Taking the Long, Slow Route in Costa Rica

Spend two weeks crossing Costa Rica from the Caribbean to the Pacific by mountain bike, raft and foot.

Participants traverse rugged mountain ranges, deep valleys and rushing rivers along a network of trails, back roads and river routes, escorted by adventure guides experienced in outdoor wilderness and safety procedures. Instruction will be given throughout the tour, so outdoor expertise is not a prerequisite, although participants should be moderately fit.

A support vehicle will shadow the group across Costa Rica, carrying all equipment, tools and food required. Participants will carry only their day packs.

Accommodations will be in small family-run guest houses and in two-person tents at selected campsites. Trip equipment supplied in Costa Rica includes: 21-speed mountain bikes, self-bailing six-person rafts and camping gear.

There are four departures: Nov. 25 to Dec. 9, 1996; Feb. 17 to March 3, 1997; March 17 to March 31, 1997; and Nov. 17 to Dec. 1, 1997. Space is limited to 12 participants per trip.

Cost: $1,795 from San Jose, Costa Rica, and includes all equipment, accommodation, guides, support vehicle internal flight and most meals. International air fare is not included.

Contact: Trish Sare of International Adventure Travel; telephone (416) 927-7899.

Branson Showdown

Get into the holiday mood at the Branson Christmas Showcase, Nov. 21 to 26, on a tour to Branson, Mo. Participants will attend eight shows and take a sightseeing tour of the town. Lodging will be hosted by local people.

Cost: $1,000 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare, airport transfers and baggage handling, 11 meals, show tickets and ground transportation while in Branson. Contact: Waneta Bereda, Seaviewpoint Travel, 28441 Highridge Road, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274; tel. (310) 541-7744 or (800) 728-3331.

Images of India

Visit India and Nepal on a tour that departs Nov. 5 and returns Nov. 25. Participants will visit Katmandu and Dhulikel for views of the Himalayan range. Then, after a tour of Dehli, guests visit the cities of Jaipur and Jodhpur, take a full-day Jeep safari to see wildlife, take an elephant ride, spend two nights at the Sariska Palace in Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary and take a train trip to the city of Gwalior. A highlight is a visit to the Taj Mahal.

Cost: $3,950 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from San Francisco or Los Angeles, hotel accommodations, most meals and all tips to guides. Hotels used are five-star or best available. All sightseeing and rickshaw or horse-cart rides is included with private guides. Contact: Unique Journeys, 71 Keystone Ave., Reno, NV; tel. (702) 323-0110.

Taste of Bordeaux

Avalon Tours and the Wine Club are sponsoring two seven-night tours of the Bordeaux wine region in France Sept. 21 to 29 and Oct. 19 to 27. Tour director Peter Smith has arranged private meals and wine-tastings at well-known wineries, such as Margaux, Mouton Rothschild, Latour and Haut-Brion, Montrose and Domaine de Chevalier. The visits are scheduled during the harvest, when many of these chateaux close their doors to the general public.

Guests will see grapes being picked, crushed and fermented, and will be the first to taste the 1996 vintage. Each chateau will also present older vintages to taste with commentary from representatives from the Wine Club and the winemakers themselves. A special Cognac tasting is also on the itinerary.

Participants will tour the historic city of Bordeaux, the 10th century walled village of St. Emilion, stately homes, churches and other historic monuments.

Cost: $2,995 per person, double occupancy, including ground transportation, hotels, wine-tastings and most meals. Contact: Avalon Tours; tel. (714) 673-7376.

Taste of Asia

V&T; Tours is offering a tour to Asia to see Hong Kong and Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The tour departs Nov. 8 and returns Nov. 23.

Tours include a half-day tour of Hong Kong to Aberdeen, Stanley Market Place, Repulse Bay and Victoria Peak. In Bangkok, guests tour the Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha with a morning tour on the second day to the Floating Market and Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn). For shoppers, Thai silk is found everywhere in Bangkok and can be purchased by the yard, in ready-made or tailored clothing. Thai crafts, including metal work, jewelry and embroidery are available in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

In Chiang Mai, participants tour the Doi Suthep and Meo hill tribe villages.

Cost: $2,895 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, hotels, ground transportation, daily breakfasts and some meals, and guided tours. Contact: V&T; Tours, P.O. Box 205, Carson City, NV; tel. (800) 486-8798.

Paris in Stores

France Vacations is offering travelers an opportunity to shop in Paris where the locals shop on a five-night tour that will explore affordable shops for clothing and home furnishings in the City of Lights. Departure dates are Sept. 28, Nov. 9 and 16, and Dec. 7.

The tour will also visit lesser known department stores where Parisians regularly shop. One is a building devoted to food items, another offers French hardware for kitchens and baths, along with clothing and discounted perfume. Another highlight will be a field trip to a hypermarket, which is the French equivalent to American warehouse stores. The tour will also include visits to cultural sites. There will be free time for participants to visit landmarks independently.

Cost: $1,395 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles; five nights’ lodging; daily breakfasts and two dinners; all ground transportation, including airport transfers; and all sightseeing and admissions.

Contact: France Vacations, 9841 Airport Blvd., Suite 1120, Los Angeles, CA; tel. (800) 332-5332.

Bavarian Christmas

Treat yourself to an old-fashioned Christmas in Bavaria on Dec. 18 to 28. The tour begins at Germany’s largest and most famous Christkindlesmarkt (Christmas market) in Nurnberg. Guests can shop for handcrafted ornaments and sample gingerbread, roasted almonds, chestnuts, sizzling sausages and hot, spiced wine. Participants will take a motor-coach tour on the “Romantic Road,” which goes through medieval towns between the River Main and the Alps. Rothenburg and Augsburg are seen before settling for the holidays in Oberammergau at an Alpine-style hotel.

In this town that borders Austria, guests visit Neuschwanstein, King Ludwig’s fairy-tale castle and Linderhof, his summer residence. The group will also visit the mountain resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. On Christmas Eve, the group will gather for a sing-along, and snack on spiced wine and Christmas cookies, followed by a five-course Christmas candlelight dinner. Christmas is spent exploring the Passion Play village in Oberammergau, the baroque Wies Church and an evening torch-light hike. The last couple of days are spent touring Munich, Berchtesgaden and Salzburg, Austria, to see Mozart’s birthplace.

Cost: $2,149 per person, double occupancy, including airport transfers, hotel accommodations, most meals and entrance fees. Air fare is not included. Contact: Nonstop Travel; tel. (310) 324-5500.

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