Ruins, Sea Caves on British Isles

Lindblad Expeditions is offering a 17-night cruise to the small isles and isolated coastal settlements of Britain. Starting from London, the 110-passenger Endeavour will take passengers to the Skelligs, islands off Ireland, where passengers will see Celtic ruins and the beehive huts of an ancient monastery.

On Staffa Island in the Inner Hebrides, passengers will explore sea caves by Zodiac or kayak, and on the Isle of Lewis, off Scotland, they will tour the standing stones of Callanish. Another stop, Fair Isle, is known for its hand-knitted sweaters and fine woolen goods. A staff of naturalists and historians will join the voyage. Cruises will depart April 29, May 15 and 31.

Cost: from $7,990 per person, double occupancy. Air fare to London is extra.

Contact: a travel agent or Lindblad Expeditions; (800) EXPEDITION (397-3348), www.expeditions.com.

Italy: The South

“The Ancient Art and Archeology of Sicily and Southern Italy,” from Oct. 5 to 20, will be led by an art expert from Cal Poly Pomona. The tour will begin in the Sicilian capital, Palermo, where participants will see Baroque cathedrals, art and palaces. Next the group will visit the temples and archeological ruins at Taormina, Agrigento, Syracuse and Selinus. After more than a week in Sicily, the tour will continue to the mainland coastal site of the Greek temple complex at Paestum, followed by visits to Amalfi, Ravello, Sorrento, Naples and the ruins at Pompeii. The trip concludes with a city tour in Rome.

Cost: $2,980 per person, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, accommodations, daily breakfast and many dinners, entrance fees and guides.

Contact: University Educational Travel; (800) 525-0525, www.uet.com.

Alaska: River Voyages

James Henry River Journeys, in its 30th year of river tours, has planned two new educational expeditions this summer in Alaska and Canada.

The tours are designed for adventurous adults and families who want to go white-water rafting and camping while learning about the natural history of the region and Native American folklore.

From Aug. 7 to 19, Alaskan writer Dave Hunsaker will lead the “Myth, Folklore and the Imagination of the Tlingit, Athabascan and Yup’ik Peoples” tour. Hunsaker will tell traditional stories along the way.

From July 21 to Aug. 2, naturalist John Kipping will lead hikes up side canyons and over glaciers to wildflower meadows on a trip called “Natural History and Nature Photography.”

The trips begin with a drive from Haines, Alaska, into Canada’s Yukon Territory. From a 19th century trading post and ancestral fishing spot of the Southern Tutchone, the group will raft on the Alsek River by the St. Elias and Fairweather ranges. These mountains hold one of the world’s largest non-polar glacial systems and several 15,000-foot peaks. Guides will row, but passengers can help.

The journey ends with a flight from Dry Bay to Yakutat and then back to Juneau, Alaska.

Cost: $2,695 per person, double occupancy, for each trip, including hotel in Haines and Juneau, all on-river meals, air transportation from Haines to Juneau and camping gear. Air fare to Juneau is extra.

Contact: James Katz of James Henry River Journeys; (800) 786-1830, www.riverjourneys.com.

France: Design

Interior designer Florence Pion will lead two tours to France this year. The trips are arts and antiques courses she teaches at Florida Atlantic University’s continuing education division.

The first trip, from June 8 to 17, will begin with touring in and around Paris and continues to Nice, where the group will view 18th century sections of the city and visit several villages, including two that are ancient pottery centers.

Cost: $2,850 per person, double occupancy, including lodging, daily breakfasts and three dinners.

The second, Sept. 18 to 27, will focus on Provence, particularly its architecture and places associated with Impressionist artists.

Cost: $2,650 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, buffet breakfasts and two meals. For both trips, all transportation within France is covered, but air fare to France is extra.

Contact: Florence Pion; (561) 362-5966, [email protected].

Sri Lanka: Festival

The annual Kandy Perahera festival, a pageant with hundreds of decorated elephants, dancers, drummers and torchbearers who parade in the streets of the capital of Kandy, will be one of the sights on a tour to Sri Lanka from July 15 to 30.

The tour includes visits to the ancient cities of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya and Dambulla, an elephant orphanage, the tea-growing area of Nuwara Eliya and the beach resort of Bentota. Guests will stay in an eco-friendly hotel built into a rock in Kandalama, at the Mahaweli Beach Hotel and the Taj Exotica Hotel on the island nation’s southern beaches.

Cost: $3,795 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from Los Angeles. The tour includes hotels with breakfast and dinner, all tours, transfers, entrance fees and festival tickets.

Contact: Ceylon Express International; (714) 964-6896 or (800) 423-9566, www.ceylonexpress.com.

High Sierra: Hiking

Easy to moderate hiking in California’s Sierra Nevada will be the focus of trips into the Ansel Adams Wilderness, named for the photographer (1902-84) renowned for his majestic photographs of the West. The trips, offered by Mountain Travel Sobek of El Cerrito, Calif., will begin at Bass Lake and proceed steadily upward.

Hikers will cover about five to six miles daily. (The base camp will be at 9,000 feet.) Fishing is possible, and there may even be an opportunity for a summer snowball fight. Hikers will see Rainbow and Ruth lakes. Trip dates are July 21 to 26 and Aug. 4 to 9.

Cost: $1,490 per person, double occupancy, including one night in a lodge, four nights camping, most meals, mules to carry anything heavy and camping gear. Ground transportation or air fare is extra. The nearest commercial airport is Fresno.

Contact: Mountain Travel Sobek; (888) 687-6235, www.mtsobek.com.

*

The Times is not responsible for changes in tour prices, dates or itineraries. These should be confirmed with travel agents or tour operators.