Go Native America is included in  National Geographic Traveler's  "50 Tours of a Lifetime"
Go Native America is a member of / promoted by:
American Indian and Alaska Native Tourism Alliance        Montana Tribal Tourism Alliance
American Indian Crafts Assoc.      Wyoming Travel and Tourism     Rocky Mountain International RMI Real America          Black Hills Badlands Association
Do I need a passport to go onto the reservation?
Do peopleprefer the term Native American or Indian?
Are Native American Indians friendly – am I welcome?
Are the reservations safe for travelers?
Can I add extra nights to my tour?
Can I take a part trip instead of the full itinerary?
Can I bring my kids?
What is the weather like in Montana and Wyoming?
What are your policies on smoking and drinking?
How should I tip in the US
Will there be internet access while on the road ?
What about my cell phone?
Should I bring gifts for Native people I’ll be meeting?
When should I book my flights?
When will my journey be confirmed as departing?
Do I need to bring a sleeping bag, or towels?


Do I need a passport to go onto the reservation?
No, but there a people a-plenty who think it is a shame Indians didn’t instigate an immigration policy early in their history which could have circumnavigated the present-day mess!

Do people prefer to be called Native American or Indian?
That one is easy…usually neither! ‘Indian’ may be the way most Indian’s describe themselves, and often each other, but actually the description harks back to when a disorientated Columbus thought he had reached India, and therefore called native people ‘Indians’. Native American is a term that is undermined when some Americans point out that they were born here and therefore are also native to America. Actually the best way to go is to specify the nation. For example, if you are English, usually you prefer that description to someone calling you European, and you are unlikely to want to be called French, or German. So it goes with indigenous people – the Lakota nation is sovereign and totally separate to the Cheyennes, who are also sovereign and not the same as the Hopis – which is another sovereign nation who would prefer not to be confused with Kiowas…and so forth…

Are Native American Indians friendly – will I feel welcome in their lands?
Indian communities are made up of all kinds – as with all communities - and traveling alone you should probably be ready to encounter odd unfriendly comments about continued white encroachment on Indian lands, or for people to lapse into their native language to exclude you, etc etc. It happens, and often it’s not just olde-time history that causes it, modern experiences with tourists can leave some people feeling pretty sour too. I have heard awful tales about tourists even popping their heads through people’s front doors on the reservation and asking if they can come in and look around!
With Go Native America we are taking you to places and people where you are not just welcome, you are invited. The people you will meet know us well – they are friends, colleagues and family and they know what Go Native America is about. They welcome the opportunity to meet and share with our visitors.

Are the reservations safe for travelers?
Wouldn’t it be good if you didn’t have to give safety a thought? You do! Please do not be lulled by the stereotypical images of noble peaceful peoples who carry the answers to all this world’s problems within their culture. On the whole you can feel safe in Indian country, but traveling alone you do have to consider normal safety precautions as with any destination you travel!
Traveling with Go Native America know that you will be looked after and we would never put any tour member in an unsafe situation. Please listen to your guides and they will give you the best possible advice as necessary.

Can I add extra nights to my tour?
Sure you can. Often people come in early to relax from the flight before the start of the journey. Some stay on for a few days after and often avail themselves of a privately guided tour arranged by Go Native America.
We are always happy to help with extra hotel bookings.

Can I take a part trip instead of the full itinerary?
You can’t join any trip part way into the itinerary, but you can leave early although we don’t recommend that you do; partly because having to go will be very hard on you, and probably the rest of the group too, and also because we cannot pro-rate part trips – you would be liable for the full fee since we could not invite another tour member to join for the days you were not staying.

Can I bring my kids?
Depends on which trip. We don’t encourage kids under 16 on the fully guided 10-14 day tours. The information load is high, the road travel is great for adults who want to relax and unwind, but active kids don’t usually enjoy that aspect of the journey. But if you are planning to take the family on a custom adventure you will all have a great time – the activities are designed to cater to the whole family and we welcome kids with open arms.

