Tours & Cruises

AFRICA

Creature comforts on a safari from sky to savanna

See beauty and beasts on a 12-day Christmastime safari to southern Africa that will whisk travelers from one game preserve to another on chartered aircraft.

The Dec. 23 tour, which has several other departures from March through October, includes helicopter flight-seeing at thundering Victoria Falls and a sunset cruise on Christmas Day on the Zambezi River.

Travelers will board small planes and fly across the desert to explore several wildlife areas, including the Okavango Delta in Botswana, home to wild game and more than 550 species of birds. “The plane charters make the trips more comfortable,” said tour representative Doug Bolnick. “You can avoid four or five hours in a jungle van on dusty roads.”

The itinerary includes visits to Mashatu Game Reserve, an elephant refuge, and Mala Mala Private Game Reserve on the border of Kruger National Park in South Africa. More than 200 animal species live inside Mala Mala, including lions, elephants, cape buffalo, rhinos and leopards.

Cost: $6,995 per person, double occupancy, for the Christmas tour; other dates cost $6,795. Included are accommodations, most meals, round-trip air fare from Atlanta to Victoria Falls (LAX add-on is $415), transfers, sightseeing, safari game drives and other activities.

Contact: St. Louis-based INTRAV; (800) 456-8100, www.intrav.com.

LOUISIANA

From New Orleans to the heart of Cajun country

Kick up your heels on Bourbon Street, then kick back and relax on the bayous of Louisiana during a tour of the state’s colorful Cajun coast.

The seven-day excursion, which begins Feb. 23, includes several pre-Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans. Travelers also will visit Lafayette, the heart of Cajun country; Acadian Village; and Atchafalaya Swamp, the largest swamp in North America. Atchafalaya is a habitat for black bears, alligators, other reptiles and waterfowl.

Cost: $1,595 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from LAX to New Orleans, bus transportation, six nights in hotels, nine meals, sightseeing and admissions.

Contact: Pasadena-based Great Western Tours; (800) 344-7090.

MEXICO

Learn Spanish for college credit in the Yucatan

Explore the Yucatan Peninsula, learn to speak Spanish -- and pick up four units of college credit at the same time -- on a two-week Palomar College course in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Participants in the Jan. 4-to-19 program will be housed with a Mexican family and will go on field trips and excursions and attend cultural events.

“Students are in class in the morning and have afternoons and evenings free. I call it Spanish in paradise,” says George Pesacreta, professor of foreign languages and organizer of the program. “Students experience firsthand the Spanish language and culture in this beautiful Mayan village.” Previous training in Spanish is helpful but not required.

Cost: $880 per person, including program fees, accommodations and meals, books and airport transfers in Mexico. Not included are round-trip air fare from LAX, insurance and Palomar College registration fees.

Contact: George Pesacreta; (760) 744-1150, Ext. 2265, e-mail georgedp50@yahoo.com.

NORWAY

Just a handful of kroner for Oslo in winter

Pack your mittens and flannel jammies and discover Norway this winter on a low-cost tour to the land of the Vikings.

SAS is offering a five-day air-and-hotel package to Oslo, the 1,000-year-old Norwegian capital. The region is known for skiing, with 89 alpine areas and 1,600 miles of cross-country trails.

The package, available until Dec. 13 and from Jan. 9 to March 31, has departures on Thursdays and Fridays with returns on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Norway, which is so far north that it is dark much of the time in winter, nonetheless has developed a full menu of winter sports, including ice skating, tobogganing, dog-sledding, sleigh rides and snow scooter safaris. Ski trails are lighted after dark.

Among the highlights in Oslo are the Viking Ships Museum, Kon-Tiki Museum and the Munch Museum, which spotlights the work of Norwegian artist Edvard Munch.

Cost: $654 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from LAX, hotel accommodations, daily Scandinavian breakfast, hotel taxes and service charges. Airport taxes are not included.

Contact: SAS, (800) 221-2350 . Norway brochures and an Oslo guide can be obtained from Discover Norway, (866) 666-7929.

NEW YORK

Theater, shopping, sightseeing in the Big Apple

Say hello to the Statue of Liberty, take a hansom cab ride through Central Park and glimpse the view from the top of the Empire State Building. Then venture to Times Square for three Broadway shows.

An eight-night theater tour of New York City, departing April 21, allows travelers time to visit museums, go sightseeing and shopping and attend three shows. The itinerary also includes lunch at Tavern on the Green in Central Park.

Cost: $1,875 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from LAX to Newark, N.J., transfers, accommodations at the Edison Hotel just off Times Square and daily breakfast.

Contact: Travel Galore of Encino; (818) 990-4499.

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