous donation.
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Was a great trip since I have never been to area. It was nice to stay in the same hotel the whole time. Disappointed in all the casinos that have tsken over Deadwood...but was hood to see historical sites. Food at hotel got alittle boring for breakfast ... danish, muffins pancakes would have been easy mixers Would definitely recommendMarsha Gastelum
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Too many to list.Andrew White
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National monuments and parks terrific!! Tourist traps — Wall Drug, Keystone, most of Deadwood boring time-wasters.
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Colette provided an excellent experience for the entire tour. EVERYTHING was perfect.David Padlick
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each day brought a new experience. glad was able to drive closer to crazy horse.
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Centrally located hotel with excursions from there. Very convenient.Philip Rightler
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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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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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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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The activities were fun, the historical sights were amazing, and the tour guides were great!Beth Kreinin
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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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Planed out well very friendlyReiser Rahn
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The Tour guide was the best very nice bus. Beautiful countryWanita Rahn
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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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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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Steve our tour director was fabulous!! Loved Mt RushmoreJill Stern
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Well-organized, on time everywhere, great accommodations, knowledgeable tour guide, good mix of eventsWalt Osborne
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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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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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I very much enjoyed the Shoot out in Deadwood
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My. Rushmore ceremony and lighting at nightDiane Michelmore
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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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IT WAS OUR FIRST TIME IN THE AREA AND WE APPRECIATED THE COMPLETNESS OF THE TOUR.Ruth-Elin *Prefix Riley
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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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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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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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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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Excellent experience. Tour guide was very knowledgeable. It was nice to stay at one hotel and take trips from there.
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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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Everything was well organized and lots of fun.
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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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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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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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Excellent service overall.
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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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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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Tour covered everything we wanted to see, was well organized and generally enjoyable.Mary Ann Pumilia
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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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Great trip, tour director great' To bad we had to experience the Charlotte airportAntoinette Bergfelder
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Wonderful experience only complaint is Charlotte airportHenry Bergfelder
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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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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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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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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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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 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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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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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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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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Tour guide not the best I have had.Jane Golden
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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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Several places were closed because of the time of year
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It was a wonderful tour, very informative, well organized and everyone was very professional.
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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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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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Accommodations were too far from town and any walkable restaurants
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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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It was a great trip with a lot of places to see.Doris Onstine
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Saw a great variety in the area.
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We got to see a lot of sites and was a wonderful vacation. Loved having it all planned out and also have plenty of free timeRonald Smith
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all the three think I saw I enjoy itHye Fairlie
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Great trip Mount Rushmore was amazingMarc Levine
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Mt Rushmore and Tatanka and Custer State Park
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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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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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Great bus touri9ng company!
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Seeing all of the sites was great.
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Our Spotlight on South Dakota tour was well-balanced with sights and activities each day. Our tour manager was very knowledgeable and provided extra insight to attractions by sharing interesting facts and videos on the bus before we arrived at each destination. We were able to see a lot in six days and the bus was comfortable--our rides never seemed long. The jeep safari tour through Custer State Park was a highlight--we were able to see lots of bison, pronghorn, prairie dogs, and other animals. I loved the locals' appreciation of art--from the sculptures at Rushmore and Crazy Horse, to presidential sculptures in Rapid City, and murals and sculptures at restaurants and other attractions. I recommend this trip to anyone who wants to visit Mount Rushmore, Badlands, Crazy Horse Memorial, Devils Tower, and Deadwood and who wants to celebrate Native American culture.
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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).Trusted Customer
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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.Trusted Customer
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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 expectedTrusted Customer
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Mt. Rushmore on a sunny day. The sun reflecting off of the marble was amazing!Trusted Customer
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I enjoyed the trip very much.Trusted Customer
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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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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 TowerTrusted Customer
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See previous. Devils Towers and mt. Rushmore were highlights.
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Custer Park was unexpected delight-buffalo-wild burros lodge had the best food of the trip!!Trusted Customer
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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.Trusted Customer
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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.Trusted Customer
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Best part was Mt. Rushmore.Trusted Customer
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Lots of sights and stops. One hotel stay was another plus.Trusted Customer
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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 memorableTrusted Customer
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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.Trusted Customer
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Learning about the Lakota way of life and the scenic Needles Highway with all the wildlife.Trusted Customer
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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.Trusted Customer
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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.Trusted Customer
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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 ParkTrusted Customer
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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.Trusted Customer
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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.Trusted Customer
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Can't think of just one! The whole trip was wonderful!Trusted Customer
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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 BadlandsTrusted Customer
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That was beautiful! The mountains and the landscape was great. The Needles Highway was wonderful.Trusted Customer
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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.Trusted Customer
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Mount Rushmore at night was great.Trusted Customer
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they brought us to a couple of places that where not on the scheduleTrusted Customer
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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.Trusted Customer
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Enjoyed the monuments and sitting in the first seat of the bus.Trusted Customer
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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.Trusted Customer
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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.Trusted Customer
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We had a very cramped and small room.Trusted Customer
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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.Trusted Customer
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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.Trusted Customer
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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.Trusted Customer
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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.Trusted Customer
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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?Trusted Customer
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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.Trusted Customer
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Seeing Mt Rushmore at night was most memorable.Trusted Customer
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Feeding the wild burros at Custer.Trusted Customer
