A selection of tours and cruise-tours
12 days / 12 nights, May 12-24, 2013. Highlights: Venice / Roman mosaic at Basilica of Aquileia / star-shaped town of Palmanova / day trip to Lipica and Piran in SLOVENIA / Cividale del Friuli outdoor market / Butterfly House in Bordano. Land, $3,895. Single supp., $550. Intimate France (Oakland, CA; 800 / 676-1247).
12-day / 10-night river cruise in HUNGARY, SLOVAKIA, AUSTRIA and GERMANY. Highlights: In Budapest, Hungary, Buda Castle, Fisherman’s Bastion / walking tour of Bratislava, Slovakia / wine-and-music evening in Vienna, Austria / Melk Abbey / Linz / medieval Regensburg, Germany / Munich. Cruise only, $2,499-$4,698; including land, $3,189-$5,388. Single supp. is cruise-only price plus 50% plus $390 for land portion. AmaWaterways (Chatsworth, CA; 800 / 626-0126).
12-day / 11-night North Atlantic whale-watching cruise aboard 105-passenger M / V Ortelius. Departures June-October 2013. Highlights: Hansweert, NETHERLANDS / Aberdeen, SCOTLAND / in Shetland Island waters, minke whales, white-beaked dolphins / Pictish stone ruins on Fair Isle / glaciers, bird-watching on NORWEGIAN island of Jan Mayan / look for blue whales, orcas, polar bears, walrus near Alkhornet / Longyearbyen. Cruise, from €1,500 (near $1,937) quad porthole to €2,900 suite. Single rate is base times 1.7.
8 days / 7 nights, departing June 8 & 22 and July 6, 2013. Highlights: City tour of Reykjavik / Deildartunguhver hot springs / Akureyri / Goðafoss waterfall / whale-watching / lava formations, birds at Lake Myvatn / Dettifoss / Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier / Skógar Folk Museum / horse show / Þingvellir National Park, site of Viking Parliament. Land, from $2,105. Brekke Tours & Travel (Grand Forks, ND; 800/437-5302).
8-day / 7-night tour of GUATEMALA. Highlights: Guatemala City / market in Chichicastenango / market in Solola / boat trip on Lake Atitlán; visit a lakeshore village / colonial-style Antigua / temples, pyramids in the Mayan city of Tikal. From Miami, from $1,690 double, $1,618 triple or $2,257 single. Tara Tours (Miami, FL; 800 / 327-0080, www.taratours.com).
8-day / 7-night cruise aboard the 58-passenger sailing vessel Sea Cloud. Departures Feb. 28 and March 7 & 14, 2013. Highlights: Embark from Barbados / hike rainforest on Dominica / ride Zodiacs alongside ship / St. Lucia / sea turtle sanctuary on Bequia in the Grenadines / sail a catamaran through Tobago Cays. Cruise, $6,990-$12,860, double. Single cabin, $10,480 or $11,990. Lindblad Expeditions (New York, NY, 800 / 397-3348, www.expeditions.com).
14 days / 12 nights. Highlights: Kalahari elephants, lions in Chobe National Park, BOTSWANA / in ZIMBABWE, Mpisi village / Lake Kariba / game drives in Matusadona National Park / Victoria Falls. Land, from $5,579. From New York, from $7,009. Single supp., from $900. Book by Dec. 14, 2012, for $900-$1,000 discount. Discovery Tours by Gate 1 (Fort Washington, PA; 877 / 900-9777, www.discovery-tours.com).
22-day / 21-night tour in MALAYSIA, INDONESIA & SINGAPORE. Highlights: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia / Bukit Tinggi in West Sumatra highlands / in Sarawak, orangutans at Semenggoh Wildlife Center / crocodile show / Sunday market in Tamu / boat, hike and swim in the jungle in Mt. Mulu National Park / longboat down the Melanau and Baram rivers / visit Dayak longhouses / Singapore’s Botanical Gardens / 8,000 birds at Jurong Bird Park / Malacca. From Los Angeles, $7,250. Call for single supp. Olde Ipswich Tours (Ipswich, MA; 877 / 356-5163, www.ipswichtours.com).
15-day / 13-night tour, Feb. 15-March 1, 2013, with attendance at a Hindu pilgrimage held once every 12 years. Highlights: Mumbai tour / visit four Shiva shrines / rock-carved Ajanta caves / Omkareshwar island / participate in rituals and ceremonies of the Grand Mela in Allahabad / Ganges sunrise cruise / 20,000 statues at Akshardham Temple. Land, $4,045. Single supp., $1,270. Original World / Spirit of India (Sausalito, CA; 888 / 367-6147, www.originalworld.com).
14-day / 12-night tour emphasizes history of Protestantism. May 15-28 and Oct. 16-29, 2013. Highlights: Worms / Heidelberg / Rothenberg / Romantic Road / Neuschwanstein Castle / Eisleben, where Luther was born and died / Reformation museum in Wittenberg / Pergamon Museum in Berlin / Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC / Budapest, HUNGARY / Spanish Riding School in Vienna, AUSTRIA. Land, $2,528. Single supp., $649. Pilgrim Tours (Morgantown, PA; 800 / 322-0788, http://pilgrimtours.com).