Pueblos, Petroglyphs in New Mexico

Explore Pueblo sites and petroglyphs, and attend the Green Corn Dance Festival on a seven-day cultural excursion that begins in Albuquerque, N.M., at Petroglyph National Monument on April 30. Participants view fields of petroglyphs with a Pueblo tribe representative and the Friends of the Albuquerque Petroglyphs. This is an opportunity to learn about a site long considered sacred by Native Americans.

The tour then continues to Taos with a stop at the sacred healing site of the Santurario de Chimayo. Members spend the next day on an easy one-mile hike, then go river rafting to several petroglyph sites. In the evening, they join a member of Taos Pueblo in preparation for the sacred Feast of Santa Cruz and the Green Corn Dance. The final morning is spent at the festival with the afternoon free.

Cost: $895 per person, double occupancy, including lodgings, most meals, ground transportation, guide fees, rafting excursion, entrance fees, luggage handling and a donation to the Friends of the Albuquerque Petroglyphs. Not included: transportation to Albuquerque. Contact: Sacred Sites International Foundation, 1442A Walnut St., No. 330, Berkeley, CA 94709; telephone (510) 540-0671, Ext. 330.

French on the Slopes

Follow a morning French lesson by practicing on the slopes what you’ve learned in the classroom with the Foreign Language Study Abroad Service’s French & Skiing in Quebec program. Courses, given at a language institute in the heart of Old Quebec, are available throughout the year and run one, two, three weeks or longer. Students/sports enthusiasts stay in the homes of native French-Canadian speakers (or can opt for a B&B; at additional cost), and can reach nearby slopes by public transport. Cost: $820 per person for a six-night stay that starts on a Sunday and includes accommodations, breakfast and dinner daily, and four hours of lessons a day Monday-Friday. Two weeks cost $1,270. Not included: air fare to Canada, skiing costs and a $50 application fee. Contact: Foreign Language Study Abroad Service; tel. (800) 282-1090.

Irish Pubs

Seven-day tours to visit the pubs of Ireland are designed for those who want group travel but a flexible itinerary. Daily walking excursions and nightly pub visits are planned, but each day guests can choose between tours to museums and historic places or individualized activities, such as golf or horseback riding.

Tours include stays in Dublin, Galway, Bunratty and the Aran Islands. Guests will travel the countryside by train and ferry. Tours are scheduled for May 4-12, May 11-19, May 18-26 and May 25-June 2.

Cost: $995 per person, double occupancy, including lodging, ground transportation, daily breakfast, one dinner and afternoon tea. Contact: Heritage Tours, P.O. Box 3364, Boulder, CO 80307-3364; tel. (800) 700-7494.

Pedaling Greece

Peddlers, a company specializing in personalized cycling vacations, is offering a seven-day tour on the Greek island of Cephalonia. Each group is limited to 16. Tours are scheduled every Saturday in May, June, September and October.

Each day’s route passes through quaint villages on well-paved, quiet roads with panoramic views of the sea and lush valleys. Other stops include the ancient Venetian castle of St. George, vestiges of the ancient city of Pali and the cave at Mellissani with an underground lake. In addition, there is time for meeting the Cephalonians, swimming, shopping and visiting the market in Argostolian, the island’s capital. Nights are spent in the fishing village of Asos.

Morning and afternoon itineraries average 14 miles each and range from easy to moderate. More challenging routes can be arranged. Groups are escorted by two experienced guides and a van.

Cost: $2,225 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip flights between the island and Athens; accommodations in an oceanfront room with balcony and private bath, daily breakfast and dinner with wine, and use of a 21-speed bike. Not included: air fare to Greece. Contact: Premier Selections, 106 Calvert St., Harrison, NY 10528; tel. (800) 234-4000.

Rafting Grand Canyon

Spend six days beginning June 30 traveling back through geologic time on the Grand Canyon’s Colorado River as a professional geologist explains the scenery. Thirty-foot inflatable boats provide access to places that can be reached in no other way, including the fern cascade at Vasey’s Paradise, sandy-floored Redwall Cavern and the warm travertine pools of Havasupi Creek. Peaceful flat water alternates with rapids in the canyon. Professional river guides pilot the rafts through Crystal, Hermit, Hance and Lava Falls, and 20 other major rapids. All camping gear is provided and the guides prepare three meals a day on the river.

Cost: $1,683 per person, including round-trip scenic charter from Las Vegas to Page, Ariz., one night hotel in Page, all transfers and all meals on the river, and a helicopter ride out of the canyon. Not included: transportation to Las Vegas. Contact: Carolyn Edwards, Your Travel Center, 1005 Casitas Pass Road, Carpinteria, CA 93013; tel. (805) 684-6601.

Southern Springtime

An eight-day springtime New Orleans and Louisiana plantations tour covers the cultural history of the region and explores the beginnings of Dixie, jazz and gospel music. The tour, sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, starts March 15 and includes visits to historic homes, ancestral plantations and several gardens from New Orleans to Baton Rouge and New Iberia.

The group will travel the Great River Road, dine at the National Trust’s restored antebellum home, Shadows-on-the-Teche in New Iberia, and take part in a Cajun country party at Baton Rouge’s Rural Life Museum. Guided walking tours will showcase secluded courtyard gardens in New Orleans’ French Quarter and mansions of the Garden District.

Cost: $2,395 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, baggage handling, a jazz concert and Cajun country party, 19 meals including banquets in plantation homes, ground transportation (except for airport transfers), services of study leader and coordinating escort. Not included: air fare to New Orleans. Contact: Learned Journeys, P.O. Box 30626, Santa Barbara, CA 93130; tel. (800) 682-6191.

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