Spotlight on South Dakota
From $2,399
$2,299 pp*
Featuring Mount Rushmore & The Badlands
Spotlights
*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.
Tour Types
- Classic
- Exploration
- Faith
- River Cruise
- Spotlights
Enjoy a refined take on the art of group travel.
Experience true adventures on these Collette small group tours.
Set out on an inspiring journey on these faith-based travel experiences.
Explore the world's most beautiful waterways.
Come to know your destination during a single-hotel stay.
Your Tour at a Glance


Tour Activity Level
The activity level for this tour:
At a very leisurely pace, this tour involves minimal physical activity, such as climbing some stairs, boarding a motorcoach, and walking from the hotel reception area to hotel rooms and dining areas.
This tour requires average physical activity. You should be in good health, able to climb stairs and walk reasonable distances, possibly over uneven ground and cobblestoned streets.
This tour includes moderate physical activity. The itinerary blends some longer days with shorter days and more leisure time. Walking tours, as well as walking slightly longer distances, up stairs or on uneven walking surfaces should be expected.
To truly experience the program and destination, you need to be able to participate in physical activities such as longer walking tours, walking over uneven terrain, climbing stairs and periods of standing. Some of the touring days may be longer, with select included activities occurring later in the evening.
This tour is very active, requiring participants to be physically fit to fully enjoy all the experiences. This itinerary has more strenuous activities which may include such things as: extensive walking tours, transfers over uneven and dusty terrain, high altitudes, early morning departures, late night activities, or extreme temperatures. All conditions do not apply to all days, so please read the itinerary carefully and speak to one of our travel counsellors to determine if this tour is right for you. We recommend this program to individuals who are physically fit. Unfortunately, this tour is not appropriate for individuals who use either walkers or wheelchairs. If this trip is not ideally suited for you, our travel counsellors can help determine the perfect trip for you.

844.269.4583

Itinerary
Spotlight on South Dakota featuring Mount Rushmore & The Badlands
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Traveller Reviews
Spotlight on South Dakota featuring Mount Rushmore & The Badlands
From $2,299 pp*
7 Days • 9 Meals
Book Now-
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ServiceI was very pleased with the tour manager and local guides. I was very unhappy with the way things were handled when our flight was cancelled. It will be awhile before I will want to travel with Collett again.
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TourI liked everything we saw and did as far as sights go.
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TERRIBLE!
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Serviceif you are going to organize a trip after tourist season make sure it is worth the trip.
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TourThat is hard - I suppose Deadwood
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ServiceGuide and bus driver were good
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Tourall of it -- except Gold store
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Great tours... every time for us!
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ServiceWe recently took our 4th tour with Collette. Tours are always well organized and they work a lot into the schedule. Tour guides are knowledgeable and helpful in unusual circumstances.
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TourThe Needles Highway tour was the highlight for me. Awesome bus driver/tour guide!
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ServiceSites visited were really nice and Sam, our tour guide, was terrific. The parts that could be improved are the hotel and the provided dinners. The hotel breakfast was not run well and it took too long to get a table (even with empty tables available). If you ordered off the menu, it usually took 40 minutes to make an omelette or French toast. Two of the three provided dinners were really subpar (the welcome and farewell dinner). I would never go to those places again. But I went for the sites and they were absolutely beautiful.
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TourDevils Tower, the Badlands, and Mount Rushmore.
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ServiceTour was ok could have been more western food was like any thing I can get in the city some stops were a wast of time should have has the chuck wagon dinner as one of the dinners it was great We had to pay for it and most of the people on the tour went to it
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Toursome of the tour was a wast of time
Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Spotlight on South Dakota tour. We're sorry to hear you felt some of the stops on our itinerary were sub par. Your feedback will be forwarded to the Product Design Team for review.
Collette Support -
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ServiceExcellent pre trip information in all areas. The trip had no hitches of any kind the guide and coach driver were excellent. The sites were outstanding. It was also good to operate out of one location. Kudos also for Sr. Margaret who was very instrumental in managing this trip from start to finish.
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Tourseeing mount rushmore, and also the devil's tower and to have perfect whether to walk around it.
