Tip o’ the Reins on Irish Horse Trails

See Ireland from the back of a horse on a seven-night tour of the western coastline of this green country. The tour starts Aug. 9, and riders explore the Highlands of Kerry, Devil’s Elbow and Windy Gap Trail. Group size is limited to 20.

Cost: $2,695 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from Los Angeles, accommodations, all meals, horse rental, guides, taxes and transfers. Contact: Presidential Worldwide Travel, 25231 Paseo de Alicia, Suite 101, Laguna Hills, CA 92653; telephone (800) 350-8151.

Cool Off in Alaska

Alaska Snail Trails, a sightseeing company for those with disabilities or travelers who prefer more comfortably paced touring, is offering tours to Alaska this summer. Seward-Denali tours are scheduled for May 28-June 6, July 16-July 25, Aug. 15-Aug. 24 and Aug. 29-Sept. 7. The tour takes guests along the Kenai Peninsula and visits the historic Seward area, taking in the attractions and shops, and Kenai Fjords National Park. Participants also see Eklutna Village Historical Park just outside of Anchorage.

Cost: $2,530 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, ground transportation and some meals. Kids in the same room are half price. Three Denali-Fairbanks tours also are available in the summer. On this tour, guests see performances of Alaska native games, song and dance in collaboration with the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics, and also the Eklutna Village Historical Park.

Contact: Alaska Snail Trails, P.O. Box 210894, Anchorage, AK 99521; tel. (800) 348-4532.

Warm Up in Chile

South American Fiesta is offering a three-night sea kayaking adventure trip on the Petrohue River in Chile. Departures are Wednesdays and Sundays through March 30. Participants kayak downstream on the Petrohue, stopping at a hot springs. The sea kayaking trip continues into a fiord and close to the shoreline so the group can see the villages from the water. Kayakers will stop for a picnic and visit the fishing village of Cochamo, before kayaking the Cochamo River. Evenings are free to enjoy campfire barbecues.

Cost: $720 per person, double occupancy, including airport transfers, three nights accommodations with breakfast, English-speaking guide, all excursions and equipment. Not included: air fare to Chile. Contact: South American Fiesta, 910 W. Mercury Blvd., Hampton, VA 23666; tel. (800) 334-3782.

Save the Tiger

From March 29 to April 13, travel into the heart of tiger habitat in India and Nepal on elephant, by four-wheel-drive and on foot to search for the tiger and learn about the current threat to its survival. The group will be led by wildlife experts and is limited to 15 participants. Visits are made to Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh, India, and then travel to Nepal to Royal Bardia National Park on the Karnali River. Guests may also see leopards, sambars, peacocks and langur monkeys.

Cost: $2,950 per person, including lodging, sightseeing and most meals. Not included: air fare. Contact: Mountain Travel Sobek, 6420 Fairmount Ave., El Cerrito, CA 94530; tel. (800) 282-8747, ext. 3054 or 3036.

Cultural Russia

Moscow and St. Petersburg are visited on Five Star Touring’s Russian Art and Theater package. On the Moscow agenda are the Dutch Masters and French Impressionists at the Pushkin Museum, icons at the Tretyakov Gallery, the Kremlin’s Armoury Museum and the decorated stations of the Metro. In St. Petersburg, visitors get to see the Hermitage Museum’s Impressionist exhibit and masterpieces by national artists in the Russian Museum within Mikhailov Palace. Also scheduled are tours of Tolstoy’s and Dostoevsky’s homes, and palaces from czarist days; Petrodvorets, built by Peter the Great; Pavlovsk, a blend of baroque and neoclassic architecture; and Catherine, where German soldiers camped during the siege of Leningrad.

The Moscow and St. Petersburg circuses, a performance at the Mikhailovsky Theatre and a gala farewell dinner provide evening entertainment.

Scheduled on alternate Fridays through March 29.

Cost: from $1,580 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from New York, ground transportation, accommodations at Moscow’s Intourist and St. Petersburg Astoria hotels, breakfast and dinner daily, one lunch, all sightseeing and admissions, transfers and porterage. Contact: Five Star Touring, tel. (212) 818-9140.

English Racing

Travel-On is leading a tour to England to attend the 4 1/2-mile Grand National Steeplechase Race with 30 jumps, including the well-known “Becher’s Brook” jump. Departing March 27 from New York, the tour features three nights in Chester and three nights in London before returning April 3.

Included in the sightseeing program are visits to Chester and an excursion to Newmarket, the equestrian center of England. At Newmarket, the group will be given a tour of the British Bloodstock Agency, the Tattersalls Auction Sales Pavilion and the National Horse Racing Museum.

On race day, March 30, the group will arrive early at the racecourse to settle in at the Aintree Dining Room, located near the paddock area. After morning coffee, the group will engage in the British tradition of walking the course to see the jumps such as “Becher’s Brook,” “The Canal Turn” and “The Chair.” Guests will watch the race from the Glenlivet Stand on the start/finish line.

Cost: $2,299 per person, double occupancy, including air transportation from the East Coast, hotels and sightseeing, all breakfasts and some dinners, and theater tickets to a London West End production. Contact: Kenneth DeMatteo, Travel-On/Sports Travel, 8484 Georgia Ave., Plaza One, Silver Spring, MD 20910-5604; tel. (800) 807-3338.

London Fun

Gay and lesbian travelers can join a three-night tour to London March 6 sponsored by Virgin Atlantic Airways. With the “Out for Fun in London” package, guests get a half-day organized tour of London, and the rest of the time is free for independent sightseeing and shopping. Travelers also will receive a travel guide and free admission to some of London’s gay and lesbian nightclubs.

Cost: $879 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare on Virgin Atlantic Airways from Los Angeles, airport-to-hotel transfers, three nights’ first-class hotel accommodations, breakfast daily, a welcome cocktail party and a half-day guided tour of London. Additional hotel nights cost $89 per person. Contact: Virgin Vacations; tel. (800) 364-6466.

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