TOURS & CRUISES

BELIZE

Looking for jaguars at night

TRack big cats through the jungles of Belize on a nighttime tour of the world’s only jaguar sanctuary.

The excursion, available during weeklong stays at a Belize lodge, explores 100,000-acre Cockscomb Basin, which has the world’s largest concentration of large cats, including jaguars, pumas and jaguarondi.

“Jaguars, being nocturnal creatures, are most active at night. We equip visitors with state-of-the-art night-vision equipment,” said Bruce Foerster, managing director of Jaguar Reef Lodge, an eco-lodge about 75 miles south of Belize City on the Caribbean Sea.

Other excursions include caving, river tubing, reef and river snorkeling, kayaking, horseback riding, birding and boating.

Cost: A week’s stay at the lodge begins at $1,169 for adults sharing a room (single surcharge $440). Children 3 to 13 are $159; 13 to 18 are $519. Included are accommodations, all meals and two all-day excursions (such as the jaguar tour) and two half-day excursions. Round-trip transportation to Belize is not included.

Contact: Jaguar Reef Lodge, (800) 289-5756, www.jaguarreef.com.

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ITALY

Painting lessons in the Tuscan hills

Brush up on your painting techniques during a three-week workshop in the hills of Tuscany.

The Aug. 13 program, sponsored by the Brentwood Art Center School of Fine Art, is designed for artists who work with oils, acrylics, watercolors and mixed media. Classes will be based in the historic city of Lucca and conducted by painter Ada Pullini Brown and watercolorist Barbara Ashton.

For weekday studio sessions, the group will meet in a former monastery converted to an art center. They will be taken by bus to several locations for outdoor landscape painting. Other highlights are lectures in art history, visits to private villas and art collections and dining on local culinary specialties.

Cost: $5,950 per person, double occupancy (single surcharge $1,250), including accommodations, daily breakfast and dinner, and art activities. Round-trip airfare is not included.

Contact: Brentwood Art Center, (310) 451-5657, www.artravel.org or www.brentwoodart.com.

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GUATEMALA

Help renovate a local school, then sightsee

Earn angel’s wings on your summer vacation during a 12-day trip to Guatemala to remodel a school.

The July 27 trip is being organized by Angelcare Children’s Aid International, a 28-year-old nonsectarian charity based in San Diego. The group will stay in the building, cleaning and renovating it. They also will take sightseeing trips to Maya ruins in Tikal and the city of Antigua.

Cost: $1,995 per person, including round-trip air transportation from LAX, all meals, entrance fees, airport taxes and guides.

Contact: Wayne Peimann, (888) 264-5227, www.angelcare.org.

The Times is not responsible for changes in prices, dates or itineraries. Send information to Tours & Cruises, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 or write via e-mail to travel@latimes.com.