South Dakota to Yellowstone Parks Explorer

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.