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Great experience and I would do it again, and again, and again!
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ServiceAll trips I have traveled with Collette have been 5 star rated. I have and will continue to encourage others to use their services. Everything has been well coordinated and their Tour Managers are friendly and courteous in the most professional manner.
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TourThee 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".
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Thoroughly enjoyable experience!
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ServiceTour manager & your bus driver were both excellent. Hotel with its cooked to order & buffet breakfast (both included in the price of the tour) were great.
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TourMy Rushmore at night was spectacular
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Our tour guide, Bryce Hill, was outstanding.
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ServiceI would definitely recommend Collette to friends. We had a wonderful experience.
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TourOur tour was organized and highlighted the most interesting points of South Dakota near Rapid City.
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Serviceexcellent leader.,supurb service with travel arrangements
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Tourseeing Crazy horse and mt rushmore
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ServiceThe hotel and tour agenda were very good. Pre-tour materials and plans were very poor.
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TourDaily excursions were very enjoyable
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ServiceThe service is great
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TourLove 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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Beautiful area
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ServiceFlights to the adventure were booked to close. Almost missed the plane to our second destination. They held the plane because one of us was in a wheelchair otherwise we would have missed the flight.
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TourJeep Safari was the most fun. The bison were a great adventure.
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Very interesting trip.
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ServiceThings were very organized. The biggest thing I was disappointed about was we didn’t get to see the evening service honoring the veterans. We should have been told that ahead of time. Also the breakfasts in Rapid City left a lot to be desired. The Medora Musical was definitely a highlight!!
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TourRefer to previous comments.
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Fun tour
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ServiceCoordination and schedule smooth. I would go on another tour, as well as refer others to Collette tours.
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TourMedora show and jeep tour.
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ServiceI understand this was a custom tour, one of your standard tours that was adjusted to meet a collective interest group. Given this understanding, it was Good; but with hindsight it need some adjustments that were not Collette's responsibility. I would have liked more time exploring some cities on foot. But given time available, the tour meet most of my expectations.
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TourNeeded 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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ServiceThe hotel location is no where to go.
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TourTwo dinner quality is not good, especially the last one. The bus to Custer is very old and produced bad dark and smoke.
Thank you for traveling with Collette to South Dakota. We're sorry to hear you were disappointed in the hotel location and some of the included meals. Your feedback will be reviewed by the Product Design Team in order to improve the overall touring experience for our guests.
Collette Support -
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ServiceHotel location is bad, no place around can walk to. Two out of the three dinners are not good.
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TourMentioned already, lunch stop places are not good
Thank you for traveling with Collette to South Dakota. We're sorry to hear you were disappointed in the hotel location and some of the included meals. Your feedback will be reviewed by the Product Design Team in order to improve the overall touring experience for our guests.
Collette Support -
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ServiceCollette services do a great job in Every aspect of making sure we have a great experience during our vacation.
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TourWonderful. 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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See it all or die trying to!
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ServiceGuide was great but pace was exhausting for a senior couch potato. We did get to see all there was to see though.
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TourSeeing 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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Excellent trip - tour guide did a great job.
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ServiceService was great.
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TourLoved 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).
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Great tour guide and bus drivers!
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ServiceGreat tour guide and bus drivers
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TourEverything was great, no complaints.
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Brenda was awesome
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Servicetour manager was awesome
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Tourthe whole trip was perfect
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ServiceAwesome, very knowledgeable about the history and the scenery was incredible.
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TourI loved the Buffaloes, a very Educational trip and the Culture of the people.
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Breath taking views. Gorgeous scenery. Did not like location of hotel.
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ServiceI would buy again. Have been on many Collette tours. Good quality for the money. Did not like location of hotel.
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TourTour great. Hotel location bad and no available transportation.
Thank you for traveling with Collette to South Dakota. We're sorry to hear you were not pleased with the hotel selected for this tour. Your feedback will be reviewed by the Product Design Team in order to improve the overall touring experience for our guests.
Collette Support -
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First rate
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ServiceGood organization of sites and activities.
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TourSeeing Mount Rushmore from different angles brought all the pictures that I have seen to life for me.
