A selection of tours and cruise-tours
Eight-day/seven-night singles tour, Dec. 24, 2011-Jan. 1, 2012. Highlights: White-water rafting on Pacuare River/Monteverde Cloud Forest/zip-line through the canopy/horseback ride near Rincon de la Vieja Volcano/outrigger canoe ride. Land, $2,699. Single supp., $700.
Singles Travel International (Boca Raton, FL; 877/765-6874).
16 days/15 nights. Highlights: See the Big Five in Kruger National Park, SOUTH AFRICA/day trip to KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND/Zululand/Durban/day cruise of Plettenberg Bay to Featherbed Nature Reserve/Cango Caves/Cape Town. Land, $3,390. Single supp., $1,020.
Bestway Tours & Safaris (206-8678 Greenall Ave., Burnaby, BC, Canada V5J 3M6; 800/663-0844).
11 days/10 nights, Oct. 7-17, 2011. Highlights: Guided by retired professor of Japanese History Tom Swift, and based in Kyoto, visit Nara, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Osaka and Mt. Koya. Focus on contemporary life, historic palaces, castles, temples and gardens. Land, $2,499. Single supp., $320.
Japan Adventure Tours (Sacramento, CA; 916/453-8707, e-mail tswift@saclink.csus.edu).
Seven-day/six-night cycling tour (22 to 57 miles per day; flat terrain) departs monthly, October 2011-February 2012. Highlights: Chiang Mai Old Town/visit orchid grower, butterfly farm/Mae Rim Elephant camp/karst hills/Padaung (long-neck women) village. Land, $1,550 (for six or more) or $1,875 (two to five). Single supp., $495. Bike rental, $130.
Pedalers Pub & Grille (Gainesville, FL; 877/998-0008).
21 days/19 nights. Highlights: Beijing Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, rickshaw through hutongs/Great Wall/Terra Cotta Warriors at Xi’an/three-day Yangtze River cruise/panda reserve in Chengdu/Suzhou/Shanghai. From $4,290 from New York or Los Angeles). Single supp., from $990.
Wendy Wu Tours, Ltd. (New York, NY; 877/993-6399).
15-day/14-night gulet cruise of GREEK ISLANDS, May 19-June 2, 2012. Highlights: From Kos, sail to Nisyros; Stefanos Volcano/Bronze Age town of Akotiri on Santorini/Naxos/islands of Amorgos, Levitha and Leros/Kalymnos. Cruise, £3,475 (near $5,570). Single supp., £800 ($1,283).
Peter Sommer Travels (96 Monmow St., Ste. 2, Monmouth, NP25 3EQ, U.K.; phone +44 [0] 1600 888 220).
Seven days/six nights, Oct. 17-24, 2011. Highlights: “Mona Lisa” and “Venus de Milo” at the Louvre/Musée Rodin/Impressionists at Musée d’Orsay/Montemarte/Opéra Garnier, “home of the Phantom.” Land, $2,295, includes a Paris Museum Pass. Single supp., $350.
La Belle France (Fresno, CA; 559/229-4866).
Nine-day/seven-night cruise aboard Lord of the Glens. Highlights: Embark Inverness/Culloden Field/Loch Ness/West Highland Railway to Glenfinnan/Duart Castle/island of Iona/Isle of Skye. Cruise only, from $6,290, double; from $7,690, single. Lindblad Expeditions & National Geographic (New York, NY; 800/3973348466).
15 days/14 nights. Highlights: Lima/Arequipa/view condors at Cruz del Condor/Temple of the Sun in Cuzco, Tambomachay (Inca fountains)/train through Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu/floating islands of Uros on Lake Titicaca/fly over Nazca Lines/cruise to Ballesta Isles, where sea lions, penguins live. From Miami, from $4,239. Single supp., from $1,075.
Yampu Tours (Stowe, VT; 802/760-6158).
Four-day/three-night women-only retreat, Aug. 26-29, 2011. Highlights: Helicopter flight through Banff National Park to Bugaboo Lodge/daily heli-hiking in the Bugaboo Range/yoga classes/climbing wall/wine-and-cheese party.
Land, $2,558. Single supp., $296. Canadian Mountain Holidays (Banff, Alberta, Canada; 800/661-0252).