A selection of tours and cruise-tours
13 days/12 nights. Highlights: in Beijing, Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City, hutong tour by pedicab/Great Wall/Xi’an Terra Cotta Warriors/Guilin limestone caves/bamboo raft ride on Li River/Shanghai. Land only, $9,580. Single supp., $2,920. Internal air, from $1,065. Imperial Tours (San Francisco, CA; 888/888-1970, www.imperialtours.net).
21 days/20 nights in OMAN and YEMEN. Highlights: four UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Oman’s Bahla Fort and Frankincense Trail plus Yemen’s old walled city of Shibam and Old City of Sana’a/desert tent camping/remote beaches on Socotra Island. Land only, from $7,690 (with four travelers). Single supp., $1,580. Bestway Tours & Safaris (Burnaby, BC, Canada; 800/663-0844, www.bestway.com).
14 days/13 nights, June 1-15, 2010. Highlights: hilltop villages in Provence/the Riviera (Antibes and Cannes)/Villa Rothschild/MONACO day trip/in ITALY, boat to Portofino/medieval streets and Roman ruins in Sirmione/Venice/Milan/Lake Como. $6,399 from New York or Boston. Single supp., $1,250. Olde Ipswich Tours (Ipswich, MA; 978/356-5163, www.ipswichtours.com).
8 days/7 nights in Provence, FRANCE, April 19-26, 2010. Highlights: stay in a traditional mas (farmhouse) near Avignon and take five three-hour classes in traditional Provençale kosher cooking. Visit markets. Meet with local Jewish community. Land only, $3,500. Single supp., $550. Inland Services, Inc. (New York, NY; 212/794-1400, www.cookeuro.com).
Company owner drives and leads small-group tours on country lanes and byways. Tours range from a 5-day mini-break, land-priced £845 (near $1,399) per person, to a 22-day tour at £3,495 ($5,788). Midway Motor Travel (Southerwicks, Corsham, Wiltshire, SN13 PNH, England; phone, in US, 800/214-8738, www.midwaymotortravel.com).
11 days/10 nights includes 7-night cruise. Highlights: On ECUADOR mainland, Quito tour/fly to Bartolomé to board ship/on Santiago, fur seals, iguanas/sea lions on Isla Lobos/flamingos on Floreana/Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz. Land and cruise, from $4,595 (MC Letty) or $5,795 (Nina). Single supp., from 1.15 times double rate. Natural Habitat Adventures (Boulder, CO; 800/543-8917, www.nathab.com).
13-day/12-night tour of AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND. Highlights: Catamaran from Cairns to Great Barrier Reef/Melbourne/sunset dinner cruise in Sydney/in Christchurch, New Zealand, see little blue penguins/Southern Alps/Fiordland National Park, fiord day cruise/Queenstown. Land and cruise, from $3,139. Single supp., $687. Globus (Littleton, CO; 866/755-8581, www.globusjourneys.com).
14 days/13 nights, Jan. 10-23, 2010. Highlights: Bangkok’s Emerald Buddha, Thonburi Klong (“Venice of the East”)/Mae Hong Son, village of long-necked women/Chiang Mai Night Market, elephant camp/return to Bangkok via rice barge. Land and internal air, $2,355. Single supp., $450. H2T3 Tours (Springfield, VA; 571/244-4363, www.h2t3tours.com).
8 days/7 nights. Highlights: In Beijing, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven/Great Wall/Ming Imperial Tombs/Xi’an’s Terra Cotta Warriors/Shanghai’s Bund, Yu Garden, YuYuan Market. Land only, $1,099. Single supp., $399. FLO USA, Inc. (Lake Mary, FL; 888/435-6872, www.flo-usa.com).
16 days/14 nights. Highlights: In Delhi, INDIA, city tour/in Darjeeling, Tiger Hill, Ghum Monastery/in Gangtok, Do Drul Chorten stupa, Orchid Sanctuary/in Thimphu, BHUTAN, medieval fortress Trashichodzong/Tiger’s Nest monastery in Paro. Land, $3,395. Single supp., $795. Internal air, $631. From New York/Newark/Chicago, from $920. Exotic Journeys Group (Chicago, IL; 800/554-6342, www.exoticjourneys.com).