What is the weather like in Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota?
Well locals say if you don’t like the weather here, wait 10 minutes… simultaneously assuring you that the Wyoming wind isn’t always like this…sometimes it blows from the other direction!
Jokes apart, the Great Plains are a vast expanse of land where conditions can change quickly. We expect it temperate in May, most of June, July heats up, August can be hot, but its a dry heat which is much easier to manage than what you generally experience in Europe, and September and October are just great.
However, add global warming to the pot, and no-one can guarantee anything anymore.

What are your policies on smoking and drinking?
No smoking on the vehicles or during talks from speakers; please be thoughtful towards non-smokers who dread the moment a smoker, standing on the step of the van just before departure, inhales his last puff deeply to savor the effects…and exhales into the van.
Alcohol – not on the bus please, and remember the reservations are dry so we ask you to respect the wishes, traditions and ordinances of the tribes regarding alcohol on their lands.

How should I tip in the US
15% is a rough ideal in restaurants, but it is not an exact science and maybe it’s good to put yourself in the position of your server who relies on tips to supplement dreadful wages (often less than £3 p/h).
Some of the worst delays we ever experience on the road happen when groups decide to eat at a large table, don’t pre-warn the server that they want separate tickets, then try to work out their exact ‘debt’ from the large bill and pay it, to the penny, into a kitty. To expedite everyone’s experience, please be prepared to approximate on occasion – it’s only money, and its just pence here and there! And remember to calculate your tip – group bills usually have the tip already worked in, so the person who hands over the cash can finish up paying the 15% over the odds out of their own pocket.

Will there be internet access while on the road ?
Many hotels have wireless access in the western states. However, they don’t all have computers – they often expect the traveler to bring their own…and we ask you not to. We won’t have room for an extra bag, we can’t guarantee the safety of a laptop in a vehicle and unless you want to carry it about all day, it will get terribly hot left in the van.

What about my cell phone?
Most years people sign up with their own phone service for mobile internationalcalls before they arrive here and probably pay a chunk for it, but we have yet to meet a single European whose cell phone coverage works in WY, SD or MT. The only person we ever saw actually conversing on a mobile had hired it at the airport at £6 p/d plus minutes - pricey. Using a European service here is also very pricey, and cell phone coverage areas are sparse anyways out of the towns. Best advice – don’t bother.

Should I bring gifts for the Native people I’ll be meeting?
Please do – people everywhere love to receive gifts, and something that is from where you live…maybe cookies or candy, tea, coffee or other such items from your own area, are always appreciated. You don’t need to bring sage, cedar or tobacco offerings. When those are appropriate for elders, your group leader will usually do that on behalf of the group.

When should I book my flights?
Please do not book any flight without consulting with Sarah first. We need to be sure your trip has been confirmed as departing (most are), and we want to know there are no mistakes in the times or destinations. It’s easy to make a mistake and costly to correct it. It’s also important to be sure your flights work with our plans. If you can save yourself £10 by flying via Reykjavik and Outer Mongolia, but doing so means you have to leave for the airport by 4 am, everyone else may also have to…which will make you highly unpopular!

When will my journey be confirmed as departing?
As soon as we have the minimum number of people required for a journey, Sarah will be in touch regarding your flight bookings. IF the journey you chose cannot run due to lack of numbers, we will consult with you and arrange a place for you on your second choice journey.

Do I need to bring a sleeping bag, or towels?
No, remember we want you to travel light? Of course there are facilities and amenities at all the hotels we stay at.

We're happy to answer any and all questions - call Sarah on 1.406.850.3747
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Go Native America - the best in Native American Indian tours
Click here to view our 2012 Brochure
Discover the Best In Native American Tours

Premier hosts of Native American tours - travel American Indian lands & traditions -  tribal culture and history
Included in National Geographic Traveler's TOP 50 Tours of a Lifetime

FAIR TRADE ETHICAL TOURS in Native American
Indian Country
Most people who travel with
Go Native America have never traveled Indian Country before so they have lots of questions, and we have plenty of answers. If you don't find your answer here in FAQs, try

'About Go Native America'
'Pre-Tour Info' or
Book Your Journey

Or check the dossier for your chosen journey which has trip-specific FAQs

Still curious about something? Please call Sarah on 1.406.850.3747 or email here.
Know what to expect before you arrive.

