Natives and Natural History in B.C., Canada

Join ethnologist Peter Macnair from the Royal British Columbia Museum and Nakwaktok Chief Henry Seaweed, on a journey through the traditional territory of the Kwakwaka’wakw people in British Columbia, Canada. Participants will learn about cultural traditions, art, food gathering and current political issues while aboard the 68-foot sailing vessel Island Roamer.

The trip, which runs Sept. 17 to 23, will start in Port Hardy on Vancouver Island and explore the shores of Vancouver Island, the adjacent islands and mainland, where the Kwakwaka’wakw have lived for thousands of years. The nutrient-rich waters of this area attract whales, dolphins and porpoises, and guests can expect to see a variety of wildlife.

Cost: $1,975 per person, double occupancy, including cabin, meals and touring. Air fare is not included.

Contact: Bluewater Adventures; telephone (604) 980-3800.

Oktoberfest in Brazil

Listen to oom-pah-pah bands and sample the beer at what’s billed as the largest Oktoberfest outside of Munich, Germany, on a trip to South America Oct. 8 to 23. Participants will spend two nights in Santiago and four nights in the lake district of Chile and Argentina and visit the city of Puerto Varas (Chile). Then guests head to Buenos Aires for three nights before hitting the Oktoberfest for two nights in Blumenau, Brazil. The tour ends at Iguacu Falls, with an optional three-night extension to Rio de Janeiro.

Cost: $3,750 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, hotels, daily breakfast and five meals, ground transportation and tours.

Contact: Southern Connections Tours (ask for Dagmar), 6260 Laurel Canyon Blvd., No. 202, North Hollywood, CA 91606; tel. (800) 635-3303.

U2 in Ireland

Catch up with the rock band U2 in Ireland for a concert and a chance to see Dublin on a tour that departs Aug. 28 for three nights. Participants will stay in a Dublin hotel and attend the U2 concert at Lansdowne Field. Top-priced tickets will be reserved for guests. Other days are free for sightseeing.

Cost: $1,599 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from Los Angeles, airport transfer in Dublin, accommodations, three Irish breakfasts and tickets.

Contact: Escape Routes; tel. (800) 465-2460.

East Africa Safari

A two-week tour to Kenya departs Nov. 3 from Los Angeles. Participants will observe African wildlife at six sanctuaries around Kenya, including the dry grassland savannas of Samburu and Shaba, the montane forests of the Abedares, the plains of the northern Serengeti’s Masai Mara, Sweetwater’s tented camp, Lake Nakuru and the Mt. Kenya Safari Club. Lions, cheetahs, hippos, elephants, rhinos, zebra, giraffe, wildebeest and a great variety of birds can be seen on daily van safaris. A four-day extension to Malindi on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast is a post-tour option.

Cost: $3,995, including air fare from Los Angeles with an overnight in Rome, most meals, accommodations including two tent camps, wildlife viewing, entry fees and local guides. Extension cost is $995. The tour is escorted by Orange Coast College biology professor Norm Cole and Ron Glazier, a zoo manager at the Santa Ana Zoo.

Contact: Norm Cole; tel. (714) 497-1818.

American History

Some of the nation’s most important historical monuments form the focus of an eight-day tour departing Los Angeles Sept. 13. The tour begins in Washington, D.C., with a city tour, a visit to the Lincoln Memorial and a welcome dinner at a popular local restaurant. The following days are spent visiting many major sites: the U.S. Capitol Building, Arlington National Cemetery, the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institute. George Washington’s home at Mt. Vernon is visited before the tour heads south to Yorktown on Chesapeake Bay.

En route to Colonial Williamsburg, a stop is made at Jamestown, Va. Next, guests visit Charlottesville, Virginia’s state capitol at Richmond, Monticello (Thomas Jefferson’s home) and then head to the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park.

In Gettysburg, participants tour battlefields, the Gettysburg National Military Park and former President Eisenhower’s farm. En route to Philadelphia, the group will pause at Lancaster, the land of the Amish, followed by a visit to Valley Forge.

Cost: $935 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, air-conditioned motor coach, tour director, most meals, all hotel service charges and tips, and baggage handling. Air fare is not included. Other departures are available.

Contact: Joan or Suzanne at Joan Irvine Travel, 1600 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach, CA 92663; tel. (714) 548-3481.

Golf in Scotland

San Diego-based Uncle Gimpy’s Tours is offering a golf excursion for seven nights to some of Scotland’s best and oldest courses. The tour runs Oct. 4 to 12.

Participants will play the 1997 venue of the British Open at Royal Troon, then continue to the championship courses at North Berwick, Gullane and St. Andrews.

Cost: $2,999 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, accommodations with full daily breakfast, all greens fees and guaranteed tee times, transportation, sightseeing, a distillery tour and a farewell traditional Scottish dinner.

Contact: Uncle Gimpy’s Tours; tel. (619) 286-1055.

War and Peaceful

The Delta Queen riverboat will be cruising the scenic and historic Red River from New Orleans to Shreveport, La., and back June 13 to 21. The theme combines Civil War history and gardens along the river. Experts on the Civil War will be aboard to give background history geared to enhancing shore tours.

For gardeners, docents at the headquarters of the American Rose Society in Shreveport will give a tour of the society’s 40 acres containing more than 400 varieties of roses, which make up the largest garden in America dedicated to the flower.

Cost: from $1,692 per person, double occupancy, including all meals and on-board entertainment. Air fare is included if the cruise is booked early.

Contact: Don Eslinger at Historic Tours of America, 16142 Woodstock Lane, Huntington Beach, CA 92647; tel. (714) 846-9595.

India’s Natural History

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is sponsoring a Jan. 17 to Feb. 1 tour to India that weaves viewing of the subcontinent’s wildlife with visits to legendary sites such as the Taj Mahal and Jaipur’s Palace of the Winds.

Drives through the Ranthambhor National Park will provide opportunities to see the population of Bengal tigers, leopards and cheetahs. The group will go bird-watching at the Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary and Bharatpur, a UNESCO World Heritage Park featuring the largest concentration and variety of wild animals in Asia.

An optional extension involves riding elephants through the Chitwan National Park on the border of India and Nepal. Park authorities will discuss the efforts of the Indian government to protect endangered species.

Cost: $4,995 per person, double occupancy, including flights within India, accommodations, meals, entrance fees and local guides, as well as educational pre-departure materials and a briefing at the museum. Air fare to India is extra.

Contact: Karen Hovanitz, Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007; tel. (213) 763-3350.

Dream Cruise

Learn about your dreams on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera on Princess Cruises’ Regal Princess. The weeklong cruise leaves Sept. 27 from San Francisco to Acapulco. Stops also are made at Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and Zihuatanejo. Cruise includes transfers, all meals, entertainment nightly, four dream analysis group workshops and a private consultation by a therapist-interpretive dream specialist. Passengers then fly back to San Francisco.

Cost: from $839 per person, double occupancy plus $82 port charges and $299 round-trip air fare from Los Angeles or San Diego.

Contact: Focus on Travel; tel. (800) 544-3281.

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