Tours

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).

CORRECTION — Prices of the 14-day tour offered by Tauck (Wilton, CT; 800/788-7885, www.tauck.com) are substantially lower than those printed in the October 2017 issue. 2018 prices are $7,190-$8,190 per person, double occupancy (ppdo).

15 days, 14 nights. Highlights: San José/in Tortuguero National Park, Sea Turtle Museum, boat trip to see monkeys, caimans, birds/Arenal Volcano/Monteverde and Santa Elena cloud forest reserves/Manuel Antonio National Park, home to monkeys, sloths, iguanas/in village of Copey, school visit, lunch with local family. $3,025-$3,535 ppdo (per dates). Single supp., $798-$884. Exodus Travels (112 Merton St., Toronto, ON, M4S 2Z8, Canada; in US, 844/227-9087, www.exodus
travels.com).

8-day, 7-night adventure in Manitoba, CANADA. Departs Feb. 18 & 27 and March 4 & 8, 2018. Highlights: Winnipeg’s Manitoba Museum for Inuit culture/fly to Churchill/view northern lights from Aurora Lounge/in Churchill, Itsanitaq Museum, snowshoeing, dogsledding. $5,349 ppdo. Single supp., $1,200. Frontiers North Adventures (204-1111 Munroe Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2K 3Z5, Canada; in US, 800/663-9832, www.frontiersnorth.com).

11 days, 10 nights. January-February & April-December 2018. Group limit, 12. Highlights: Windhoek/sand dunes in Namib-Naukluft National Park/Sesriem Canyon/Walvis Bay Lagoon/Cape Cross/ancient Bushmen paintings at Twyfelfontein/Petrified Forest/Etosha National Park, home to leopards, rhinos/in Otjiwarongo, Cheetah Conservation Foundation. $2,459 ppdo. Single supp., $349. Bestway Tours & Safaris (8678 Greenall Ave., Ste. 206, Burnaby, BC, V5J 3M6, Canada; US/Can., 800/663-0844, www.bestway.com).

26 days, 23 nights, Sept. 19-Oct. 24, 2018. Led by ITN “Far Horizons” columnist Randy Keck. Group limit, 24. Highlights: Sydney/Hobart, Tasmania/Melbourne/Adelaide/2-night cultural cruise on Murray River/Perth/Alice Springs/Ayers Rock/Darwin/Kakadu National Park/Mary River wildlife cruise/Hervey Bay/Great Barrier Reef/Lady Elliot and Fraser islands/Brisbane/Gold Coast/Aboriginal cultural visits. $8,295 ppdo. Single supp., $1,595. ASI Tours (James­town, RI; in US, 800/925-7122, www.asitours.com).

14-day, 13-night bike tour (“moderate to high-level”) in JAPAN, June  24-July 7, 2018. (Van available.) Highlights: Train from Sapporo to Furano for lavender fields/cycle to Karikachi Pass/Tokachi plain to Shirakaba Pass/Mikuni-toge Pass to Lake Saroma/Wakka Wild Flower Park/Iozan volcano/Shiretoko Peninsula. From $5,200 ppdo. Single supp., $450. SpiceRoads (45 [Sub Soi Pannee] Soi Pridi Banomyong 26, Sukhumvit Soi 71, Klongton Nua, Wattana, Bangkok, Thailand 10110; phone +66 2 381 7490, www.spiceroads.com).

14 days, 13 nights. Departures April-October 2018. Highlights: Transfer from Naples to Sorrento/drive Amalfi Coast/Amalfi/Ravello/ruins of Pompeii/after-hours visit to Vatican Museums/in Rome, Imperial Palace, Circus Maximus/Duomo of Orvieto/in Umbria, recital in private home/Assisi wine-tasting/cruise on Italian Riviera/Uffizi Gallery in Florence/Venice. $7,990-$9,690 ppdo (per dates). Tauck (Wilton, CT; 800/788-7885, www.tauck.com.au).

7 days, 6 nights in IRELAND. “Easy” hiking; average 5 miles per day. Departures May-September 2018. Highlights: Meet in Cork/in Kinsale, 15th-century Charles Fort/Cape Clear Island/Sheep’s Head Way/cable car to Dursey Island/Ring of Kerry/on Skellig Michael, 7th-century stone beehive huts/Dingle pub for music. €1,595 (near $1,900) per person, double occupancy (ppdo). Single supp., €250 ($300). Wilderness Ireland (Unit 3, Sligo Airport Business Park, Strandhill, Sligo, Ireland; in US, 844/235-6240, www.wildernessireland.com).

8-day, 7-night cruise in ECUADOR, Feb. 25-March 4, 2018. Highlights: Fly from Quito to San Cristóbal/take 20-passenger yacht to Genovesa for nesting seabirds, Prince Philip’s Steps nature walk/on Fernandina, search for sea turtles, crabs, marine iguanas/on Isabela, Wolf and Cerro Azul volcanoes, marine life/on Santa Cruz, Darwin Research Station. $4,700-$5,600 ppdo, per cabin type. Single, $8,225. Naturalist Journeys/Caligo Ventures (Portal, AZ; 866/900-1146, www.naturalist journeys.com).