Hot deals to escape the chill of winter

ARE you looking for an inexpensive holiday or winter vacation? Check out Costa Rica, which continues to climb in popularity; or make tracks to Vegas, where prices bottom out just before Christmas; or try sailing along the coast of Brazil on a tall ship. Here are the details:

Centrally located: The Central American nation of Costa Rica has become so popular that 53-year-old Caravan Tours, (800) 227-2826, www.caravantours.com, has scheduled virtually daily departures there throughout January, February and March for its 10-day escorted tour.

Caravan’s tours are comprehensive, visiting beaches, volcanoes and rain forests. They include the nation’s major sights, excellent hotels and lodges, as well as most meals. The price is $995 per person for everything other than airfare to the capital city of San Jose.

Value in Vegas: If you’d like to save some money before the holiday, plan a trip to Las Vegas. If you can begin your holiday trip several days before Christmas and return the day after, you can just about write your own ticket in Vegas (as long as you stay away from the gaming tables.)

Vegas hotel prices plummet beginning around Dec. 11 and continue to be low through the night of Dec. 25. After that, the rates skyrocket as revelers begin arriving in town to celebrate New Year’s Eve.

A widening G.A.P: Canadian tour company G.A.P. Adventures is rapidly becoming one of the largest operators of small-group tours to exotic destinations around the world. And it has plenty of interesting trips lined up for winter.

The company, which began with a small travel program to Ecuador, Belize and Peru, now operates adventure tours to every continent. It concentrates on the lightly visited countryside and villages; most groups are a maximum of 12 people.

Among the adventures available this winter: a seven-day Brazil tall-ship sailing down the coast from Rio de Janeiro. The trip is available on several dates and is priced at $895 per person for everything (meals included) except round-trip airfare to Brazil. Or sign up for Project Guatemala during February and March, in which passengers travel to a remote Guatemalan village and participate in a project that provides villagers with clean drinking water. The cost is $895 for 11 days, not including transportation to the Guatemalan city of Antigua. For information, call (800) 708-7761, or see www.gapadventures.com.