Tours

September 2012 issue

The Jewels Of Piedmont

8-day / 7-night walking tour of northern ITALY, Oct. 12, 2012, and June 14 & Oct. 11, 2013. Highlights: Medieval Saluzzo / walk to a 13th-century castle in Manta / walk with views of the Ligurian Alps / visit wine maker in Barolo / go truffle hunting / enjoy local cheeses, chocolates, snails, mushrooms, wine. Land, €2,425 (near $2,953). Single supp., €175. Hedonistic Hiking (Box 200, Porepunkah, VIC, 3740 Australia; phone +61 [0] 3 5755 2307, www.hedonistichiking.com).

August 2012 issue

Kayaking The Western Fjords

6-day / 5-night camping, kayaking tour in NORWAY, summer 2013. Easy to moderate activity (up to four hours’ paddling per day and some walking). Highlights: Art Nouveau town of Ålesund / kayak to Vermøya Island/stay at historic Åkernes farm / paddle past Bridal Veil, Suitor and Seven Sisters falls / Geirangerfjord. Land, $2,490. No single accommodations. Tofino Expeditions, Ltd. (Salem, OR; 800/677-0877).

April 2012 issue

Precious Journeys Belize

Seven days/six nights. Departures July 1-Nov. 30, 2012. Highlights: Visit Mayan ruins with an archaeologist/swim into Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave/ride on horseback to Xunantunich/3,000 Mayan structures at Tikal/snorkel coral reef off St. George’s Caye/canoe in Barton Creek Cave. Land, from $5,840. Single supp., $2,160. Big Five Tours & Expeditions (Stuart, FL; 800/244-3483, www.bigfive.com).

February 2012 issue

Mayan Triangle

Nine-day/eight-night tour of Mayan areas. Highlights: In GUATEMALA, colonial city of Antigua/Chichicastenango market/Lake Atitlán/Mayan ruins in Copan, HONDURAS/Mayan city of Joya de Cerén in EL SALVADOR/in San Salvador, Devil’s Door, National Palace, handcraft market/beaches on the Costa del Sol. First class, land, $1,450; single supp., $585. Deluxe, land, $1,650; single supp., $810. SITA World Tours (Encino, CA; 800/421-5643, www.sitatours.com).

August 2004 issue

Pushkar Camel Fair

13-day tour of INDIA departs Nov. 14, ’04.

Among highlights: Thousands of camel traders, singing and festivities on the desert sands of Pushkar during the annual fair (two days)/Taj Mahal/abandoned city of Fatehpur Sikri/bird sanctuary at Bharatpur/elephant ride to Jaipur’s Amber Fort/in Udaipur stay at Shiv Niwas Palace, the residence of the Maharana.

$1,795 excluding international air.

Big Five Tours & Expeditions, 1551 SE Palm Ct., Stuart, FL 34994; phone 800/244-3483 or visit www. bigfive.com.

September 2012 issue

A Tale Of China’s Two Great Cities

9-day / 7-night tour of Beijing and Shanghai. Highlights: In Beijing, Forbidden City, Sacred Way, Summer Palace / Great Wall / in Shanghai, the Bund, Temple of Heaven and Huangpu River cruise. From $999 from San Francisco; $100 more from New York. Single supp., $239. China Spree (Bellevue, WA; 855 / 556-6868, www.chinaspree.com).

August 2012 issue

From Istanbul To Anatolia To Antiquity

11-day / 10-night tour of TURKEY, May 3-13, 2013. Highlights: Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia in Istanbul / Ankara’s Anatolian History Museum / underground cities in Cappadocia / Roman ruins in Aphrodisias / Ephesus / Hellenistic Pergamon / Troy / Gallipoli. Land, $1,925. Single supp., $595. TunisUSA (Wayne, PA; 888/474-5502).

February 2012 issue

Ecuador & Galápagos

Eight-day/seven-night women-only tour includes four nights aboard M/V Santa Cruz; departures June 16 & Sept. 22, 2012. Highlights: Quito/Otavalo Indian market/fly to Baltra, embark M/V Santa Cruz/iguanas on Baltra/snorkel, glass-bottom boat tour off Bartholome Island/fur seals on James Island/frigates, boobies, sea lions at Darwin Bay/giant tortoises on Santa Fe Island. Land, $3,850. Single supp., $1,410. Isram World of Travel — A Woman’s View (New York, NY; 888/789-6626, www.womansviewtravel.com).