A selection of tours and cruise-tours
7 days / 6 nights, Oct. 21-27, 2014. Highlights: Meet in Milan, ITALY / Lake Como / taste red wines in Alpine valley of Valtellina / try sparkling wines near Lake Iseo / try white wines by Lake Garda. Land, $3,389. Single supp., $364. Vin Marotolli’s Wine Lovers Tours (New Haven, CT; 800 / 256-0141).
9 days / 7 nights, March 10-18, 2014. Highlights: Glendalough monastery in the Wicklow Mountains / Kilkenny / Waterford Crystal / kiss the Blarney Stone, then visit Blarney Woollen Mills / Dingle Peninsula / Cliffs of Moher / Dublin walking tour / St. Patrick’s Day Parade. From Orlando, Atlanta or New York, $2,785. Single supp., $625. David McGuffin’s Exploring Europe (Middleburg, FL; 800 / 570-1351).
9 days / 7 nights, Feb. 20-28, 2014. Highlights: From Reykjavík, travel west to climb Grabrok Volcano / learn about Icelandic horses / Akureyri, capital of northern Iceland / Eyjafjörður, Iceland’s longest fjord / microbrew beer tasting / view aurora borealis at Lake Mývatn / Namaskar hot springs / snowshoe in a lava labyrinth at Dimmuborgir / Goðafoss waterfall / Christmas garden / fish-leather tannery at Sauðárkrókur. Land, from $1,450. Single supp., $250. Brekke Tours & Travel (Grand Forks, ND, 800 / 437-5302).
11-day / 10-night tour in HONDURAS, GUATEMALA and MÉXICO. Highlights: 1,250 glyphs on the Hieroglyphic Stairway in Copán, Honduras / 65-ton stele in Quiriguá, Guatemala / Mayan archaeological sites at Tikal, Yaxha, Topoxté / frescoes at Palenque, Mexico / jaguar and crocodile statues in Yaxchilan / Antigua, Guatemala / Chichicastanango handicraft market. Land, $2,900. Single supp., $400. Internal air, about $125. Mayatour (Doral, FL; 888 / 349-6292).
9-day / 8-night “Sustainable Travel” tour. Highlights: Amboseli National Park near Mt. Kilimanjaro for cheetahs, giraffes, plains game / view game from horseback in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, including Grevy’s zebras / Masai Mara for leopards, lions, hippos, wildebeests. Land, from $6,750. Big Five Tours & Expeditions (Stuart, FL; 800 / 244-3483).
9-day / 8-night “Sustainable Travel” tour. Highlights: Amboseli National Park near Mt. Kilimanjaro for cheetahs, giraffes, plains game / view game from horseback in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, including Grevy’s zebras / Masai Mara for leopards, lions, hippos, wildebeests. Land, from $6,750. Big Five Tours & Expeditions (Stuart, FL; 800 / 244-3483).
14 days / 11 nights aboard 114-passenger Caledonian Sky, May 7-20, 2014. Highlights: In Kyoto, Nijo Castle / Great Buddha at Todai-ji / sail Japan’s Inland Sea / Hiroshima / take Zodiacs to Miyajima Island / samurai and merchant quarters in medieval Hagi / Gyeongbuk, SOUTH KOREA, home of Silla kingdom / back in Japan, taiko drumming group Kodo on Sado Island / Tokyo. Land / cruise, $9,990-$13,990. Single supp., $7,400-$7,700. Smithsonian Journeys (Washington, DC; 855 / 330-1542).
9 days / 8 nights. Highlights: In Bangkok, hear monks’ morning chant at Wat Po / flower market / long-tailed boat ride to open-air-kitchen cooking class to make Pad Thai, coconut pancakes and more / Golden Triangle on the border with Myanmar / Hall of Opium museum / elephant ride / in Chiang Mai, two more cooking classes to make banana fritters, curry custard, steamed fish. Land, from $3,490. Single supp., from $975. Access Trips (Oakland, CA; 650 / 492-4778).
9 days/7 nights, Jan. 4-12, 2014. Highlights: In Lviv, tour 15th- to 16th-century city square, Armenian Quarter, Lviv University, St. George’s Cathedral/Lychakiv Cemetery/celebrate Eastern Orthodox Christmas Eve and Christmas. Land, $790. Single supp., $350. Optional 3-day/2-night extension to Budapest, Hungary, $369. Scope Travel Inc. (So. Orange, NJ; 973/378-8998).
12 days / 12 nights, Sept. 21-Oct. 4, 2014. Highlights: Stresa on Lake Maggiore / Isolo Bella, one of the Borromean Islands / in SWITZERLAND, Locarno and Lugano / back in Italy, Bellagio on Lake Como / ride a steamer to Villa Carlotta / medieval Bergamo / Roman ruins in Verona / Giotto frescoes in Padova / in Venice, Doge’s Palace, boat tour, art at I Frari church / island of Murano. Land, $3,995. Single supp., $550. Intimate France (Oakland, CA; 800 / 676-1247).