Great American West - 13 Days

Welcome to South Dakota! Your adventure starts at 10 am with a welcome meeting in Rapid City. After, take a short drive to the iconic Wall Drug Store – drawing millions of visitors every year, it’s hard to believe this store won over customers in its early days by offering something as simple as free ice water. Take some time to wander around and grab some lunch before heading to Badlands National Park. Have your camera handy to capture the sweeping prairie grass plains and dramatic rocky pinnacles. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, chirping prairie dogs and American bison. Take a short hike on one of the scenic trails before continuing to your lodge in Custer. Your home for the next two nights will be a cabin where you can immerse yourself in the Western feel of this historic-style accommodation. Tonight, you’ll have a group dinner at the lodge to settle in and get to know your fellow travellers.

Enjoy breakfast at the lodge, then it’s time to jump in a jeep and go wild on a buffalo safari. Trek through the Custer State Park in an open-air jeep as your expert guide shares historical and educational facts and helps you spot pronghorns, elk and buffalo. After, you’ll visit the Crazy Horse Memorial – the largest mountain carving in the Black Hills (widely considered the Eighth Wonder of the World in progress). Then continue to the famous Mount Rushmore to walk the Presidential Trail – this is a great spot to grab a photo! Tonight, you’re free to grab dinner at your accommodation or a nearby local restaurant.

Have a final breakfast in Custer, and then drive north to the city of Deadwood. Made famous for playing host to Wild West names like Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok, many of its Gold Rush-era buildings are preserved to this day. Your leader will take you on an orientation walk, and then you’ll have free time to do some exploring of your own – why not get fitted out in a new cowboy hat? Regroup for an included lunch, and then head back out on the road heading to Sheridan. It’s a long afternoon of driving, so sit back, relax and enjoy the rolling prairie views. Check into your accommodation, and then settling in for the evening.

After breakfast, hit the road for Cody, Wyoming, home to the renowned Buffalo Bill Center of the West. This world-class museum brings together five themed exhibitions all under one roof, with the Plains Indian Museum as the standout highlight showcasing the rich culture and history of Native American tribes. You'll also find exhibits on the Yellowstone ecosystem, firearms, Western art, and Buffalo Bill's legacy. After your museum visit, grab some lunch in town and then join an orientation walk with your leader around this quintessentially western community, scoping out the best spots for a barbecue dinner or to pick up your own pair of authentic cowboy boots.

Depart Cody and drive west towards Yellowstone National Park – one of the country's most popular, expansive, and beautiful national parks. Visit The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (a great spot for photos) and then explore the Norris Geyser Basin – the hottest and oldest geyser in the park. After, you’ll check into your hotel in Gardiner.

Today after breakfast, you’ll continue to explore the gorgeous Yellowstone National Park, looking out for grizzly bears, wolves, buffalo and elk roaming free. Head straight for a visit to the Old Faithful Geyser – a must-see for any trip to the park, Old Faithful is a cone geyser with striking colours and a predictable geothermal eruption (hence the name). Watch as it sprays over 4000 gallons (14,000 litres) of boiling water into the air, then be hypnotised by the startling colours of the Grand Prismatic Spring. Tonight, you’re free for dinner, so maybe get your group together and say a pre-final day goodbye over a couple of drinks.

You'll be up before the sun this morning, but it's for a good reason! You’ll head back into Yellowstone to join a wolf-tracking expedition with an experienced naturalist guide. There's no better place than Yellowstone to see these magnificent animals in the wild. Your guide tracks the movements and behaviour of Yellowstone wildlife almost daily and knows the best places to find the animals. There will be top-of-the-line binoculars for everyone and high-powered spotting scopes, so no one will miss out. Afterward, travel to Bozeman, where your adventure ends at around 4 pm this afternoon. If you’d like to stay in the area for longer, just speak to your booking agent.

This morning there will be a meeting at 10 am to welcome any new travelers to the trip. After, your leader will take you on an orientation walk through this Rocky Mountains town, which serves as the perfect starting point for exploring Montana’s history and natural beauty. Take some time for lunch then head to Helena, where you’ll spend the night. After arriving, join a local guide for walking tour through the city’s downtown, where you’ll hear about how it transformed from its beginnings as a rowdy mining camp to the capital of Montana. This evening, you might like to head out for dinner with your group.

After breakfast, you’ll follow in the footsteps of the explorers Lewis and Clark and venture to the Gates of the Mountains on a scenic river cruise. You’ll sail alongside limestone cliffs to a set of towering stone walls which appear to open like a gate as your boat approaches. Little has changed since the two explorers first visited this stretch of the Missouri River, and the region’s untouched beauty remains. Your night is free in Helena to rest and recharge or find a good dinner spot – your leader is always on hand with suggestions.

After an early breakfast, hit the road and drive to First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park – home to the largest buffalo jump in America, used as a hunting tool by Native American tribes for at least 1000 years. This is a special and unique experience to learn about the history of the land firsthand. Get to know the landscape with a member of the Blackfeet tribe, who will take you on a full day experience including hikes, walks, talks and a cultural exchange on their homelands. Then, sit down and soak up the scenery over an included lunch where you can ask questions and learn more. Spend the night in Great Falls, where you’re free for dinner.

This morning, you’ll hit the road again after breakfast. Known as the ‘Crown of the Continent’, Glacier National Park offers an impressive array of activities for lovers of nature and the great outdoors. Today, you’ll board a raft and enjoy an exhilarating (and splashy) rafting experience down the Flathead River with an expert local guide – a must-do in this area! Then head into the town of West Glacier, where you’ll spend the night. After an action-packed day, feel free to relax and recharge, or chat with your leader for the best dinner recommendations in town.

After breakfast this morning, you'll take on a full day locally-guided nature hike in Glacier National Park – a wilderness area in Montana’s Rocky Mountains, with glacier-carved peaks and valleys running to the Canadian border. First, we'll drive the iconic Going to the Sun Road to the trailhead where we'll begin our hike. Meander through sun dappled forests to the base of two waterfalls as you hear from your guide about the history of the people who have called Glacier National Park home. Stopping for a homemade picnic lunch with your group, soak up the beauty of your surroundings before making your way back along the trail. Tonight, you may like to drop into one of the local craft breweries or restaurants for dinner.

Enjoy a morning at leisure before hitting the road to Missoula. When you arrive, enjoy one last meal at a local brewery with your group to celebrate all you’ve done in this jam-packed adventure. Your adventure will end at around 3 pm.