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Great trip, wonderful tour directors, excellent itinerary
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ServiceIt was a well planned tour. Our guides were excellent. We loved the home/airport pickup. We took two tours back to back and Collette coordinated both trip seamlessly. We were very pleased with both trips.
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TourWe 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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Servicewe had an excellent and the tour was well planed.
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TourArches national park and the cliff palace
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Absolutely wonderful. Loved it!
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ServiceE dry time I’ve used Collette, I’ve been very pleased with the services, etc.
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TourHad never been to South Dakota, and absolutely loved it. A beautiful State.
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Very good trip
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ServiceAssisted when I got sick and arranged for change in travel schedule
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TourSeeing a lot more than I had expected
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Had a Great time!
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ServiceGreat! Loved the Guide!!
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TourMt. Rushmore on a sunny day. The sun reflecting off of the marble was amazing!
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ServiceYour Tour Manager, Brenda Pelletier, was excellent. We had unusual weather in SD and she handled it like a real champ. She was very informative about our different stops and was so cheerful all day. There were some problems with the health of some passengers and Brenda took get care and concern for them both. I think she was great and it said a lot for the kind of personnel that Collette hires. Our trip to the Grand Canyon in 2018 had a similar Tour Manager, Barbara, although she did not have as many challenges as Brenda did. I have enjoyed my trips with Collette and would travel with them again and would recommend them to everyone that is traveling.
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TourI enjoyed the trip very much.
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Must see South Dakota
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One of best vacations I have had. People and Places Outstanding!
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ServiceOut Tour Manager (Barbara Von Pagel) was TERRIFIC! She handled unexpected, last minute problem with restaurant for one of our included dinners with aplomb and good humor. She immediately found another restaurant for us - literally within about 10 minutes!!
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TourThere 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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Great trip!
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ServiceItinerary plan was perfect. We enjoyed staying in one hotel and leaving for tours from that central location.
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TourSeeing Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument; the Badlands Nat'l Park; Custer State Park.
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ServiceEverything was wonderful. We had a great time and met many nice people.
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TourWe loved the hike at Devil's Tower
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Great trip and guides
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ServiceTour guide and driver were great. Minor changes to plan from unavoidable circumstances were handled quickly and professionally. Trip hit highlights that we wanted to see. We could have skipped Totonka (sp?). The bus to Needles was old with broken seats. That needs to be corrected. Otherwise a great trip
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TourSee previous. Devils Towers and mt. Rushmore were highlights.
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Knowledgeable guide-great weather-good price. Love spotlight tours!!
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ServicePlease please update bus—overheated -no WiFi & charging station-no ‘kangaroo’ pouch for personal items-no cup holder for water bottle 😖
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TourCuster Park was unexpected delight-buffalo-wild burros 🤗 lodge had the best food of the trip!!
Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Spotlight on South Dakota tour. We're sorry to hear about the issues you experienced with the motor coach. Your feedback will be reviewed by the Logistics department in order to improve the overall touring experience for our guests.
Collette Support -
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Excellent service and wonderful tour coordinator!
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ServiceGreat trip to SD and amazing tour director! Highly recommend Collette.
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TourGreat Mt. Rushmore experience!
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Very Patriotic Week
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ServiceEnjoyed my trip very much. Could have been better weather.
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TourMount 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.
Thank you for traveling with Collette to South Dakota & the Badlands. Your feedback will be reviewed by the Product Development Team so the necessary changes to the itinerary and optional tours can be implemented.
Collette Support -
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ServicePicked great locations to see and would recommend to others.
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TourWhat 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.
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Could have been better
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ServiceI thought trying to charge me $50 for transportation to and from the airport was a bit much, considering that the hotel had a free shuttle!
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TourNot 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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Servicei would recommend them and i am planning to buy again! my agent sol was so helpful. the optional tour of the museum and the dinner was a waste of money and time. i would not recommend the optionals until you get thee and find out what they really are. the location of the hotel was not up to the standard collette style of being in the destinationl
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Touragent 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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Great trip!!
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ServiceThe tour was well organized. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing what South Dakota has to offer and will recommend that those who haven't traveled there should take a trip with Collette to see it.
