Mount Rushmore and all its other geological wonders

We must certainly pay tribute to the majestic figures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, which have been carved into the heart of the Black Hills in South Dakota. Those colossal faces hold truly significant symbolic meaning in the collective imagination of people far beyond North America, as they embody the epic story of the birth, growth, development and preservation of the USA. Visiting Mount Rushmore also offers the equally thrilling opportunity to explore the wilds of the nearby Badlands, a complex of exceptional geological formations harbouring one of the richest fossil deposits on the planet within a vibrant natural setting, home to bison, the distinctive Rocky Mountain sheep, prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets. Devils Tower appears both iconic and mysterious as it rises against the horizon of the prairie surrounding the Black Hills: sacred to the Native Americans of the northern Great Plains and other indigenous peoples of this region, this natural formation features hundreds of parallel fissures that make it highly sought-after by North American free climbers. Jewel Cave also appeals to adventure seekers: it offers, in fact, well over 350 kilometres of mapped and surveyed underground passages – a veritable labyrinth of tunnels with rocky ceilings and iridescent colours.