TOURS & CRUISES

BOTSWANA

On safari, by foot, car and canoe

ROAM the lagoons and savannas of Botswana on a 12-day safari with the Santa Ana Zoo.

The journey, which begins Oct. 31, includes the Okavango Delta, a 6,000-square-mile oasis of waterways, lagoons and islands in the Kalahari Desert. It is considered one of the best places in the world to see wildlife in a pristine environment.

“I’m often asked to compare East Africa and Botswana,” said Ron Glazier, director of the Santa Ana Zoo. “East Africa is the traditional ‘Out of Africa’ experience,” he said, with amenities such as hunting lodges and hotels.

“But Botswana gives you an intimate connection with the African bush. Botswana is mostly untouched by civilization.”

Glazier has led several tours to both regions.

Participants travel in Land Rovers on night and day game runs across the savanna in search of cheetahs, elephants and leopards.

They also glide on the delta’s waterways in mokoro dugout canoes, seeking the red lechwe and the sitatunga, Africa’s amphibious antelopes. They take walks in the African bush, led by local guides.

The group also will visit Victoria Falls, between Zimbabwe and Zambia on the Zambezi River. The falls are more than twice the height and width of Niagara Falls.

A program discussing the Botswana tour and other upcoming tours will be held at 1 p.m. Sept. 24 at the zoo, 1801 E. Chestnut Ave., Santa Ana.

Cost: $5,995 per person, double occupancy ($1,795 single surcharge), including round-trip airfare from Los Angeles, internal airfare, accommodations, most meals and a tax-deductible donation to the zoo.

An optional four-day extension trip to Cape Town, South Africa, is available for $1,695 per person, double occupancy ($495 single surcharge).

Contact: Santa Ana Zoo at Prentice Park; (714) 647-6598, www.santaanazoo.org.

IRELAND

Curtain rises on Dublin

ENJOY three days of entertainment at the Dublin Theatre Festival during a two-week Emerald Isle tour.

The trip, which begins Sept. 30, will stay in Dublin during the festival; between shows, the group will tour the city, with stops at Trinity College and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Outside Dublin, the itinerary focuses on southwest Ireland, with stops in Waterford, Dingle Peninsula and Galway City.

Participants will see Kylemore Abbey in Galway, the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare and take a catamaran cruise on the Killary Harbour fiord in Connemara.

Cost: $3,998 per person, double occupancy ($1,750 single surcharge), including hotels, most meals, transportation and admissions. Airfare from Los Angeles to Dublin is not included.

Contact: Theatours, Los Angeles; (323) 656-6309; www.theatours.com.

MEXICO

Arty party on the border

TAKE in the cross-cultural border art scene on a weekend trip to Tijuana.

A Sept. 23 bus tour will include visits to artists’ studios, meetings with gallery owners and artists, and an artists’ party with live music. The group will tour museums and art centers, including Centro Cultural de Tijuana, with the center’s director, Teresa Vincenzio.

The tour, which is being hosted by the Tijuana-L.A. based cultural organization COFAC, will begin at Union Station in Los Angeles with dinner at Traxx restaurant.

Cost: $690 per person, double occupancy ($75 single surcharge), including round-trip ground transportation from L.A., hotels, most meals, tour manager and guides.

Contact: World Culture Tours, Los Angeles; (562) 439-9097, www.worldculturetours.com.

COLORADO

Meditate in the mountains

HONE mind and muscles on a nine-night combination yoga retreat and wilderness adventure in the Rocky Mountains.

The Sept. 2 trip is offered by Outward Bound in collaboration with Shambhala Mountain Center, a 600-acre Buddhist meditation and yoga retreat center in northern Colorado.

The first four-nights are spent at the center, where the group will study meditation and yogic practices. Then participants embark on a five-night backpacking and climbing experience in the Rawah Mountains and Wilderness Area.

Cost: $1,195 per person, double occupancy, including dormitory and camping accommodations, meals and tuition. Transportation from Los Angeles is not included.

Contact: Shambhala Mountain Center, Red Feather Lakes, Colo.; (888) 788-7221, www.shambhalamountain.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.