Fishing Raw Territory in Russia’s Far East

Ten-day float-fishing trips to the Russian Far East will depart on various dates in July to October. Kamchatka peninsula was closed to all foreigners and most Russians until recently. Guests begin the trip in Petropavlovsk Kamchatsky, Russia, and the next morning take a 90-minute ride in a helicopter to river sites.

Anglers fish on the Opala or Zhupanovo--remote clear rivers of southern Kamchatka--for rainbow trout, East Siberian char, Arctic char and several types of Pacific salmon. Members will use inflatable oar boats and have several opportunities for hiking and wildlife viewing. Tent camps will be set up along the river each afternoon, and meals will be prepared by the guides.

Cost: $3,500 per person, double occupancy, including transfers in Russia, accommodations, all meals, guides and fishing licenses. Air fare is not included. Contact: Alaska-Siberia Expeditions, P.O. Box 110615, Anchorage, AL 99511; telephone (907) 345-4308.

French, Anyone?

Learn French at the Sorbonne in Paris, explore the City of Light and the surrounding Ile de France on a one-month, travel-study tour departing June 30. Participants can take beginning to advanced French classes while staying with a French family or in university dormitories. Guests attend a ballet at the Opera Garnier and a concert at Ste. Chapelle. They will take excursions to Versailles, Fontainebleau and Troyes. The tour leader, Marie-Elisabeth Clark, is a native of France and a French professor.

Cost: $2,490 per person, including classes, accommodations and most meals. An optional two-night excursion to Brittany and Normandy is available for $180. Not included: air fare to France.

Contact: Palomar College, Foreign Languages Department, 1140 W. Mission Rd., San Marcos, CA 92069-1487; tel. (619) 744-1150, Ext. 2822. Reservations are made through Accent, 425 Market St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105; tel. (415) 904-7756.

Horses in Wyoming

Bar H Ranch of Driggs, Idaho, is offering five-day horseback riding trips in the Grand Tetons of Wyoming for women only Aug. 7 to 11 and Aug. 13 to 17. The Grand Tetons have trails through meadows and high mountain passes, and by glacial lakes and towering peaks. This trip is suitable for riders of all experience levels.

Cost: $980 per person, including airport shuttle, tent lodging, three meals per day, all equipment, guides and experienced trail horses. Contact: Bar H Ranch, P.O. Box 297, Driggs, ID 83422; tel. (800) 247-1444.

Irish Spring Flowers

See the mists roll over lakes and fields of emerald green on a tour through Ireland from May 10 to 17. Adventures With Alice Travel is taking a group of 15 to 20 through southern Ireland to see rhododendrons in full bloom. Participants will visit Dublin’s Trinity College and St. Patrick’s Cathedral with a free evening on the town. The tour will travel to County Tipperary and the historic Rock of Cashel. Guests will then visit the Waterford Crystal factory and have opportunities throughout the trip to shop for crystal, china, tweeds, linen and knitwear. Moving on to Cork, guests will learn how Irish whiskey is made before going to Blarney Castle. In Killarney the group will see the Ring of Kerry--a place of mountains and lakes.

The tour will continue on to Limerick through the picturesque village of Adare, and participants will spend the last evening in a 16th century Irish castle for dinner and traditional Irish entertainment.

Cost: $1,787 per person, double occupancy, including air fare round-trip from LAX, accommodations, private van transportation, all taxes and most meals. Contact: Adventures With Alice Travel, 1082 S. Seaward Ave., Ventura, CA 93001; tel. (800) 549-9071.

Summer in Italy

An escorted tour by language professor Giovanni Tempesta to Italy runs June 8 to 24. Two days are spent on Lago di Como, with a visit to Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo and lunch in Bellagio.

In Umbria, guests stay at Villa Pambuffetti, a villa-turned-hotel. Participants will take cooking lessons with Alessandra Ritucci, owner and chef of the Great Kitchen, a restaurant. Also on the itinerary: a ceramic factory in Perugia; a wine museum in Torgiano; and the Cinque Terre, five villages overlooking the Golfo della Spezia. Guests walk parts of the trail from Riomaggiore to Monterosso al Mare. There will be a farewell dinner in Rome.

Cost: $3,195 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, two meals per day and entrance fees. Air fare is not included. Contact: Little World Travel; tel. (800) 328-6778 or (415) 592-0664.

Ecuadorean Artists

Join the Collectors’ Council of the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art on a tour, Aug. 21 to 31, to Ecuador to explore its culture and environment. Participants will straddle the equator, see one of the world’s highest active volcanoes and visit the homes of artisans in many small villages. Also scheduled are curator-led museum tours, a steam-engine train trip through the mountains and an overnight stay in a 400-year-old hacienda. Quito, Cuenca, the market at Otavalo and Ingapirca (Ecuador’s largest Incan ruin) are also on the itinerary.

Cost: $2,860 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare, lodging, ground transportation, museum and park admission fees, guides, about half of the meals and membership in both the Bowers museum and the Collectors’ Council. Contact: Janet Seward, Collectors’ Council of the Bowers Museum, 413 Costa Mesa St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; tel. (714) 650-4778.

Singly Swiss

A singles trip to Switzerland runs July 17 to 24. Guests start with a welcome wine and cheese party in Lucerne with a local singles club. The next few days are spent touring the area, including Mt. Pilatus and Lugano on the Swiss-Italian border for shopping. A dinner with a traditional Swiss folklore show and an evening dance are planned.

Cost: $2,450 per person, including air fare to Zurich, six nights hotel accommodations in Lucerne, buffet breakfast daily, some lunches and dinners, all transfers and sightseeing excursions by private coach, service charges and taxes, and tips to guide and driver. Contact: Frances Reps, Presidential Worldwide Travel, 24001 Muirlands Blvd., No. 44, Lake Forest, CA 92630; tel. (800) 350-8151.

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