Arctic, with or without central heat

CANADA

JOURNEY to the edge of the Arctic on April 4, and stay five nights in an igloo that you build. Or if you want to watch the northern lights in more comfort, stay in a nearby heated lodge.

The tour leaves Churchill, in Manitoba province, by helicopter or float plane and travels about 13 miles to Polar Bear Lodge, surrounded by wilderness on the edge of Hudson Bay.

Travelers can explore the area by dogsled, snowmobile or tundra buggy -- the last a boxy, oversized, heated vehicle on big snow tires -- while looking for polar bears, caribou and seals.

Mike Reimer, of Churchill Wild adventure tour company, said this wasn’t his most popular tour, “but if you can tolerate any cold at all, it’s magical ... the sun bursting off of everything, the ice rising blue out of the snow, polar bears wandering by. We’ll watch the aurora borealis.

“It really is a paradise [of snow and ice],” he said.

Cost: $3,250 Canadian (about $2,686; price may vary because of fluctuations in the exchange rate). (Single supplement is not available.) Includes transportation from Churchill, all meals, lodging and excursions. Airfare from Los Angeles is not included.

Contact: Churchill Wild, Churchill; (888) 326-7325, www.churchillwild.com.

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ARIZONA

Canyon de Chelly in the off-season

FIND solitude and save money during the off-season through March 31 in Canyon de Chelly. The Thunderbird Lodge in the 83,840-acre National Monument has reduced rates.

Half-day tours in six-wheel-drive vehicles, led by Navajo guides familiar with area history and terrain, are available through the lower parts of Canyon de Chelly and Canyon del Muerto. Stops include prehistoric Anasazi pueblo ruins, petroglyphs and other sites of historical significance. (Independent hiking is allowed only along the White House Ruin Trail. A park ranger or Navajo guide must accompany travelers in other parts of the national monument.)

Cost: $58 for one, $65 for two, $71 for three and $77 for four people per room, per night. Tours cost $39.95 for adults and $30.50 for children 12 and younger. (High-season room rates start at $101.) Meals, taxes and transportation are not included.

Contact: Thunderbird Lodge, Chinle; (800) 679-2473, www.tbirdlodge.com.

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MYANMAR

Rich in tradition

Explore the “golden land” of Myanmar for 16 days starting March 1.

The Ceylon Express International tour to the country once known as Burma will include stops at museums, pagodas and temples in Yangon (formerly Rangoon), Bagan and Mandalay. Gold-leafed Buddha statues abound in the country. The group will visit the caves in Pindaya, near Heho, home to more than 8,000 images of the Buddha in wood, stone and gold. The tour also will pass through the Inle Lake region on a 14-cabin restored paddleboat, the Irrawaddy Princess, and visit villages on stilts inhabited by Intha, indigenous tribal people.

The itinerary is not affected by the recent earthquake near Indonesia and the subsequent tsunami.

Cost: $2,895 per person, double occupancy ($595 single surcharge). Includes round-trip airfare from Los Angeles, airfares within Myanmar, transportation including cruise, most meals and all admissions. Fees for visas, gratuities and airport taxes and fees are not included.

Contact: Ceylon Express International, Huntington Beach; (800) 423-9566, www.ceylonexpress.com.

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FIJI

Kids OK on romantic trip

ENJOY a romantic getaway in Vanua Levu through April 30, even with the kids. Parents can indulge in massages followed by a romantic outdoor dinner for two at the Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort while the children play nearby, cared for by English-speaking nannies at the resort’s Bula Club. Evening activities at the club include native arts and crafts, movies, storytelling and board games.

Daytime exploits for kids or the whole family include tours of coral reefs in a glass-bottom boat led by a marine biologist, swimming, snorkeling and fishing.

Cost: $480 per day for a thatch-roof bure, a traditional Fijian bungalow that can accommodate two adults and two children, or $685 for an oceanfront, two-bedroom bure that sleeps five. Includes meals, activities and airport transfers to and from Savusavu. Transportation from Los Angeles is not included.

Contact: Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort, Vanua Levu, Fiji; (800) 246-3454, www.fijiresort.com.

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