Native American History in Wyoming

A joint venture among the Arapaho and Shoshone tribes of the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming and the Piece of Cake B&B; is a weeklong study program beginning Oct. 3 that focuses on the history and culture of Native Americans.

The week will consist of field trips, lectures, hands-on classes in cooking, beading, drum making, dance and other crafts. Participants will learn some history and present-day Native American culture and lifestyle. Tours of historic sites, mission schools and traditional entertainment are part of the program hosted by Native Americans. The property is adjacent to more than 10,000 acres of federal land that offers petroglyphs and many walking and mountain-bike paths. Horseback riding and scenic tours are available.

Cost: $995 per person, double occupancy, including B&B; accommodations, meals, land transportation and classes. The program is limited to 12 participants. Guests may fly into Riverton and get a ride to the B&B; in Landers.

Contact: Native American Cultural Tours, P.O. 926, Landers, WY 82520; telephone (800) 251-6080.

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Ancient Egypt

Nine-day trips hosted by Nabila Tours are offered year-round and take participants to Alexandria at the mouth of the Nile, which is rich in ruins from the Greek and Roman occupations of Egypt. Also visited are the World War II battlefields of El Alamein. Guests see the sights of Cairo, the pyramids and take a flight to Luxor to visit the temples and tombs.

Cost: $840 per person, double occupancy, including lodging, most meals and tour transportation. An add-on air fare from New York of $800 is available Oct. 21-March 15 and includes two nights’ free lodging in Athens. Contact: Nabila Tours, 605 Market St., Suite 1310, San Francisco, CA 94105; tel. (800) 443-NILE.

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More Egypt

Special Expeditions offers a 16-day adventure sailing tour on the Nile aboard the 30-passenger yacht, the Hapi, with visits to Cairo and Abu Simbel and to remoter places such as Dendera and El Kab. The yacht sails between October and April. Egyptologists accompany the tour, and several meetings are set with researchers working to excavate and preserve the country’s past. Cost: from $4,750 per person, double occupancy, including hotels in the land portion, cabin, meals and tours. Not included: air fare to Egypt. Contact: Special Expeditions, tel. (800) 762-0003.

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Atlantic Cargo

Freighter carriers are offering accommodations for six or seven passengers from Montreal, Canada, to Antwerp, Belgium, on a 30- to 35-day round-trip cruise. The ship sails spring, summer and autumn down the historic St. Lawrence River, calling at other Canadian ports, such as Quebec or Port Cartier before crossing the Atlantic to Antwerp. The itinerary often includes Rotterdam or Dunkirk, where the ships discharge and pick up cargo for the return voyage. Crossing time is 10 to 12 days one way with five to seven days in the destination ports.

Cost: $2,875 per person, double occupancy, including cabin and all meals aboard ship. One-way trips may be arranged: Montreal to Antwerp costs $1,525 and Antwerp to Montreal, $1,350. A freight rate for the transport of cars is available. Contact: Marius USA Ltd., 215 Main St., Westport, CT 06880-3210; tel. (800) 99-MARIS.

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Lapping Up Winter

Sleigh rides with huskies or reindeer, snowmobile safaris and tobogganing over the snowy expanses of Finnish Lapland are highlights of Christmas and New Year tours to the Arctic Circle. Tours are from five to nine days. An overnight rail trip from Helsinki, Finland’s capital, to Lapland is the start of the “Christmas Train to Lapland.” The nine-day package also provides a visit to a reindeer park to watch Lapp herders in action, a Lapp dinner in a tepee and traditional Christmas activities such as tree trimming and carol singing. The package costs $2,275 per person double, with children’s rates from $1,150 to $1,795.

A seven-day program based in Rovaniemi, the Lapland capital, right on the Arctic Circle, includes a snowmobile safari to find the most beautiful Christmas tree. Children ride in a reindeer-drawn sleigh and lunch is roasted sausages over an open fire. A Christmas morning church service, a snow carnival, pony rides and tobogganing are also on the program. Cost: $2,095 for adults; $615-$1,450 for children, including round-trip flights from New York, hotels, most meals and tours.

An icebreaker cruise is part of a seven-day New Year’s program based mainly at Tornio on the Swedish border at the northern tip of the Gulf of Bothnia. New Year’s Eve is celebrated in a rustic lodge, where a Lapp shaman foretells the future and troubadours entertain. The package costs $1,595 for adults, $995 for children.

Following a New Year’s Eve dinner on the five-day Rovaniemi program, everyone puts on warm clothing to ring in the New Year beside a frozen river. Lapp tepees and campfires are set up, a shaman makes predictions and a drum concert and fireworks announce the arrival of 1996. Rates are $1,365 for adults, $795 for children. Contact: FinnWay Inc., 228 East 45th St., New York, NY 10017; tel. (800) 526-4927; fax (212) 818-0585.

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Show Goes On

The Theater/Dance Department at El Camino College is sponsoring a 10-day trip to London and Paris Dec. 27 to see performances and tour the cities. Participants will stay at hotels in the center of each city. In London, guests will attend two West End theater performances, one a musical and the other a dramatic play or comedy.

Cost: $1,670 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare to Europe, hotels, some meals, rail aboard the Eurostar Express through the Chunnel from London to Paris and, sightseeing tours in London and Paris. Contact: Joseph Bonanno, Theater/Dance Department, El Camino College; tel. (310) 660-3707.

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Baja Break

A weeklong trip to Baja Oct. 1 gives small groups a chance to explore, kayak, snorkel or just relax on the beach at a nature camp along the Sea of Cortez in Baja California, Mexico. Vans will transport passengers from San Diego to Bahia de los Angeles, located about 400 miles south of San Diego on the Sea of Cortez. The first night will be spent at the Hotel La Pinta in Catavin~a, amid giant granite boulders and a towering cactus forest.

Early afternoon arrival in Bahia de Los Angeles on Day Two will provide time to visit the natural history museum, which will preview the area’s birds and animals. Another stop is planned at the Turtle Research Station, where turtles that have been accidentally captured in nets are studied and then released back into the sea. That night will be spent at a hotel in Bahia de los Angeles.

Early the next morning, Mexican fishing boats will motor the group out to La Unica, a camp nestled in an isolated cove. For three days, La Unica, will serve as home between excursions out on the water to visit sea lion rookeries, watch dolphins play in the wake on the boat’s wake and identify whales, several of which stay in the area year-round. Participants may kayak or snorkel and observe the brightly colored fish and sea stars that inhabit the area. Nearby islands provide residence to various birds, including pelicans, ospreys, frigates, blue-footed boobies and many others. Hiking is planned in the hills behind La Unica to study some of the area’s plants and observe its geologic formations.

Lodging at La Unica consists of quaint, palm-thatched casitas equipped with cots and personal bath and shower facilities. Meals are served outdoors. Nighttime provides an opportunity to stargaze away from city lights. On the morning of the sixth day, participants are driven back to San Quintin to spend the night at the Hotel La Pinta on the beach.

Cost: $970 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip land transportation between San Diego and Bahia de los Angeles, all accommodations, most meals, excursions and guides. Contact: Baja Discovery, P.O. Box 152527, San Diego, CA 92195; tel. (800) 829-2252.

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