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TourI never give anything the top rating.
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ServiceGuide was knowledgeable. Trip was great.
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TourBest part was Mt. Rushmore.
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Great trip!
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ServiceYes
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TourLots of sights and stops. One hotel stay was another plus.
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Beautiful sights but poor tour guide.
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ServiceThe scenery and monuments were spectacular - hotel very good, bus driver Jerry excellent. However, the tour guide (Alice) was not good for this trip. She was not local and did not shed any light on the culture or history of the area. While she was good logistically, she was often condescending, defensive and insensitive. Spent a lot of money on this trip and many of us thought she fell far below other tour guides with other tour companies. Regarding the trip, too much time in visitor's centers and not enough time at monuments. Only 30 minutes at the Badlands - that is why I came on the trip! After taking almost 10 minutes to get off the bus, there was virtually no time to explore.
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TourThe destinations on the tour were spectacular but the tour manager cast a negative feeling on things.
Thank you for traveling with Collette to South Dakota. A member of the Guest Relations Team will be reaching out to discuss your feedback.
Collette Support -
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Serviceoverall good tour. Yes, would use again,
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TourMount Rushmore was awesome. Tour of Deadwood with driver Dave was great He made it memorable
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ServiceWe had a great tour guide. We saw many good items. I especially enjoyed having enough time at Mt. Rushmore and going back in the evening.
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TourMt. 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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an interesting tour of southwest South Dakota and Devils Tower
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ServiceOur tour guide was very enthusiastic and helpful. The hotel was nice and the food plentiful, but they had problems with airport pickup and timely room housekeeping. Their employees were all polite and eager to assist.
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Toura 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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ServiceHave been traveling with Collette for 4 tours and planning another. If I didn't think the professional service and personnel weren't top notch, I would go elsewhere.
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TourTour activities were excellent. Tour manager was great. As well as all other people attached to the tour.
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ServiceWas nice to be in one hotel , which by the way was super nice. Having a breakfast every morning to start the day and the contents of the trip was a learning experience as well as fun. Everything ran smoothly and everyone was on time. Would recommend Collette to our friends.
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TourLearning about the Lakota way of life and the scenic Needles Highway with all the wildlife.
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Another Successful Collette Tour
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ServiceTour was excellent! The only thing I would recommend is finding a different location for the hotel by choosing one closer to downtown Rapid City. This would give easy walking access to many restaurants in the downtown area.
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TourWe enjoyed Custer's State Park and seeing the wildlife.
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Beautiful South Dakota!
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ServiceI was very pleased with customer service and how well prepared I was for my trip. I only had to pack and print boarding passes.
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TourAll 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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ServiceDerek and Sherry were fantastic. Itinerary changed and we did not see some of items originally listed. Seeing Mt. Rushmore by day and also again at night were highlights!!
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TourSeeing 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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ServiceGood itinerary with good guides Nice arranging airport transfer each way. We had a bus driver who was also knowledgeable which was a bonus.
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TourBlack Forest day. Who knew that was going to be so spectacular
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ServiceI would recommend Collette and would consider taking one of their tours in the future. The tour manager, Nicki, went out of her way several times in order to accommodate my needs.
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TourThe 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.
Thank you for traveling with Collette to South Dakota & the Badlands. Your feedback has been forwarded to the Tour Management Department. Your comments will be used to enhance this aspect of the tour for our future guests.
Collette Support -
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Great trip! Rain disappointment for Mt. Rushmore night show.
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ServiceYes, I would travel with Collette again. It was wonderful not having to change hotels. Our tour leader was excellent.
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TourWe 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.
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ServiceEverything was on time and so was the fellow travelers.
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TourThought it was very good!
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ServiceMade the most of every moment of the tour. Wonderful tour manager and bus driver. Also one day bus driver Jerry was great. Hilton Garden was away from Raid City would have been nice to stayed in downtown however,the hotel and staff were clean and helpful roviding shuttle service. We will book another tour and have already told friends of our great experience.
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TourEnjoyed all sites. However my favorite was Crazy Horse Memorial and tour to close beneath the mountain and Cluster State Park
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Another very different part of the American West.