Discover the Best In Native American Tours
FOR 2012

WISDOM AND PROPHESY
Follow messages left by Ancient cultures, and satisfy your fascination with prophesy. Travel the worlds of the Anasazi and Hopi in Arizona and the Southwest 

WINTER'S SONG
Indulge your soul.
Four days in the winter of  America’s Serengeti;
a profound experience, learning the meaning of the wolf  to Plains Indians.

I AM LAKOTA
Enter the world of the Lakota; experience culture, history, art and music with Native American guides,  and really ethical tourism

SACRED MEDICINE WHEEL
Imagine yourself  high on Medicine Mountain, truly understanding the history and explanations of the living, breathing Cheyenne Spirit Wheel
Everything you have ever heard, read or imagined about the history and lifeways of the Plains Indian Nations beckons as you enter the world of the Lakota. Experience culture, history, native philosophies, indigenous art and music and watch the thunderous stampede of Tatanka at the Buffalo Round-Up. This tour also includes a native cooking class.
The sacred reality of the stone Spirit Wheel high above the Bighorn Basin on Medicine Mountain began with the wisdom of one man who carried a spirit wheel lance in 500 BC and led his people from the darkness to the light. A spirit, it seems, was called into the wheel of stone on Medicine Mountain and there it still lives and breathes, so still they come, not knowing why, from the four corners of the earth to touch something of that time long ago that still lives within them.
Follow the Niitsitapi, the Blackfeet people, from Montana into Canada across the Medicine Line - a name historically steeped in equal measures of mystique and irony …for what man had the right to divide the land and how could a seemingly invisible line do that? Travel this fabulous land where natural wonder is all to the Blackfeet cultures.
Join our special family tour on the well-beloved Black Hills to Yellowstone route. From the grandeur of America’s Serengeti, Yellowstone, to the pine-studded serenity of Paha Sapa, the sacred Black Hills, listen for wolves, look for bears, hear indigenous stories and gaze to the constellations wherein lies the map of the Plains Indian summer ceremonial journey. Be immersed in beauty, native culture and the indigenous phenomenon
Come with us to the land of the Yellow Rock Water and discover that Yellowstone Is Indian Country amid the stunning wilderness habitat of wolves, grizzly bears, moose, elk and many other four-leggeds. Learn the meaning of the wolf, and the bear to Plains Indians.
Indulge your soul. For this is a special winter wonderland; a profound experience where for four days you will be surrounded by the beauty and serenity of the Serengeti of North America. In Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley where the snow-covered landscape is home to wolves, at dawn and dusk we seek the twilight hunter and listen for the mysterious music of his song. We discuss the behavioral traits of the wolf and his physical and spiritual significance to the Plains Indians
Follow messages left on rock by the Old Ones, explore the unexplored, and join our trail deep into Southwestern Native America to appreciate diverse cultures of the Pueblos, the Anasazi, and the Hopi. For those who want to stay a little longer, take opportunity to travel through the mystical Monument Valley and Canyon De Chelly – jewels in the crown of Navajoland
There is no greater piece of art than Mother Earth herself. Indigenous peoples have integrated arts into their everyday life through the millennia - think of quill and beadwork for personal adornment, decorated parfleches for storage, historical record keeping in ‘Winter Counts’ etched in hide, and petroglyph/ pictographic images enlivening rock walls. In 2012 the materials and techniques may have changed, but not the sentiments. We all originate from tribal peoples. So take this path toward the artistic expression of what lies within you and the beauty of Mother Earth
Enter the world of the Cheyenne, the Morning Star People. Your travels through culture, history and places sacred to the Cheyenne nation culminate in a powwow experience at the time of a true ‘Blue Moon’ a sacred phenomenon where two full moons appear within the earth’s rhythmic cycle of 28 days and some say, an esoteric blue haze
All cultures on this planet acknowledge rock and on this special journey with Jhon Goes In Center as our Lakota guide, we attempt to decipher human and ecological codes in the beauty of the Bighorn Mountains, the serenity of Wind River Canyon, and the immense splendor of the Tetons. We savor the sights and sounds of Powwow on the Arapaho Reservations and traversing plains, mountains, desert and canyons we search out the ultimate in lasting memories.