Tours
Slow Food: From Truffles To Tuscans
Eight-day/seven-night gastronomic tour in ITALY, Oct. 30-Nov. 6, 2012.
Ethiopia, The Island Of Africa
16 days/15 nights, departing June 8 & Oct. 19, 2012. Highlights: In Addis Ababa, National Museum, Trinity Cathedral/boat to Lake Tana monasteries/Gondar/Simien Mountains National Park/rock-hewn churches in Lalibela/stelae, Queen of Sheba ruins in Axum/visit tribal people in Lower Omo Valley.
Scotland & Ireland
14 days/12 nights, June 1-12, 2012. Highlights: In Glasgow, SCOTLAND, Necropolis, Cathedral/Stirling/Highlands/Isle of Skye/Loch Ness/ St.
“A Carian Odyssey”
15-day/14-night gulet cruise-tour of Turkey’s Carian coast, Sept. 8-22, 2012. Highlights: From Kusadasi, sail to Samos/ancient Herakleia/sanctuary of Zeus at Labraunda/Museum of Underwater Archaeology in Halicarnassus/boat up Dalyan River to Kaunos/harbor town of Göcek.
Pitcairn Island
Tour packages include flight from Papeete to Mangareva, Tahiti. From there, head to Pitcairn aboard sailing vessel Xplore or supply ship Claymore II. Homestay accommodations on Pitcairn. Eight-day Xplore voyage, $4,400; 15-day, $5,000, departing in spring.
Archaeological Tour Of Israel
17 days/15 nights, Oct. 17-Nov. 2, 2012. Highlights: In Jerusalem, City of David excavation, Hezekiah’s Tunnel, lectures from scholars, Dead Sea Scrolls/Masada/Jericho/Tiberias/Capernaum/Golan Archaeological Museum/Bronze Age Megiddo/Tel Aviv. Land, $5,985. Single supp., $1,670.
“Baja’s Bounty”
Eight-day/seven-night cruise of the Sea of Cortez, MEXICO; departures November 2012-April 2013.
“Dordogne, Land Of Castles & Truffles”
12 days/12 nights in FRANCE, Sept. 2-14, 2012. Highlights: Château Lynch-Bages winery, Bordeaux/rock church in St. Emilion/cruise on Drônne River/Château Hautefort/Brantôme Abbey, founded in 769/Sarlat market/medieval Rocamadour/prehistoric art at Grotte de Font-de-Gaume and Lascaux II. Land, $3,895.
“Colors Of Cuba”
Eight days/seven nights. Educational exchanges re art, music and culture. Highlights: Havana/colonial city of Trinidad/rural Sancti Spíritus and Santa Clara/meet farmers, cowboys in Las Terrazas. From $2,899. Single supp., $399. Price includes Cuba visa, letter of authorization and airfare from Miami.
“Mexico’s Copper Canyon”
11 days/10 nights. Depart March 5 & Oct. 1, 2012, and March 4 & Sept. 30, 2013.
“Black Sea Treasures”
Eight-day/seven-night cruise from Istanbul, TURKEY, to BULGARIA, ROMANIA and UKRAINE, summer 2012. Highlights: Embark in Istanbul/Nessebar, Bulgaria/Histria, the “Romanian Pompeii”/Sebastopol/Khan Palace in Bakhchisaray/catacombs at Nerubayskoye village/Odessa.
Cuba
“People to People” program, with educational-exchange sessions on music, history, agriculture, architecture. Departs any dates; two people, minimum. Highlights: Havana/Pinar del Río/Las Tunas/colonial Trinidad.
“Bordeaux 101”
Eight days/seven nights in FRANCE, May 15-22, 2012. Highlights: Explore wine regions of Médoc, St. Emilion, Graves, Sauternes/visit oystering town of Arcachon. Land, $3,289. Single supp., $530.
“Eternal Japan”
13 days/11 nights, May 12-24 & Sept. 26-Oct. 8, 2012. Highlights: Tokyo/ride cable car in Mt. Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park/cruise on Lake Ashi/Miyagawa morning market/Gold-Leaf Museum, Kanazawa/Japanese tea ceremony in Kyoto/cycle through Imperial Palace grounds, geisha district in Kyoto/Nara.
“Wine, Poets & Pilgrims Of Northern Italy”
13-day/12-night, “moderate” walking tour (longest walk, six miles), April 20-May 2, 2012. Highlights: Wine and cheese tastings/two cooking classes/Cinque Terre/13th-century La Castiglia in Saluzzo/Mombracco (“Leonardo’s Mountain”)/Barolo/Turin. Land, $6,390. Single supp., $640.
“Beyond Bangkok: Isaan (Northeast) Thailand”
15 days/14 nights, Jan. 29-Feb. 12, 2012. Highlights: Buddha shrine in Saraburi/Phimai, the “Angkor Wat of Thailand”/caves, rock formations in Phu Phra Baht Park/day trip in Vientiane, LAOS/cliff paintings in Pha Taem Park/Grand Palace, Emerald Buddha in Bangkok. Land, $4,088. Single supp., $690.
“In The Wake Of Bering”
15-day/14-night cruise-tour of the Kamchatka Peninsula, RUSSIA, June 24-July 8, 2012. Highlights: In Petropavlovsk-Kanchatskiy, board the 48-passenger ship Spirit of Enderby/Zodiac up Zhupanova River to see birds, brown bears/Commander Islands/survey work with spoonbill recovery team.
“Coast & Cave Adventure Trek”
14-day/13-night tour of TURKEY. Highlights: Istanbul/Bosphorus boat trip/Butterfly Valley near Ölüdeniz/hike in woods from Faralya to Kabak/Temple of Apollo, Patara/whitewater rafting on Dalaman River/Lycian ruins at Tlos/sunken city of Simena/Ephesus/Cappadocia/underground city of Derinkuyu. Land, from $3,995.
“Rhythms Of Ghana”
19 days/16 nights, March 15-April 2, 2012. Highlights: Accra/Axim/St. George Castle, Elmina/canopy walk in Kakum National Park rainforest/Ashanti craft villages/ Mole National Park, with 90 mammal species and 350 bird species/Gambaga witches camp/Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary/Koforidua bead market.