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ServiceTravel arrangements went smoothly as always. Yes, I do recommend your company to others often.
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TourThe 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.
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Glad we saw Mt Rushmore and others. Not Collette’ s best effort.
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ServiceWas the poorest of the four tours I have taken with Collette. Hotel was itself fine but location was poor. You had to arrange shuttles to and from downtown every night. We had recommended Collette to our traveling companions and I regret that they probably will not book with Collette again. The Indian reservation school was total disaster and waste of time. School was out—long drive for no information from low talking guide at school. The first part was great—Mt. Rushmore. Crazy Horse was good but spent too long there! Too many gift shops to visit and waste hours. 8-5 pm long days with mostly lunches too long, gift shops too long. Tour was redeemed by beautiful Badlands and Custer State Park. Guide seemed somewhat indifferent. More interested in planning upcoming trip to New Zealand. Overall, was glad we went but could have been arranged better, cut out long lunches and time wasted in so many shops. Make hotel more accessible to downtown.
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TourHave 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.
Hello, thank you for sharing this feedback with us about the tour. We have passed this along to members of our team for review. We appreciate you and value your insight as it helps us to improve our tours for future guests. \n\nWould you like us to set up a time to talk with our guest relations team so we can learn more about your experience?
Collette Support -
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Beautiful scenery in S. Dakota. Monuments and towns interesting.
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ServiceThe tour director, Kim Catron, was excellent. She did all she could to accommodate everyone. The office staff who booked our trip was also excellent.
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TourPurely 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.
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Collette is the Best
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ServiceCollette planned everything, it only takes 10 minutes of your time and Collette does the rest, the Collette tour manager takes care everything and makes sure everyone is having a good time
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TourEver event exceed my expectation, I loved Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse, The Badlands and The Indian reservation
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ServiceWell organized professional service. Have traveled many times with Collette but it's the first time I dealt directly with Collette and all were very pleasant and helpful.
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TourMount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and the Badlands
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ServiceThe tour were great and gave you a lot of information. The one tour to Red Cloud Reservation was not that good. Thought we would see more of the life of the Indians.
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TourThat was beautiful! The mountains and the landscape was great. The Needles Highway was wonderful.
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ServiceFantastic, Especially the tour director *personal details removed by Feefo*
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TourMount Rushmore at night was great.
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Fantastic attenion to details.
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ServiceIt was great, especially your tour guide *personal details removed by Feefo* made the tour much better.
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TourAll 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.
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ServiceThis trip was wonderful , great National park sites, Custer state park was terrific and those tunnels- what a hoot-
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Tourthey brought us to a couple of places that where not on the schedule
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SUPERB
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ServiceCustomer service was superb. The trip went smooth and then some. Highly recommend Collette and we expect to use them in the future for other tours.
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TourWe 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.
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ServiceFirst time taking a guided tour. Buses were always on time and tour info interesting. Not five stars, because we didn't receive a schedule of times and events on first day.
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TourEnjoyed the monuments and sitting in the first seat of the bus.
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ServiceAll was very organized. Kim the tour guide was excellent. She loves her job and the company she works for. Jerry the coach driver was also the best. Both were very informative snd knowledgeable about all the places and areas we visited.
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TourBeautiful 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.
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Great trip!
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ServiceWe saw so much more than we would have on our own. Everything was so smooth
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TourThe monuments were spectacular. The surprises were great -- Wooly mammoths and particle accelerators to name two.
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ServiceIt was a great tour and we saw more of the area then if we had tried to do it ourselves. I love the Alex Johnson hotel, but we did not get a good room. No chair or desk/work area. It was very cramped.
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TourWe had a very cramped and small room.
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Great time in South Dakota and Mt Rushmore
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ServiceThe itinerary for the tour was wonderful. The hotel accommodations were really good. Enjoyed the meals and the group traveling with. A great way for people, especially seniors, to get knowledge and information about Sorry Dakota and The Badlands. Always have a good time traveling with Collette vacations.
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TourThe tour guide was very knowledgeable and planned the days well.
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Great trip.
