A selection of tours and cruise-tours
13 days/11 nights, Feb. 2-14, 2010. Highlights: On Tahiti Nui, Paul Gauguin Museum, ancient temple of Marae/on Easter Island, Rano Raraku Volcano/moai, petroglyphs, caves/Tapati festival/on Moorea, feed a stingray/handcrafts and maraes (stone temples) on Huahine. Land price, $9,495. Single supp., $1,395. Far Horizons, Inc. (San Anselmo, CA; 800/552-4575, www.farhorizons.com).
16 days/14 nights, Nov. 3-18, 2009. Highlights: Pottery village of Nikko/Fuji Five Lakes, Mt. Fuji/medieval Kyoto/ferry to Miyajima Island to see floating torii gate, Itsukushima Shrine/feudal castle in Uwajima/boat ride through Oboke Gorge. From Los Angeles, $7,150. Single supp., $1,000. In Focus with Michele Burgess (Huntington Beach, CA; 714/536-6104, www.infocustravel.com).
12 days/10 nights. Highlights: In Beijing, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, hutong rickshaw tour/Great Wall/Suzhou, “Venice of the East”/Ming and Qing architecture in Hangzhou/1,700-year-old Lingyin Temple/Bund in Shanghai. From San Francisco, from $1,199. Land only, from $999. China Spree (Blaine, WA; 866/652-5656, www.chinaspree.com).
SPAIN — 5 days/4 nights. Highlights: Tapas tour/Prado Museum/gourmet markets/cooking class/wine tasting/in medieval Toledo, art by El Greco, Van Dyck and Goya. Land only, from $1,760 if 6-7 members, $1,980 if 4-5. Single supp., $380. Epicurean Ways (Charlottesville, VA; 866/642-2917, http://epicureanways.com).
12 days/nights, Sept. 27-Oct. 9, 2009. Highlights: In SLOVENIA, Ljubljana, Lake Bled/in CROATIA, fortified Karlovac/Plitvice Lakes National Park/Krka National Park/Dubrovnik/day trip into MONTENEGRO. Land only, $3,895. Single supp., $450. Intimate France (Oakland, CA; 800/676-1247, www.intimatefrance.com).
17 days/15 nights. Highlights: In Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL, cog train through Tijuca Forest/Iguassu Falls/in Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA, Plaza de Mayo, La Boca, Evita Museum/hydrofoil ride to Colonia del Sacramento, URUGUAY/Patagonia’s Lake District/Pre-Columbian Art Museum in Santiago, CHILE. Land and internal air, from $4,830. Single supp., from $1,540. Grand European Tours (Lake Oswego, OR; 800/552-5545, www.getours.com).
15 days/14 nights, departing Aug. 29 & Oct. 28, 2009. Highlights: Cape Town/Cape Winelands/game-viewing sunset cruise/in SWAZILAND, Mkhaya Game Reserve/Sabi Sands Game Reserve. Land plus internal air, August departure (local guides), $7,940; single supp., $2,240… October departure (tour leader), $10,860; single supp. $2,400. Africa Easy (Seattle, WA; 800/617-2319, www.africaeasy.com).
13 days/9 nights, Aug. 11-23, 2009. Highlights: Feed giraffes at Giraffe Center near Nairobi/Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage/near Mt. Kenya, see chimpanzees, elephants, rhinos, buffaloes, antelopes/in Samburu, cheetahs, leopards, zebras, gazelles/flamingos at Lake Nakuru. From Los Angeles, $4,950. Single supp., $900. Hermes Travel & Tours (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA; 310/791-5556, www.hermestoursonline.com).
10- and 14-day tours of South Island. Highlights: Day cruise, trek Abel Tasman National Park/wine tasting in Blenheim/seals in Kaikoura/on 14-day tour, add Doubtful Sound, Mt. Cook, Christchurch. Land only for 10-day tour, NZ$4,200 (near US$2,366), or 14-day tour, NZ$5,400 (US$3,043). Single supp. for both, NZ$875 (US$493). New Zealand Travellers (169 Cable Bay Rd. RD-1, Nelson, New Zealand; phone 64 3 545 2546, www.nztravellers.co.nz).
15 day/13-night tour, Oct. 17-31 & Oct. 24-Nov. 7, 2009, focuses on JAPAN’S folk architecture and regional cuisine. Highlights: From Tokyo, north to Japan Sea/manor houses on Niigata Plains/Nagano temples/Takayama sake breweries/visit an indigo dyer and a ceramic artisan/Moss Garden in Kyoto. Land only, $5,285. Single supp., $800.
Journeys East (Middletown, CA; 800/527-2612, www.journeyseast.com).