Villages, Vineyards and Portugal’s History

An 11-day tour to Portugal that highlights its music, history and folklore departs Oct. 1. The small group tour will be led by Donald Cohen, an expert on Portugal. The group will visit Lisbon, Obidos, Alcobaca, Tomar, Bussaco, Porto, Viana do Castelo, Guimara~es, Sintra and Cascais as well as some other towns, villages and vineyards. The tour includes a river cruise to the wine country along the Douro River, dinners at the elegant Palacio do Bussaco and several other fine restaurants, and an optional visit to the casino at Estoril.

Cost: $2,995 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from LAX, hotel and castle stays, most meals, an evening of the Portuguese fado music and sightseeing.

Contact: Martin’s Travel, 3415 Sepulveda Blvd., No. 645, Los Angeles, CA 90034; telephone (800) 999-5414.

Buoys and Dolls

Doll and teddy bear enthusiasts can combine Disney World’s annual Doll and Teddy Bear Convention with a cruise to the Bahamas. From Oct. 1 to 8, participants will spend three nights in Orlando, visiting Epcot Center for the convention, before sailing from Port Canaveral on Carnival’s Fantasy for four days and nights to the Bahamas. There will be stops at Freeport and Nassau.

Cost: $1,040 per person, double occupancy, including hotel, rental car, a pass to Epcot, a pass to Kennedy Space Center and the cruise (port taxes included), with all meals and entertainment. The cost for third and fourth guests in the room and cruise is $690. Air fare is additional.

Contact: Worldview Travel; tel. (800) 484-6973, Ext. 4922.

Dancing in Spain

A tour to Seville, Spain, with optional intensive Spanish language and flamenco workshops, is available from Sept. 10 to 27 and Sept. 17 to 27. Participants will attend a flamenco festival and will visit many of the principal sites in Andalusia. Workshops are taught by leading maestros of the flamenco dance form. A special Spanish language class will be offered to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Federico Garcia Lorca. Guests also visit Madrid, Cordoba and Coronado.

Cost: The 17-day tour is $1,599, per person, double occupancy. The 10-day tour is $1,099, including hotels, some meals, ground transportation and entrance fees. Air fare is not included.

Contact: Julia Frink of Bella Tours, 1444 Pacific Ave., No. 9, San Francisco, CA 94109; tel. (415) 346-5624.

Kayaking Canada

Learn to paddle a sea kayak and get close to an Orca whale in the waters off Vancouver Island’s remote northeastern coast. A series of six-day sea kayaking and camping trips called “Orcas and Kayaks” runs through Sept. 7 and is being offered by Sea Kayak Adventures. Guides will point out wildlife and take participants on a wilderness kayaking adventure on Canada’s Johnstone Strait, where guests can follow Orca pods in their hunt for salmon. The area is also home to bald eagles, black-tailed deer, black bear, sea lions, seals and dolphins.

Guests will camp on secluded island beaches, where they can watch whales from their dome tents. Additional activities will include a visit to the ancient native village of Memquimlis to view fallen totem poles and remains of a traditional long house, as well as opportunities for fishing from a kayak. Kayaking expeditions depart from and return to Port Hardy. No previous kayaking or camping experience is necessary. Stable two-person kayaks, paddling gear and camping supplies are provided. Guides will prepare all meals, including fresh baked salmon.

Cost: $795 per person includes meals, guides, equipment and transportation from Port Hardy to launch site. Air fare is not included.

Contact: Sea Kayak Adventures, 1315 Indiana Ave., Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814; tel. (800) 616-1943.

Cycling Canada

A weeklong cycling tour of the Niagara, Ontario, area will take guests from an old fishing village on Lake Ontario to the sandy beaches of Lake Erie. Tours run regularly through October. The tour route passes through orchards and vineyards along the Niagara Escarpment, and provides participants with an opportunity to view historic sites from the War of 1812 as well as Niagara Falls.

Accommodations for two nights are at a country inn within a short walk to small shops. Included in the tour is a cruise up the Niagara River between Canada and the U.S. on an authentic old steamer. From Niagara-on-the-Lake, the tour winds through vineyards to a bicycle path along the Welland Canal. After the quaint town of Port Colborne, the tour moves to Ft. Erie and to a bicycle path that follows the Niagara River above Niagara Falls. The next two nights are spent at an inn in Niagara Falls, with a trip to the nearby Butterfly Conservatory and the Niagara Gorge.

Cost: $1,150 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, most meals, hybrid touring bicycle, guide, van support and some excursions. The daily ride is moderately easy, with options for extra riding. Transfer points are Toronto and Buffalo, N.Y. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Virgil Palermo, Carlson Wagonlit Avenue Travel; tel. (800) 667-2069.

Kenya’s Wildlife

The game reserves and national parks of Kenya are explored on a tour hosted by the Wildlife Waystation. The safari runs Sept. 8 to 20 and covers Nairobi, Sweetwaters, the Serengeti Plains and the Rift Valley.

Waystation expedition members will visit the rhino sanctuary on Pejeta Ranch and the Jane Goodall chimpanzee rehabilitation project. Also on the agenda is a trip to the Samburu Game Reserve to see special breeds of giraffe, zebra, oryx, ostrich and buffalo. A visit to the Masai Mara Game Reserve on the Serengeti Plain is highlighted by the large herds of wildebeest and zebra during their annual migration, when millions of animals make the trek across the Serengeti to seek fertile grasslands. Also available to safari members is a six-day extension tour to observe wildlife in Tanzania and Lake Manyara National Park, home of the tree-climbing lion.

Cost: $4,195 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare, ground transportation, hotels, meals and entrance fees. Part of the fees go to support the Wildlife Waystation, a nonprofit sanctuary for wild animals.

Contact: Lenna Welling at Wildlife Waystation; tel. (818) 341-0745, or Judy Thumm at Park East Tours; tel. (800) 223-6078, Ext. 321.

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