Leave and Learn

Arctic birds, Japanese snow monkeys and a solar eclipse--this could be an interesting year for you, if you take the right tour.

For the sixth year, we’ve asked Ann Waigand, editor of the Educated Traveler newsletter, for a list of the 10 “thinking tours” that she finds most intriguing, of which many are sponsored by museums. Waigand’s top 10 for 1999 follow, in calendar order.

Note that prices are per person, based on double occupancy. Travelers should be sure they understand which meals and excursions are included (and excluded) in quoted prices. Solo travelers generally pair off or pay a “single supplement” that can add anywhere from 10% to 50% to the cost. And in most cases, tour operators reserve the right to change itineraries or personnel if necessary.

Every year, Waigand lists hundreds of thinking trips in two directories, one for museum-sponsored tours, the other for special-interest travel. The directories are included in the annual cost of a subscription to the newsletter: $48 for six issues. For more information: The Educated Traveler, P.O. Box 220822, Chantilly, VA 20153; tel. (800) 648-5168.

Midway Atoll: Northwest Hawaiian Archipelago

April 10 to 18. Sponsored by Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Price: $2,464 per person, including island-to-island air fares, accommodations and meals, excluding air fare to and from Honolulu. For information telephone (213) 763-3350.

This isolated Pacific atoll, a former U.S. Navy base just recently made accessible to tourists, offers rare opportunities for excellent bird-watching. Participants will provide hands-on assistance with studies of nesting albatross and seabirds. There is also the chance to see rare species, including Christmas shearwaters and tropical terns. Snorkeling, swimming and delving into the area’s World War II history are also part of the itinerary. The museum’s ornithology collections manager, Kimball Garrett, will lead the group.

Back-Roads Japan

May 31 to June 14, and Oct. 1 to 15. Sponsored by the American Assn. for the Advancement of Science. Price: to be announced Feb. 1. Information: tel. (800) 252-4910.O

This trip, led by anthropologist Kevin Short and marine biologist Jack Moyer, who has lived in Japan for decades, takes participants on walks through the heart of the Japanese Alps (snow monkey sightings possible); to Miyake-jima Island to visit the nature center; and into Tokyo and Kyoto for a look at ancient temples and Zen gardens. Accommodations in some areas will be in traditional Japanese inns. The October tour substitutes Yakushima Island for Miyake-jima and also includes a hydrofoil visit to Tanegashima, the island from which Japan launches its space flights.

Kamchatka, Russia: A Bird’s-Eye View

June 5 to 21. Sponsored by the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Price: $7,550, including meals, excluding air fare to and from Anchorage, Alaska. Information: tel. (617) 495-2463.

A rugged expedition led by one of the world’s most celebrated birders, naturalist Peter Alden, in tandem with Russian biologist Dr. Yevgeny Lobkov, this tour explores an infrequently visited region of the Russian Far East. In addition to studying the flora and fauna of the Kamchatka Oblast--everything from grizzly bears and Steller’s sea-eagles to northern humpback whales and active volcanoes--this program includes a stay at the Kronotskiy State Biosphere Reserve as well as frequent dips in geothermal heated pools.

Ireland: Dublin to Bantry Bay

June 12 to 19, or Aug. 29 to Sept. 5. Sponsored by Horizons: The New England Craft Program, based in Sunderland, Mass. Price: $1,435, including tuition, room and board and field trips, excluding air fare to and from Dublin and a lab fee for art supplies (generally under $100). Information: tel. (413) 665-0300.

Horizons has been sponsoring craft-related workshops and field trips for 20 years. This journey to a “non-touristy” Ireland combines in-depth excursions with studio time and a series of hands-on visual arts classes for all skill levels. Workshop choices include painting, photography, jewelry and silversmithing. Lodging is in a bed-and-breakfast in the seaside town of Kinsale.

Lapland: Birding in Europe’s Arctic Wilderness

June 19 to July 2. Sponsored by the National Audubon Society. Price: $3,945, including meals, accommodations and all excursions, excluding air fare to and from Helsinki; or $4,743 including air fare from New York to Helsinki. Information: tel. (212) 979-3066.

