Path of Colonial Towns in Historic Mexico

Using the charming Mexican hillside towns of San Miguel de Allende as a base for six nights and Morelia for two more nights, participants can visit colonial Mexico on a tour from Oct. 16 to 24. They will visit the colonial towns of Guanajuato, Dolores Hidalgo, Queretaro and Patzcuaro. Each town has Spanish-Moorish architecture in its cathedrals, plazas and palaces.

Each night the group will dine in a different colonial courtyard restaurant. Guests will be invited to receptions in private colonial homes and will have a chance to relax in mineral hot springs.

Cost: $1,395 per person, double occupancy, includes round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, airport transfers, eight nights’ hotel accommodations, daily breakfast and dinner, all sightseeing and entrance fees.

Contact: Frank Tysen Private Adventures, 15012 Del Gado Drive, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403; telephone (818) 501-4100.

Ecuador’s Peaks

Hike the misty highlands of the rugged Andes, mountain bike into the jungle and paddle rafts on rivers on a trip to Ecuador Nov. 27 to Dec. 12. Space is limited to 12 participants.

The group is escorted by wilderness experts, and the tour is designed for anyone in reasonably good shape, accommodating travelers without prior rafting and biking knowledge. Instruction is provided throughout the journey.

Accommodations vary from small family-run guest houses, tents in the wilderness and a night in a Quechua Indian hut.

Quality equipment is provided, including 21-speed suspension mountain bikes, self-bailing rafts and camping gear. A rugged four-wheel-drive support vehicle will shadow the group, carrying all the supplies.

Cost: $1,950 per person, double occupancy, including lodgings, meals and equipment. Air fare is extra.

Contact: International Adventure Travel; tel. (888) 805-0061.

Biology Cruise

Biologist Rob Rachowiecki will escort a rain-forest adventure cruise into the Peruvian Amazon from Oct. 24 to 31. On their eight-day natural history itinerary, participants will travel on the upper Amazon River from Iquitos, Peru, to Tabatinga, Brazil.

Participants will travel by riverboat in basic comfort (with air-conditioning and private baths) to remote regions. Smaller shore boats are used for the varied daily excursions.

Cost: $2,045 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from Miami, accommodations, most meals and ground transportation.

Contact: Charlie Strader at Explorations Inc.; tel. (800) 446-9660.

France in the Fall

Choose between seeing France while you pedal or while sitting in a lounge chair on a barge on two trips to rural France this fall. The first tour runs Sept. 12 to 21 and combines barging with a vineyard tour through Bordeaux. Guests float on the Lot River for several days and then stay in Bordeaux and St. Emilion, visiting prehistoric caves, historic villages and wineries.

Cost: $2,775 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations on board the barge and deluxe hotels, all meals, admission fees, local historian guides and airport transfers. Air fare is not included.

The second trip requires a little more huffing and puffing. The tour runs Sept. 19 to 26 in the Loire Valley. Guests bike through gentle rolling farmlands and through small villages. Accommodations include a private country estate where wine tasting and a country cooking class is planned.

Cost: $1,795 per person, double occupancy, including lodging, most meals, rental bike, guest historian and transportation from Paris.

Contact: The Gurnham Group; tel. (800) 475-0004.

Biblical Archeology

The Biblical Archaeology Society is offering a study tour to Malta and Tunisia Oct. 1 to 15. Participants will visit sites from Stone Age caves to Byzantine cathedrals and walled medieval cities.

The itinerary continues into Tunisia to see Roman ruins, ancient cliff-side villages, Islamic mosques and the Sahara Desert. The tour guide is a university professor from the American Academy in Rome.

Cost: $4,895 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from New York, hotels, sightseeing, most meals and ground transportation.

Contact: Biblical Archaeology Society, Travel/Study Department, 4710 41st St. N.W., Washington, DC 20016; tel. (800) 221-4644.

Hiking England

A walk on the tame side--along North Devon’s Coast Path in England--is offered by West Country Walks. The 10-day trek is self-guided with minivan assistance: Guests are driven to the day’s starting point, given a map and lunch and retrieved nine to 12 miles later. The Minehead-Hartland Point route uses a well-maintained path. There are some hills, so participants should be fit. Departures are Aug. 15, Sept. 16 and 30, and Oct. 10.

Cost: from $1,638 per person, double occupancy, including 10 nights’ lodgings, luggage handling, ground transportation, all breakfasts and dinners. Air fare is not included.

Contact: West Country Walks; international tel. 011-44-1271-890677.

Peru’s Highlights

A tour in Peru, guided by a Peruvian-American, is being offered starting Oct. 14 and will run through Oct. 23. The itinerary includes colonial sites in Lima, the Gold and Archeological museums in Lima, Cuzco and its archeological sites (including the shrine of Kenko, Puca Pucara and the Royal Baths of Tambonmachay), Ollantaytambo, the markets of Pisac and Cinchero, and the ruins of Machu Picchu.

Cost: $2,495 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, ground transportation and flights within Peru, meals and lodging.

Contact: Andes Adventures, 1323 12th St., Suite F., Santa Monica, CA 90401; tel. (310) 838-2283.

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