Temples, Tombs and Treasures of Egypt

An escorted 16-day tour of Egypt and Jordan departs Sept. 26. Travelers get a chance to see Jordan’s rose-red city of Petra, where 800 well-preserved tombs and monuments of the Nabatean Arab kingdom served as beacons of an ancient trade center, the fabled Spice Route.

Other highlights include a four-night Nile cruise, tombs in the Valley of Kings and Queens, the sound and light show at the Temple of Karnak, a tea with nomadic Bedouins, a camel ride near Giza’s Pyramids, the Sphinx, the Temple of Luxor, a visit to the 8,000-year-old excavated village of Beidha, Cairo’s bazaars, mosques and synagogues, and King Tutankhamen’s treasures. An Egyptologist will accompany the tour.

Cost: $3,540 per person, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, all flights within Egypt and Jordan, hotels and most meals. Optional tour to the newly opened tomb of King Ramses is available. Contact: New Act Travel, 1900 Ave. of the Stars, Suite 1400, Los Angeles, CA 90067; telephone (800) 564-1389.

Historic Italy

The nonprofit Foundation for Italian Culture is offering a voyage of discovery to a historically rich area of Italy, including Pompeii, Naples and Positano. This tour, which departs May 18 and returns June 7, includes a 14-night stay at the bayfront Europa Palace Grand Hotel in Sorrento, a three-night stay in the oceanfront Hotel Covo dei Saraceni in the village of Positano, and a three-night stay in the Hotel Villa Ferrata, set in spacious gardens in the suburb of Frascati.

The itinerary includes the ancient Greek temples at Paestum; the Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and visits to major sites in Naples, including the Royal Palace and San Carlo Opera; the National Archeological Museum, containing a large collection of ancient Greek and Roman statuary, as well as relics from Pompeii; the museums of Capodimonte and San Martin, and several historic and richly decorated churches. While in Positano, the itinerary includes a mini-cruise to the ancient maritime republic of Amalfi and a visit to Ravello, plus time to explore the romantic village of Positano itself. The last few days before departure will offer the opportunity to explore the Castelli Romani countryside, while staying in Frascati.

Cost: $3,485 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare, hotel accommodations, daily breakfast buffets, some dinners and lunches, motor-coach transportation, all entrance and professional guide fees, and hydrofoil transport, plus two private mini-cruises. Contact: Foundation for Italian Culture, P.O. Box 807, La Jolla, CA 92038; tel. (619) 587-9138.

Circling Turkey

A 16-day circle tour of central and western Turkey departs Los Angeles via New York Sept. 24. The journey begins in Ankara with a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, giving historical background about Turkey’s cultural heritage. Cappadocia’s underground cities and “fairy chimneys” are scheduled next; then Konya, home of the whirling dervishes. Continuing south, the tour stops at ancient Perga and Aspendos en route to the port of Anatolia, for a cruise to Phaselis. Pamukkale’s therapeutic hot springs are featured next on the itinerary, before proceeding to the great Greco-Roman ruins at Aprodisias, Ephesus and Pergamum, and the former Ottoman capital at Bursa. Four nights in Istanbul conclude the circuit, with a survey of major Byzantine and Ottoman monuments, a cruise on the Bosphorus, and farewell dinner at a local night club.

Oct. 9 is the end of the main trip, and marks the start of travel to Eastern Anatolia. Beginning with a flight to Malatya, the journey goes on to see the colossal toppled heads on Nemrut Dagi, Abraham’s home at Urfa, the walled city of Diyarbakir, Lake Van, Dogubayazit and Mt. Ararat, Kars and the 10th century ruins at Ani. Participants will then fly back to Istanbul for one night before departure.

Cost: $3,335 per person, double occupancy from Los Angeles ($3,095 from New York), including international and domestic air, hotels, most meals, cruises, travel and sightseeing by private coach, and services of a guide. The tour will be followed by an optional extension to eastern Turkey, which is also available independent of the main tour, for an additional $1,395 from Istanbul. Contact: Glorious Adventures, 10007 Gaynor Ave., North Hills, CA 91343; tel. (818) 893-9030.

Original Olympics

Rafer Johnson, 1960 Olympic decathlon champion; Payton Jordan, 1968 Olympic track and field coach; and Stephen Miller, UC-Berkeley archeologist and authority on ancient athletics, will lead a land and cruise journey to Greece from May 22 to June 4.

The tour, designed by Miller to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the modern Olympic Games (1896-1996), culminates on the ancient track at Nemea, where passengers can participate with amateur runners of all ages from around the world in the revival of the Nemean Games, one of the forerunners of today’s Olympic Games.

There will be a reenactment of races in ancient times, with the original track and starting device, judges dressed in black with sticks to punish runners who start prematurely, a herald to shout out participants’ names, a trumpeter, and the traditional laurel crown for the winners.

Among the discoveries made by Miller and his team, who have been excavating the 45-acre Nemean site since 1974, are the stadium and track, a temple to Zeus, a graffiti-covered tunnel through which the athletes entered the stadium, a bathhouse, and what may be the world’s oldest remaining athletic locker room.

The seven-day cruise portion of the trip is aboard the Orpheus, privately chartered for 150 passengers from Royal Olympic Cruises. Ports of call include Athens, Messenia, Olympia, Delphi and the Greek islands of Kos, Santorini, Delos and Mykonos.

In Athens, four nights are spent at the Grand Bretagne Hotel, the only hotel in the city in continuous operation since 1896. A series of lectures and films are included on the tour.

Cost: $2,995 to $5,550 per person, double occupancy, hotels and cruise ship cabins, most meals, gratuities, port taxes and baggage handling. An optional three-night, pre-tour extension to Istanbul is available for $580 per person, double occupancy.

Contact: PVA Travel Planning, 2600 El Camino Real, Suite 609, Palo Alto, CA 94306-1705; telephone (800) 795-5700.

Utah Canyonlands

Wilderness Inquiry is offering four Green River canoeing adventures starting June 22. Dates are: June 22-30, May 26-June 3, Aug. 30-Sept. 7 and Oct. 4-12. Each downriver trip takes participants through 100 miles of Utah’s canyons to its confluence with the Colorado River. Travelers paddle through Canyonlands National Park, where sandstone cliffs tower over the riverbed. This section of the river once the home and a major trade route of the Anasazi people. On this trip, there is plenty of time to explore the intimate passageways of side canyons, searching for artifacts, inscriptions and petroglyphs.

No previous canoeing experience is required. Wilderness Inquiry’s staff will teach members how to paddle and camp, as well as share the natural history of the area. The trips are available to people of all abilities, including senior citizens, people with disabilities and the hearing impaired.

Cost: $795 per person, double occupancy, including food, camping gear, canoes, tents and other equipment. Not included: transportation to Grand Junction, Colo. Members need to provide clothing and personal items. Contact: Wilderness Inquiry, 1313 5th St. SE, Box 84. Minneapolis, MN 55414; tel. (800) 728-0719.

Jewish Heritage Tour

Rabbi Debra Orenstein, writer and teacher, will lead a tour called “Jewish Life in Greece and Turkey” on a cruise-tour of Greece, Turkey and Israel Oct. 9-22 on Orient Lines’ Marco Polo. The program includes seven days’ cruising, a two-nights stay in Athens and a three-night stay in Istanbul. Optional Jewish heritage tours in conjunction with various ports of call will be available.

Cost: from $1,675 per person, including cabin, meals and tours. Not included: international air fare. Contact: Regency Travel, 10330 Friars Road, San Diego 92120; tel. (800) 362-6221.

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