Lapland, considered Europe’s last remaining wilderness, offers a small group (only 20 participants) an up-close view of arctic wildlife including cranes, a diverse owl population and puffins. You’ll also visit a reindeer farm in the village of Inari and learn about Lapp culture while dining in a traditional kota (a tepee-like tent) on whitefish and cheese. This is an excellent time for an arctic exploration: The sun never sets once you cross the Arctic Circle.

Arctic Circumnavigation: A Journey Around the Top of the World

June 30 to Sept. 1. Sponsored by The Explorers Club Travelers. Price: as low as $5,890 (when sharing a three-person cabin during the High Arctic portion), as high as $50,650 (includes a corner suite for the entire sailing); cost of a two-person cabin with private bath is $36,790 for the entire trip, or $8,250 to $11,990 for one segment. Air fare to and from Oslo excluded. Information: tel. (800) 856-8951.

A 61-day sea journey (plus two hotel nights) that aims to take travelers on the first circumnavigation of the Arctic aboard one of the world’s most powerful icebreakers, the 54-cabin Russian ship Kapitan Khlebnikov. Travelers fly into Oslo and take a charter flight to the Norwegian archipelago of Spitsbergen, which is the point of embarkation and disembarkation. Tour is joined by polar explorer Don Walsh and Explorers Club president Alfred S. McLaren. The voyage is broken into four parts: a 15-night voyage to Greenland; a 14-night High Arctic segment; a 16-night northwest passage; and a 20-night northeast portion. So even if you can’t take two months’ vacation, you can join a segment or two of the trip. (Operators of this trip reserve the right to change itineraries for weather or other reasons, so the historic “first” is not guaranteed.)

Tuscan Summer for Families

July 9 to 20. Sponsored by Smithsonian Study Tours. Price: $3,895 (adults), $3,395 (ages 13-18), $2,995 (ages 7-12), including most meals, local transportation and all gratuities, excluding air fare to Italy. Information: tel. (202) 357-4700.

Castello di Gargonza, an authentic 13th century medieval village in the Tuscan countryside--complete with stone walls, chapel, private gardens and swimming pool--will host families for seven nights while they pursue cultural excursions with local guides, hike in the countryside and savor Tuscan cuisine. Adults have a separate lecture program with the study leader. Children have youth leaders who organize soccer matches with local children and take the younger set out for ice cream. The final three days are spent in Florence.

Turkey: The Next Eclipse Aug. 7 to 12. Sponsored by the Science Museum of Minnesota. Price: $2,750, including meals and air fare from Minneapolis. Optional extension adds $1,780. Information: tel. (651) 221-4513.

View the last solar eclipse of the 20th century, slated to cross Europe and the Middle East on Aug. 11. The tour heads for a prime location near Malatya in central Turkey. This spot was selected by the museum for its arid climate and predictably dry summer weather--essential elements for optimal eclipse viewing, which may include black disk, glowing corona and stars visible at midday. Totality will last two minutes, 12 seconds. A visit to Istanbul is included, and an optional extension offers a six-day wooden-ship cruise along the Turkish coast.

Coaching in Bavaria

Sept. 27/28 to Oct. 3. Sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Price: $3,260, including meals, excluding air fare to and from Munich, Germany. Information: tel. (800) 227-1059 (tour operator Protravel International) or (202) 588-6300 (the National Trust).

This exploration of Bavaria is one portion of the National Trust’s seven-part Grand Tour series. It features transport by horse-drawn coach, with stops at a number of King Ludwig’s fairy-tale castles. The study leader is Grace Gary, director of the Longue Vue historic estate in New Orleans and a specialist in preservation and architectural history.

The Great Builders: A Millennium Celebration of Timeless Architecture and Art by Private Jet

Dec. 14 to Jan. 2, 2000. Sponsored by TCS Expeditions. Price: $29,950, including all meals and most air fares, excluding flights to Hong Kong and from Istanbul. Information: tel. (800) 727-7477.

A distinctly different way to celebrate the new millennium: If you can’t decide which culture gets the nod, try sampling an array of half a dozen. This journey by private Boeing 757 jet takes you back through five millenniums, stopping at artistic and architectural wonders of master builders. The journey starts in Hong Kong before tracing history from Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and India to Egypt, Jordan and Turkey. New Year’s celebrations culminate in Istanbul, threshold of East and West.