Travel Briefs

Hestasport-Activity Tours (Vegamót, 560 Varmahlíð, Iceland; phone +[354] 453 8383, fax 8384, www.rafting.is) offers whitewater rafting trips in northern Iceland. From May until Mid-July, the region has sunlight 24 hours a day, which allows for rafting at midnight, not to mention a mid-ride stopover for pancakes and hot chocolate with rum.

A 4-hour trip on the West Glacial River includes 1½ to two hours on the river, costs ISK6,500 (near $68), with drysuits, booties, gloves and helmet, and must be arranged in advance.

“Stern’s Guide to the Cruise Vacation” by Steven B. Stern (2009, Pelican Publishing. $26 paperback) covers the history, vital statistics, physical details and price categories of nearly 430 ships from more than 50 cruise lines and rates the ships and lines (1 to 6 stars). Photos of ships, decks and interiors are included.

The guide also gives info and tips on major ports of call, including attractions and restaurants. It is available at bookstores, online or by calling Pelican Publishing (800/843-1724, www.pelicanpub.com).

For travelers with special requirements to accommodate their handicaps, Special Needs at Sea (2860 West State Rd. 84, Ste. 107, Dania Beach, FL 33312; 800/513-4515, www.specialneedsatsea.com) provides equipment to rent or buy, including mobility aides, patient lifts, oxygen equipment, devices for the blind or deaf and even materials for companion dogs.

Silversea Cruises (Ft. Lauderdale, FL; 800/722-9955, www.silversea.com) is offering free airfare for cruises in Europe and South America on bookings made before March 31, 2009. Example — a 7-day voyage from Stockholm to Copenhagen with stops in Helsinki and Tallinn plus a 2-night stay in Saint Petersburg costs $7,395-$24,095 per person, double, excluding port charges.

Book a 2009 Europe, Asia or transatlantic cruise aboard the Crystal Symphony or Crystal Serenity by March 31 and receive 20% off on one of more than 50 Crystal itineraries in 2010. The 2010 cruise must be booked by Nov. 30, 2009. Contact Crystal Cruises (888/799-4625, www.crystalcruises.com).

Featuring world-class accommodations and select meals, the 10-day “Women in Style” safari-and-spa package from South African Airways (888/722-4872, www.flysaavacations.com) includes airfare from New York or Washington, DC; internal flights; four nights’ Cape Town (Kirstenbosch, Franschhoek, cooking demonstration, chauffeured shopping, more); two nights in Stellenbosch wine region (half-day winery tour plus spa day); two nights at Thornybush Private Game Reserve in Hoedspruit (game drives), and transfers.

Book before March 31, 2009, and get a free night’s stay (subject to availability) at one of the world’s best hotels before or after an overnight train or boat journey with Orient-Express Trains & Cruises (Orient-Express Hotels, New York, NY; 212/302-5055, www.orient-express.com). Travel in Scotland, France, Myanmar or. . .

• On 6-day/5-night Venice Simplon Orient-Express, London-Venice, stay at Venice’s Hotel Cipriani. From $5,780.

After a 30-year restoration effort, a large hall in the Baths of Diocletian, or Terme di Diocleziano (Viale E. di Nicola 79; metro stop Termini; phone 06 39 96 7700, www.roma2000.it/munaro.html), has reopened to the public.

While in Antarctica’s Gerlache Strait on Dec. 4, Antarpply Expeditions’ MV Ushuaia struck a rock, which damaged the hull and grounded the cruise ship. All 122 passengers and crew were safely transferred to another ship, and a limited amount of fuel oil leaked out.

The ship was refloated in four days and made its way under its own power to Paradise Bay. A week later it entered dry dock in Punta Arenas, Chile, where it was expected to be back in operation out of Ushuaia, Argentina, on Jan. 7.

Costa Rica dropped its 3% hotel tax in November 2008, then scheduled an entry fee of $15 to be charged to tourists arriving by air. Over all, stays now will be less expensive.

[See correction in the April issue. —Editor]