Polar Bear Country on the Hudson Bay

Can’t bear the heat? Search out polar bears in the snowy cold of Churchill, a town on the west coast of central Canada’s Hudson Bay. Two nine-day trips leave from Winnipeg, Canada, Oct. 18 and Oct. 25. The bears congregate in this area every October on their annual migration as they wait for the Hudson Bay to freeze over. From the safety of giant “tundra buggies,” travelers journey onto the tundra each day and observe the bears up close. Participants stay at the Northern Studies Centre to learn more about the bears and assist Dr. Malcolm Ramsay with research activities. Cost: $2,695 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare between Winnipeg and Churchill, accommodations, most meals, tour of Churchill area, tundra buggy excursions and services of scientists and guides. Not included: air fare to Winnipeg. Contact: Natural Habitat Adventures, 2945 Center Green Court South, Boulder, Colo. 80301; telephone (800) 543-8917.

Amazon Jungle Ride

Naturalist, ornithologist and Amazon guide James Roper will escort a small group of nature enthusiasts to the Peruvian Amazon for eight days Nov. 26. Participants will travel 300 miles on the Amazon River and overnight in exotic jungle lodges deep in remote forest reserves. The rustic, but comfortable lodges are located near areas that contain the highest diversity of bird and tree species in the world. They will experience what is said to be the only canopy walkway in the Americas--1,500 feet long. Guests will visit local villages to learn about the native cultures, explore the rain forest at night and examine plants used for modern and folk medicines. The group may see such wildlife as pink dolphins, sloths, monkeys, colorful tree frogs, iguanas, parrots, piranhas and electric eels. Cost: $2,195 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from Los Angeles, lodging, meals and daily excursions. Contact: Explorations, Inc., 27655 Kent Road, Bonita Springs, Fla. 33923; tel. (800) 446-9660.

Arizona, Western Style

A motor-coach trip to Scottsdale, Sedona and Phoenix leaves Nov. 10 for four days from Orange County with a pickup in San Bernardino. Participants will stay at the Holiday Inn in Scottsdale and take day trips to see the city of Scottsdale and Phoenix. An evening is spent at the Greyhound Dog Races, where dinner will be served. The third is spent in Sedona visiting the artistic town and going to Oak Creek Canyon, which is known for spectacular scenery of white, yellow and red-colored cliffs dotted with pine trees. Cost: $329 per person, double occupancy, including motor-coach transportation, hotel, two Western-style dinners and admission to the Phoenix greyhound park. Contact: California Discovery Tours, P.O. Box 1677, San Juan Capistrano, Calif. 92693; tel. (800) 338-3222.

Hong Kong

A weeklong trip to Hong Kong to tour the city and shop for bargains leaves Nov. 2 from San Francisco. Participants will get a private showing at the shop of one of Hong Kong’s top designers of clothing and jewelry, a dinner at the American Club overlooking Hong Kong harbor, sightseeing aboard an antique tram, a session with one of Hong Kong’s geomancy fortunetellers and a farewell Chinese banquet. Cost: $1,774 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare to Hong Kong from San Francisco, a first-class room at the Kowloon Hotel, transfers and service charges. Not included: most meals. A more simplified version of this trip with fewer planned activities is available for $1,399. Also, a three-night Bangkok extension is available. Contact: Bryan International Travel, 98 Battery St., Suite 302, San Francisco, Calif. 94111; tel. (800) 248-9061.

Mexican Festival

A six-day trip to the Yucatan Peninsula to experience the rituals and festivities of the Day of the Dead leaves Oct. 29 from Houston. In rituals predating the Aztec, the revelers welcome the souls of the dead who “return” for a few hours to visit friends and family. The trip will include a day exploring the Mayan ruins of Uxmal and the ruins of the Puuc route. Another day is spent at the beach. Cost: $699 per person, double occupancy, including air fare to Merida from Houston, hotels, ground transportation, bilingual guides and entrance fees and two lunches. Not included: air fare to Houston and most meals. Contact: Remarkable Journeys, P.O. Box 31855, Houston, Tex. 77231-1855; tel. (800) 856-1993.

Australian Open

Tennis enthusiasts can see the 1995 Australian Open on a trip that visits Queenstown and Christchurch, New Zealand, and Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, for 14 days beginning Jan. 14. Participants start in Queenstown for a cruise on a vintage steamship to Walter Peak for a high country dinner at a sheep and cattle station. They will also visit the Milford Sound before touring Christchurch and playing tennis at a local club. Travelers will head to Sydney, Australia, for a tour and then to Melbourne for the tennis championship with reserved center court seating. The tickets are for the last four days, semifinals and finals. Cost: $4,395 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, 11 nights hotel accommodations, some meals, tennis club entry, reserved seats and sightseeing fees. Contact: Steve Furgal’s International Tennis, 11828 Rancho Bernardo Road, Suite 123-305, San Diego, Calif. 92128; tel. (800) 258-3664.

Opera in Egypt

Celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Cairo Opera House by attending a performance of “Aida” performed as its creator Guiseppe Verdi dreamed--in the city of Luxor, Egypt, with a cast of thousands. Two trips, Nov. 19 and Nov. 26, with slightly differing itineraries, are planned. The Nov. 19 itinerary consists of 11 days and visits Cheops’ Pyramid; the Sphinx; the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, where Tutankamen’s treasures are housed; a four-day cruise on the Nile to see the Aswan Dam and the Temple of Horus (237 BC); the Valley of the Kings in Thebes, and the opera at the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut in Luxor. The Nov. 26 trip is eight days and covers the same sites without the Nile cruise. Cost: 11-day trip, from $2,275 per person; eight-day trip, from $1,800 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Boston or New York, hotels, some meals, entrance fees, services of an Egyptologist and opera tickets. Not included: air fare to the East Coast. Contact: R & H Voyages, 1100 E. Broadway, Suite 304, Glendale, Calif. 91205; tel. (800) 457-2476.

Nepal Festival

Adventure-seekers can experience the autumn Mani Rimdu Festival at Tengboche Monastery in the Everest region of Nepal on a trip that leaves Nov. 9 for 18 days. The festival is a social and religious reunion that coincides with the full moon. Participants will start in Kathmandu for a few days of sightseeing before beginning the easy-to-moderate hiking trek with Sherpas, yaks and a cook to the Buddhist monastery atop a ridge that is ringed by the Kangtega mountains on the east and the sacred Khumbi-La on the west. The costumed monks perform religious dances and dramas. Cost: $1,750 per person, double occupancy, including four nights hotel in Kathmandu, most meals, sightseeing tour of Kathmandu, flights within Nepal, Sherpa guide and camping equipment (except sleeping bags). Not included: air fare to Nepal. Contact: Himalaya Trekking and Wilderness Expeditions, 1900 8th St. Berkeley, Calif. 94710; tel. (800) 777-8735.

Photographing China

A two-week photography workshop in southern China leaves Dec. 17 to photograph the misty peaks of Huangzhuang (Yellow Mountain), the Li River from Guilin to Yang-shuo and the tropical island of Hainan in the South China Sea. The tour is led by China specialist and travel photographer Dennis Cox and will be guided in the Guilin/Yangshuo area by Chinese landscape photographer Chen Yajiang who will arrange for a private boat for shooting along the Li River. Cost: $3,195 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from San Francisco to Shanghai and returning via Hong Kong to Los Angeles, domestic air and ground transportation, hotels and all meals including a banquet on Christmas Day. Contact: China Photo Workshop Tours, 22111 Cleveland, Suite 211, Dearborn, Mich. 48124-3461; tel. (800) 315-4462.

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