Safari and Wildlife

12 days/11 nights. Highlights: From Nairobi, KENYA, fly to Samburu; game drives for giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, Somali ostrich/Sweetwaters Tented Camp at Mt. Kenya/ Chimpanzee Sanctuary/Masai Mara wildlife sanctuary, home to elephants, buffalos, leopards/Lake Manyara National Park, with hippos, tree-climbing lions and many species of birds/game drives in Ngorongoro Crater, TANZANIA/Serengeti National Park/return via Arusha. Land and internal air, $8,850. Single supplement, $750.

“The Wildlife of Costa Rica, A Field Guide” (2010 Comstock Publishing Associates [Cornell University Press]. ISBN 0801449057 — 360 pp., $29.95) covers 450 of the region’s most common and interesting species.

With 600-plus illustrations, the 8½"x5½"x½" book provides details on animals’ habitat, range and behavior as well as tips on identification.

From Amazon.com for $19.77 + $3.99 shipping or from Cornell University Press for $29.95 + $6 shipping (607/277-2211).

13-day/12-night or 19-day/18-night tour of INDIA. Highlights: Siana leopard safari/Jodhpur/Jaipur/Taj Mahal/tiger safari in Kanha National Park. 13 days, $4,898 land plus $500 internal airfare. 19 days, $7,698 land plus $900 internal air. Single supp., $400.

Wild Planet Adventures (Sausalito, CA; 800/990-4376).

Five days/three nights in Baja California Sur, MEXICO. Departures through March 4, 2011. Highlights: Magdalena Bay is one of the major calving lagoons for gray whales. Observe whales from motor skiffs. One night camping on bay island, two nights’ hotel. Land, $995. Single supp., $85.

Sea Kayak Adventures (Coeur d’Alene, ID; 800/616-1943).

10 days/nights in KENYA; departures Oct. 30, 2010, and Oct. 30, 2011. Highlights: Game drives for the Big Five in Amboseli National Park/balloon ride in Maasai Mara/visit Born Free Trust conservation project. Land, $5,891 (through Dec. 21, 2010). Single supp. on request.

Baobab Expeditions (Lake Success, NY; 516/622-2279).

13 days/12 nights, Jan. 14-26, 2011. Highlights: Gir National Park for Asiatic lions, leopards, jungle cats/Delhi/Bandhavgarh National Park, home to tigers, barking deer, wild dogs, birds/rusty-spotted cats, wolves, hyenas, sloth bears in Panna National Park/Taj Mahal in Agra. Land, $4,675. Single supp., $1,125.

Journeys International (Ann Arbor, MI; 800/255-8735).

12 days/11 nights, July 6-17, 2010, March 13-21, 20011 & July 3-11, 2011. Highlights: Lions, giraffes, elephants, baboons in Lake Manyara National Park/Big Five in Ngorongoro Crater/visit a Maasai village/fossils in Olduvai Gorge/Serengeti Plain game viewing/visit Hadzabe bushmen. Land, $3,650.

Wilderness Inquiry (Minneapolis, MN; 800/728-0719).

13 days/12 nights, Aug. 25-Sept. 6, 2010. Highlights: Semongoh Orangutan Rehab Centre/Longboat to Sarawak/millions of bats in Mulu National Park/in BRUNEI, capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan/Kinabatangan River safari/witness sea turtles hatching on Selingan Island. Land, $3,845. Single supp., $575.

Wildlife & Nature Travel (East Lansing, MI; 517/303-5394).

13 days/11 nights. Highlights: in Arusha National Park, colobus monkeys, 575 bird species/mangrove swamps in Tarangire National Park/meet schoolchildren/Ngorongoro Crater/leopards, lions, cheetahs, migrating wildebeest in Serengeti National Park. Land only, from $4,990 adult or $4,390 child under 12. Single supp., from $590.

Thomson Family Adventures (Watertown, MA; 800/262-6255).

11-day/10-night tour includes participation in Gorongosa Park restoration. Highlights: snorkel off coast of Tofo; possible wildlife includes manta rays, whale sharks, humpback whales/La Veranda nature reserve in Nampula/UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mozambique Island. Land only, from $5,500.

Reefs to Rockies (Denver, CO; 303/860-6045).