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ServiceWe loved our trip to S. Dakota. We went especially to Mt. Rushmore & Crazy Horse Memorial but we saw so much more. We had a great guide who was very knowledgeable. And the accommodations were extremely comfortable. And the food was also very good.
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TourVery nice, well-planned trip.
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ServiceYes I would travel with them again but they need to do something about breakfast. The meal provided to us in Rapid City was disgraceful. Think everyone on the tour reported this on the questionnaire provided at the end of the trip. However we had a good tour manager in Curtis.
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TourTour lived up to expectations. Had a good tour manager and bus driver. However need to review breakfast in Rapid City. It was disgraceful.
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ServiceFor the most part, the trip met our expectations. The breakfast at the hotel wasn't that good. The last day of the trip we were put on a smaller bus to tour Custer State Park. We were on the driver's side of the bus in the next to last seat and the window which covered the back seat as well as our seat was cracked pretty badly. The people in the back seat had no view at all on the right due to the bathroom located there and their left side was obscured by the cracks throughout the window. I think a better option for the tour of Custer State Park would be to use two smaller vehicles which wouldn't have to squeeze through the tunnel and everyone should have a better view throughout the entire trip. We thought that a trip to Wounded Knee would have been a better option than the Red Cloud Indian School. That being said, the rest of the trip was very enjoyable and would travel with Collette again if we decide on a trip they offer.
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TourSee section 1 for review. Mount Rushmore was a favorite experience.
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ServiceTour guide and customer service very helpful.
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TourThe 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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Amazing State
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ServiceOrganised, great itinery and caring
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TourAll I wanted to see and more
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First Collette Trip. So glad we did this.
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ServiceOur Tour manager, *Personal Details removed by Feefo* was outstanding. This was my first guided tour so I wasn't sure what to expect but she greatly exceeded my expectations. We had two different buses during the trip. The first one was very comfortable and *Personal Details removed by Feefo* our driver excellent. The second bus on the last day for Needles Highway was smaller and older but necessary to do the Needles tunnel. *Personal Details removed by Feefo* our driver was very experienced and knowledgeable. The Hilton hotel is new, nice rooms, friendly staff but not really close to any restaurants. If you don't have a car be prepared to use the hotel shuttle, a taxi or eat at the hotel for dinners. The breakfast included was very good and lots of choices.
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TourThe 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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Overall very good
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ServiceGuide, driver and hotel accommodation were excellent. A couple of included dinners were marginal Overall experience was well worth the money and time
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TourMost 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.
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badlands and bison
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ServiceFabulous tour guide was always on top of things and very pleasant in front of group. The buses could have been newer.
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TourWe 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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The actual tour was awesome - more than we anticipated. Our tour manager w...
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ServiceThe actual tour was awesome - more than we anticipated. Our tour manager was GREAT! We had a great first time tour with Collette. However our flights were HORRIBLE. Four flights on American Airlines with 4 (over 2 hour ) delays. Collette made our reservations. I know you can't control airlines but going from here to Dallas to Rapid City was kind of out of our way. 19 hour trip going and 14 hours home. I was contacted by one of you personnel after and was told the trip was planned because of the time it was booked. We should have been made aware so maybe we could have made other arrangements. No concern for our bad travel from the agent. Maybe an "I'm sorry or we will give you something off your next tour" would have been nice. This was our first time with you and nothing was done to make sure we come back.
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TourTour 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.
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Great experience
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ServiceWe love the door to door service, the trip was well planned covered a lot of interesting things,our guide was excellent and thats one thing that can make or break a trip.
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Tourcovered all the things I wanted to see, and much more
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You can't beat perfection
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ServiceService was excellent. Sometime difficult to get through on the phone lines. Would have liked the limo service to have provided transportation to & from BWI. (Baltimore MD) Less expensive & more direct Air transportation for me.
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TourStart 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?
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very interesting
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Servicecovered another area on my wish list, and fully integrated me into American life, as I was the only 'brit' on the tour.
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South Dakota Black Hills and Badlands were beautiful
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ServiceThe trip itself was great. The only negative was the hotel accommodating but very isolated, not close to restaurants or center of town (Rapid City.
