Tours & Cruises : Nature Lovers’ Trips to Turkey and Russia

Bird-watchers and nature lovers will have plenty to see through their binoculars on late summer to Turkey and Russia.

A 16-day tour called “Turkey: Its Birds and Treasures” leaves San Francisco on Sept. 10 for Istanbul, where participants will stay at hotels in the city and make daily bird-watching treks to sanctuaries such as Kus Cenneti Nature Reserve and Ulu Dag National Park to see white pelicans, herons, glossy ibises and egrets. Interspersed with birding activities, participants will visit historic sites, such as the Green Mosque and Sultan’s Tombs in Bursa, and the ruins of Ephesus, Priene and Miletus near Dilek National Park on the coast. Cost: $1,575 including ground transportation, hotels, most meals, escort and admission fees. Not included: round-trip air fare. Travel Directions: 1 Daniel Burnham Court, Suite 105, San Francisco; telephone (800) 677-0446.

A trip designed to appeal to nature enthusiasts leaves New York City Aug. 5 for 10 days in St. Petersburg and Moscow. In St. Petersburg, guides will introduce participants to the natural history, wildlife and ecology of Russia through day hikes on the outskirts of the city. There will also be cultural stops at the Russian and Hermitage museums in St. Petersburg and the Kremlin in Moscow. Guests will stay at a downtown hotel in St. Petersburg and in private 1752132965ground transportation, most meals and museum admissions. Cultural Access Network: 3731 E. Fernwood Ave., Orange 92669; tel. (714) 288-1603.

Galapagos Cruise

A seven-day cruise to the Galapagos Islands is billed as the high point of a 10-day tour package that leaves Los Angeles Aug. 27. Travelers fly to Quito, Ecuador, where they overnight and tour the colonial city before boarding the 86-passenger Ambasador I to cruise the islands. Naturalists lead island explorations to see giant tortoises, seals, marine and land iguanas and exotic birds on such stops as Santa Cruz Island and San Cristobal. Cost: $2,995 including hotels, meals, all air fares and cruise costs. Galapagos Cruise Line, Inc.: 1790 Broadway, New York 10019; tel. (800) 448-2624.

Literary England

A 15-day literary tour of England leaves San Francisco on Aug. 5. The homes and haunts of D.H. Lawrence, George Bernard Shaw, T.S. Eliot, Lewis Carroll, Percy Bysshe Shelley, William Wordsworth and others will be visited. There will be trips to Beatrix Potter’s Hilltop House, the castle setting for Evelyn Waugh’s “Brideshead Revisited,” and an evening at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Groups of no more than 18 will spend an average of three nights at each country inn or manor house hotel en route.

Cost: $2,995 per person, including hotels, entrance fees, breakfasts, 10 dinners and transportation by motor coach. Not included: round-trip air fare to London. Coopersmith’s England: 441 Valley View Road, Oakland 94611; tel. (510) 339-2499.

Hiking in Japan

A 15-day hiking trip to Japan’s backcountry leaves Los Angeles Sept. 24 for Tokyo, returning from Osaka. “Mountains, Temples and Hamlets” is billed as a trip for the hearty that blends outdoor and cultural adventure. After a day on the slopes of Mt. Fuji, hikers will move on to the Kita Alps and stay at remote lodges in country villages. The group visits Takayama, a mountain town with traditional architecture, pottery and wood crafts. Here, in a thatched-roof Japanese bed and breakfast, dinner is served around an open hearth. Cost: $3,285 including transfers, lodging and most meals. International air fare is extra. Journeys East: 2443 Fillmore St., Suite 289, San Francisco 94115; (800) 527-2612.

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