Adventure

10-day, 9-night “easy to intermediate”-level trip, Aug. 27-Sept. 5, 2019. Highlights: In Zadar, Sea Organ/ferry to Dugi Otok island to paddle from village of Veli Rat to Veli Lagan island/snorkel wreck of Italian merchant ship/Telašcica Bay nature park/Kornati archipelago/medieval village of Skradin/Stradinski Buk waterfall in Krka National Park/St. Nicolas Fortress/village of Prvic´ Luka. $4,495 ppdo. Single supp., $650. Tofino Expeditions (Bend, OR; 800/677-0877, www.tofino.com).

14-day, 13-night cruise with scientist-explorer Prof. Tim Flannery aboard expedition vessel Spirit of Enderby, Sept. 30-Oct. 13, 2019. Highlights: Embark in Sorong, West Papua/Raja Ampat archipelago's Misool Island, home to dugongs, 5,000-year-old rock art, and Kofiau Island for rainforest, snorkeling/Zodiac on Mamberamo River to visit tribes/Cyclops Strict Nature Reserve/PAPUA NEW GUINEA for Sepik River/Madang. $6,995, triple; $7,995-$11,500, double; 1.8 x berth price, single. Permits/fees, $600.

12 days, 11 nights in CANADA's Northwest Territories, July 18-29, 2019. Highlights: Fly from Norman Wells to Keele River/10 days (about 190 miles) northeast through Class I & II rapids toward Mackenzie River, passing through canyons, mountains, forests, home to caribou, Dall's sheep/Mackenzie River to town of Tulita/charter shuttle back to Norman Wells. CAD5,995 (near $4,560) ppdo. Single supp., CAD82 ($62). Wild Women Expeditions (P.O.

10 days, 9 nights in northwestern INDIA, Nov. 11-20, 2018. Five days of horseback riding, 4-6 hours per day, beginner to advanced. Weight limit, 220 lbs. Group limit, 8-12. Highlights: New Delhi tour/train into Thar Desert/in village of Baghsara, help screen patients for free eye surgeries/horseback to Dugastau to deliver goats to villagers/in Chua, pediatric program plus games on horseback/Pushkar Camel Fair. From $5,950 ppdo.

One place I had never considered visiting was Antarctica. It always seemed too far away from my world, more of an idea than a location. But when ITN received a press release from Oceanwide Expeditions (US office in Houston, TX; 800/453-7245, oceanwide-expeditions.com) announcing discounted Antarctic cruises for members of the press (airfare not included), the allure of the distant continent was too much to resist.

10 days, 9 nights on 96-passenger expedition ship; route set by national park service. Weekly departures. Highlights: Fly Guayaquil, ECUADOR, to Galápagos/visit up to seven islands, such as Santiago (fur seals), Santa Cruz (Charles Darwin Research Station) and Floreana (snorkel among sea lions)/fly to Guayaquil. $6,960-$15,400 ppdo (per cabin and dates). $10,130-$12,560 single. Lindblad Expeditions (New York, NY; 800/397-3348, www.expeditions.com).

Located near the shores of Lake Malawi, Kande Horse (Box 22, Kande, Nkhata Bay South, Malawi; phone +265 888 500 416, kandehorse.com) offers three horseback-riding day trips suitable for any level of riding experience. 

9-day, 8-night, “easy- to intermediate-level” coast-to-coast (Adriatic-Mediterranean) tour in ITALY, June 20-28 & Sept. 2-10, 2018. Highlights: Agriturismo near Ancona (Marche region)/from Portonovo, paddle along Conero Riviera to Sirolo/in Mondavio, 15th-century castle/hike in Appenines to Umbria for private tour of St. Francis’ birthplace/Tuscany wine cellars/Siena/kayak at Natural Park of Maremma and in Tyrrhenian Sea/Orbetello. $4,390 ppdo. Single supp., $850. Tofino Expeditions (Bend, OR; 800/677-0877, www.tofino.com).