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TourBeautiful scenery. Loved seeing so many animals, esp. wild horses and bison.
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Our guide was fabulous and the hotel was topnotch. We saw the beauty and h...
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ServiceOur guide was fabulous and the hotel was topnotch. We saw the beauty and history of South Dakota. After seeing Deadwood,we watched Dances With Wolves again which helped to neatly tie up the trip.
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TourSeeing Mt Rushmore at night was most memorable.
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See all of South Dakota
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ServiceVery organized tour of South Dakota. Days were very full of travel, but nice to come back to one hotel each evening.
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TourFeeding the wild burros at Custer.
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Excellent service by Collette US
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ServiceAwesome and fun tour guide and scenery.
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Would recommend to anyone!
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ServiceThe trip was great, on some days a little tiring, but on the whole a wonderful trip, I'm glad we did it. the scenery and national monuments were spectacular. We had not been to that part of the US yet and glad we went.
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TourSeeing Mt. Rushmore by day and night was unbelievable.
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Well planned and managed tour
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ServiceExcellent choice of hotel and attractions visited. The tour manager was very pleasant and well informed about all of the wide variety of attractions. The two local guides were also enjoyable. The hotel breakfasts were excellent as was the first dinner. The other two dinners were just "alright".
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TourThe visit to the wild mustang ranch.
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ServiceEverything was very well done at the sites but sorry to see you've eliminated the wild horse sanctuary; the hotel was just OK as the rooms seem well used with dark walls and furniture , however very well cleaned; breakfast good and staff excellent in the small dining area. Tour guide was the best we've ever experienced and she added extra's on free time . The local guide/ coach driver seemed more interested in talking to our guide than describing scenes to passengers but can see why you hire him and the bus that must be used for the narrow spots as he has great driving skills on the Needles . Highway. Deadwood and Spearfish fun but forget the jewelry factory. Overall an excellent time!
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TourMt Rushmore during the day outstanding and the optional evening there was even better.
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Happy in the Badlands.
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ServiceWe'll run tour. One of the best tour managers we toured with. Very good hotel service.
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TourBadlands very impressive.
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Memorable
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ServiceAll I can say is that this was a great trip. This is beautiful country. They must continue to visit the Wild Horse Sanctuary. That was a wonderful experience. We also had the opportunity to visit the Air Museum. That was great too! We had an unexpected treat after our farewell dinner. We were able to see the University of South Dakota Yellow Jackets perform. I would definitely recommend Collette to people I know. This is the only company that has a door to door sedan service and, believe me, that is extremely helpful. It gives you one less thing to do when you are getting ready to go on vacation. This is definitely a wonderful feature.
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TourMt. 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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OK trip
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ServiceThe tour was good, but it just didn't feel as well organized as other tours. Also, the hotel location out of town was inconvenient.
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TourCuster Park and one hotel location.
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ServiceWell planned and executed
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TourThe surprise of Custer state park and the Badlands.
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ServiceI used a travel agent so I did not deal directly with Collette but I was able to book my tour with no problems and it was handled very quickly.
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TourThe 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.
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Very good service when asking questions and purchasing the tour.
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ServiceThe service from your call center was very acceptable. The tour, itself, could have been improved. Not sure if I would recommend Collette to others. Would not purchase another Collette tour.
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TourNot 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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We had a great time.
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ServiceOverall the tour was an excellent mix between visiting different sights (I especially enjoyed the Crazy Horse monument, Custer state park, the horse sanctuary and the chuck wagon entertainment) and leisure activities. Our guide was very knowledgeable about this area and its history. It was a worthwhile experience.
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TourThe crazy horse monument and the entertainment at the Chuck Wagon dinner.
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We had an excellent tour.
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ServiceOur travel agent worked with Collette and she found them to be very accommodating.
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TourOur 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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We had an excellent tour.
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ServiceOur travel agent worked with Collette and she found them to be very accommodating.
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TourOur 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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Great experience! Collette is the way to go for the best vacation possible!
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ServiceCollette was very organized really allowed us to feel comfortable in our travels. The knowledge and interpersonal skills of our guide was awesome and we were pleased with the itenerary. I'm certain that we will use Collette in the future and would be more than comfortable to recommend Collette to friends and family.
