On a small island just off the southern coast of Mindanao, the southernmost state in the Philippine archipelago, gunmen kidnapped two Canadian tourists, a Norwegian resort manager and a Filipino woman from the Holiday Oceanview resort in the city of Samal on Sept. 22. The kidnappers and victims left the island by boat. As of press time, no demands had been made.
13-day, 12-night voyage to volcanic Pacific islands, May 27-June 8, 2016. Moderate-level fitness advised. Highlights: On Kamchatka Peninsula, board 50-passenger Spirit of Enderby/Avacha Bay, home to parakeet auklets, puffins/whale-watching/Commander Islands, home to dunlins, Lapland longspurs/Bering Island Museum/Kuril Islands, for sea otters/Alaid and Tyatya volcanoes. Cabin, from $7,300 pp, triple occupancy, to $11,000 ppdo, Heritage Suite. Single supp., multiply cabin price by 1.8. Landing fee, $500.
17-day, 16-night family-focused luxury expedition cruise. Minimum age, 7. Highlights: Buenos Aires fly to Ushuaia, ARGENTINA; board Le Boreal/kids’ workshops on science, art, writing, seamanship, navigation/view whales/explore South Georgia/king penguins, elephant seals/Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetlands, Paradise Bay, Lemaire Channel (“Kodak Alley”). Dec. 19, 2015-Jan. 4, 2016, from $18,995 ppdo; single supp., from $9,950. Dec. 13-29, 2016, from $16,995 ppdo if booked by March 31, 2016; single supp., from $9,995.
In the northeastern Tunisian resort city of Sousse on June 26, a gunman attacked a private beach and the lobby and pool area of Hotel Riu Imperial Marhaba, killing 37 tourists and injuring at least 36 more people. Among the tourists killed were 30 from the UK, three people from Ireland, two from Germany and one each from Belgium and Portugal. The gunman was killed by police.
The self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the shooting.
19 days, 18 nights aboard M/V Ortelius, Oct. 29-Nov. 17, 2015. Stops subject to change. Highlights: Arrive in Santiago, CHILE/fly to Stanley, Falkland Islands/on 2-day sailing to ANTARCTICA, lectures on wildlife and ecology/explore by Zodiac at South Georgia Island, home to fur seals, king penguins, albatross/Fortuna Bay/in Grytviken, South Georgia Museum/St. Andrews Bay/Drygalski Fjord/disembark at Ushuaia, ARGENTINA, or at Stanley two days earlier. Cabin, from $9,995 ppdo (4-person) to $15,995 ppdo (2-person). Single supp., 40% of price.
12 days, 10 nights in and around Adriatic Sea, Sept. 14-25, 2015. Highlights: Walking tour of Split/ferry to Bracˇ island for Stonemason School, Museum of Oil/ferry to Hvar island for walking tour/ferry to Korcˇula, Marco Polo’s reputed birthplace/medieval walled Old City of Dubrovnik. Land, $1,739 ppdo. Single supp., $313. Vertical Horizons Travel (Folsom, CA; 888/995-1016, www.verticalhorizonstravel.com).
British Columbia in September 2014.
