11-day/10-night family adventure in THAILAND, June 23-July 3 and Dec. 22, 2014-Jan. 1, 2015. Highlights: In Bangkok, tour on foot and bike, swim with sea creatures at Siam Ocean World/in Chiang Rai province, elephant-care lessons and elephant show at Maesa Elephant Camp, Padong refugee village, 14th-century temple Wat Phra That Doi Suthep/in Chiang Mai, Mae Sa Valley craft village, river trip, Thai cooking program. Land, $2,500-$2,850. Single supp., $600.
by Paul and Sandra Gianini; Port Orange, FL
11-day/10-night tour. Highlights: Stay at lodge near Victoria Falls/bungee jumping, helicopter flights over falls/white-water rafting, canoeing and river safaris on Zambezi River/safari camp and walking safari/catch-and-release angling for African tiger fish/tour of the capital, Lusaka. Land, starting at $5,025. Robin Pope Safaris (P.O. Box 30722, Lilongwe 3, Malawi; phone +265 [0] 179 4491 /5483).
In Belize, Francis Ford Coppola’s Turtle Inn Resort (Placencia Village; phone 011 501 523 3244 or, in the US, 800/746-3743) offers 2-tank dives off Gladden Spit, where whale sharks swim in the spring. The world’s largest fish, the filter-feeding whale shark, has been recorded to reach as long as 41 feet and weigh up to 21½ tons.
My wife, Fyllis, and I took the 16-day “Uganda” tour with ElderTreks (Toronto, ON, Canada; 800/741-7956). Ten travelers were on the Sept. 20-Oct. 6, 2012, safari, most of whom were primarily interested in seeing mountain gorillas and big cats.
At a price of $7,895 a person (not including air from the US), participants anticipated an intriguing itinerary, excellent guides and high-quality accommodations and food, and all expectations were met with flying colors.
More than 100 elephants died in the Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, after drinking at water holes that had been poisoned with cyanide by ivory poachers. Although two water holes had been identified as poisoned, there may be more. The death toll of elephants and many other animals is expected to continue to rise until the water holes can be fenced off or cleansed.
Eight poachers were captured in the park with a cache of ivory. Three of them were sentenced to 15 years in prison and given heavy fines to be paid to the national parks service.
12 days/11 nights, March 9-20 and July 6-17, 2014. Highlights: Elephants, birds in Tarangire National Park/meet with Iraqw elders in Karatu/meet Hadzabe nomads/lions, rhinos in Ngorongoro Conservation Area/migrating herds plus leopards, elephants in Serengeti National Park/Olduvai Gorge and museum. Land, $3,995. Wilderness Inquiry (Minneapolis, MN; 800/728-0719).
The ninth annual Extremadura Birdwatching Fair will take place in Monfragüe National Park, a 2½-mile drive east of Madrid, Spain, Feb. 28-March 2, 2014. The program will be announced on the fair’s website, but in past years it has included talks on rare species, walks with photography experts, and guided explorations of the park’s wildlife.
My wife, Betty, and I paid $6,800 to 2AFRIKA, Inc., for the 13-day tour “Affordable Kenya & Tanzania.” We booked our own airfare.
The tour originally was scheduled for May 2012, but a few weeks before the trip was to begin, 2AFRIKA owner Kenneth Hieber informed us via e-mail about a warning issued by the US Embassy in Nairobi regarding possible terrorist attacks. Other tour members were planning to cancel or had canceled, and our trip was rescheduled for Nov. 5-17, 2012.
Eight-day/seven-night cruise of the Sea of Cortez, MEXICO; departures November 2012-April 2013. Highlights: Board the 86-passenger Safari Endeavour in La Paz/kayaking, snorkeling, paddle boarding/sea lions on Los Islotes/hike in cactus forest on Isla San Francisco/searching for blue, fin, sei, orca and sperm whales/explore Bahia Agua Verde/Loreto, Baja’s first Spanish settlement/tiny Isla Coyote. From $2,995 (Master Cabin) to $6,795 (Commodore Suite). Single cabin, from $3,995.