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TourThe 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.
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ServiceOne of the best trips in a long time. Staying in one hotel during the trip made it feel like a vacation. Nice not to have to pack up every day. Felt like home. The hotel was excellent for location and service. Abby Pontyman was one of the best guides in a long time. Alot of fun. the scenery was amazing.. Great Trip!!
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ServiceThe tour was very enjoyable.
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ServiceThe tour was good. The itin0rary was changed by the tour guide. I would have liked to have a paper copy of the itinorary.
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Collette offers itineraries we enjoy.
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ServiceCollette makes it easy for our travel agent to accommodate our requests. Our Colorado trip was excellent, the S. Dakota trip had a scatterbrained tour guide. Might buy agin.
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TourTour 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.
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A Great Tour of a Fantastic Piece of American History
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ServiceThe Collette staff is very friendly and helpful in scheduling the flights and hotel stays. This was our second Collette tour and I highly recommend the company.
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TourThe 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.
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Serviceit was excellent
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ServiceThe South Dakota tour was excellent.
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TourThe hotel was a little far to walk to restaurants and the town. The hotel did provide shuttle service which we did use.
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GREAT!
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ServiceThe trip was wonderful from beginning to end. The other people on the tour were very, very nice. Since I was alone everyone was just lovely to me. In fact I met a new friend, Laurel, who I intend to keep in touch with. All the drivers we had could not have been more accommodating to everyone. Our tour guide, Tony, was terrific, and I can't imagine any one could have done a better job. I do plan to use Collette again when I take another trip. Ann Lubas
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Awesome Sites, Beautiful Country
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ServiceI used Vacations to Go to book this Collette tour. It was our second tour by Collette. We were pleased with all aspects of the purchase, both from Vacations to Go and from Collette. I would definitely recommend Collette and will most likely buy another tour in the near future. The only drawback was the location of the hotel. It was not within safe walking distance to any stores or other restaurants, or the downtown area. The hotel did provide a shuttle which was helpful, but we would have preferred the freedom of walking.
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TourOur 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.
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ServiceWe've had excellent service from Collette. We make our travel purchase through a travel agent, but Collette definitely follows through on everything. We've traveled with Collette several time, and will continue to do so as long as they offer the destinations we're interested in.
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TourThe 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.
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ServiceFanstastic
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Excellent tour of Mt. Rushmore and Badlands
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ServiceMade all aspects of our trip, smooth and easy
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TourExcellent 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.
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ServiceAs advertised. No disappointments.
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ServiceGreat
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Great trip to South Dakota, saw a lot of interesting sights we would not have seen on our own.
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ServiceThis is the first tour of this kind ever and I would do another with this company. They always were polite and very informative on the phone even when we asked a lot of questions. We were always updated on any changes and just generally checking to see if everything was ok the up coming trip. I would and have recommended this company to people I know. Both our tour guides made the tour even more enjoyable. They were both very informative and pleasant to deal with. They both have a sense of humor and made dealing with strangers much easier.
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TourI 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.
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Notes
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Single accommodations are limited and are available on a first come, first served basis.
This tour requires average physical activity. You should be in good health, able to climb stairs and walk reasonable distances, possibly over uneven grounds and cobblestone streets.
When reserving a triple room, please note it will have two double beds. Due to fire safety regulations, a rollaway bed cannot be brought into the room.
Please be advised baggage fees may apply on most trans-border flights. These fees are levied by each specific airline and may be subject to change.
To complete your tour, we include roundtrip airport-to-hotel transfers when purchasing our airfare with your tour. If you have arranged for your own air, we are pleased to provide you the option of purchasing these transfers. Please note that all transfers will leave at pre-scheduled times.
Please be advised many airlines do not provide advance seat assignments until check-in at the airport. Advance seating will be subject to the airline's terms and conditions.
*Mount Rushmore Lighting Ceremony is available May 25 - September 30, 2020.
Lending a hand to local & global communities in need.
Celebrating our people, the beating heart of Collette.
Taking care of our planet, the place we all call home.
Making the travel experience a force for good.