Portugal’s Azores Islands for Exotic Beaches, Biking

The Portuguese Azores is an off-the-beaten-path European destination in the Atlantic Ocean 700 miles off the coast of Portugal. The islands have colorful flora and fauna, hot springs and crater lakes, and exotic black sand beaches. Easy Rider Tours is offering weeklong biking and hiking vacations on Sa~o Miguel Island, the largest of the Azores, throughout the summer months.

Sa~o Miguel’s mountainous but paved, well-graded roads make for smooth cycling. Walkers will enjoy a mix of easy paved paths and challenging forest trails. The routes include two full days in the Vale das Furnas, a lush valley of thermal steam vents and mineral springs. Coastal roads lead both cyclists and walkers past fishing villages and dramatic seaside vistas. Accommodations include a beachfront resort, a vintage 1930s hotel with its own botanical park and the Hotel Sao Pedro in the capital city of Ponta Delgada. Meals feature Portuguese and Azorean cuisine. A support van carries luggage and snacks.

Cost: $1,475 for seven days, including deluxe accommodations, most meals and airport transfers. Air fare is extra. Top-quality 21-speed bicycles can be rented for an additional $129.

Contact: Easy Rider Tours; telephone (800) 488-8332.

Italy: Yoga

Give your body and mind a break on a yoga vacation to Tuscany. The tour runs June 21 to 30. Daily yoga practice is scheduled, as well as classes in Italian peasant cooking and watercolor painting. Sightseeing excursions are made to Florence, Fiesole and Lucca. Guests need not be avid yoga practitioners, artists or cooks.

Cost: $1,350 per person, double occupancy, including lodging and two meals. Air fare and additional sightseeing are not included.

Contact: Victoria Nichols Yoga Vacations, 5239 Alhama Drive, Woodland Hills, CA 91364; tel. (818) 710-9057.

Italy: Marathon

Wine and food lovers, runners and bike riders are invited on a trip to Italy that includes the Venice Marathon (running optional), bicycling through Tuscany and Umbria and a visit to Rome. The 12-day trip begins Oct. 22 and includes three days in Venice over marathon weekend, when 7,000 runners and friends converge on the city for the race and related activities. In Perugia guests begin an escorted eight-day bicycle tour featuring first-class accommodations, gourmet dinners, and wine and olive oil tastings. The final day includes a trip from Siena to Rome for an overnight.

Cost: $2,495 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, all breakfasts and most dinners, ground transportation and sightseeing. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Matthews Associates, 706 McVey Ave., Lake Oswego, OR 97034; tel. (800) 967-7618. Internet https://www.europa.com/~bo/webpage.htm.

Canada: Whales

Orca whales are the main attraction during Sea Kayak Adventures’ paddling trips through the wilds of British Columbia’s Johnstone Strait. Tours depart weekly with a naturalist and guide in sea kayaks on six-day trips June through September. No previous kayaking or camping experience is necessary. The guides set up camp and prepare meals. By kayak and on foot, guests explore the picturesque islands and glacier-carved waterways of Johnstone Strait, a traditional gathering place for orcas. Additional activities include a visit to an ancient Indian village to view totem poles and remains of a long house.

Cost: $995 per person including camping gear and meals. Air fare to Canada is extra.

Contact: Sea Kayak Adventures; tel. (800) 616-1943, Internet https:// www.seakayakadventures.com.

France: Art, Architecture

Visit the villages and studios where Van Gogh, Matisse, Renoir, Cezanne and Picasso lived and worked. Dates for this tour are June 21 to July 3. Guests will sample Provencal cuisine and wine in the hilltop villages. Artist and educator Judith Corona will lead the art and architecture study tour of Paris, Provence and the Co^te d’Azur. Lectures are planned at the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay. The guided city tour will include Notre Dame, Place des Vosges, the Pantheon and the Eiffel Tower. Free time will be available to visit Versailles or Monet’s home and gardens at Giverny.

In Provence, guests will stay in Avignon and visit the Palais des Papes, and in Arles, they will visit Roman ruins and the many sites where Van Gogh painted. Also scheduled are visits to the ancient town of Les Baux-de-Provence and the hilltop town of Gordes. In Aix-en-Provence the tour stops at Cezanne’s studio. From Nice the group will travel south to Antibes to view the Musee Picasso. A visit to Renoir’s studio in Cagnes-sur-Mer is also planned.

Cost: $3,400 per person, double occupancy, including first-class hotels, daily breakfast, several lunches and dinners, museum entrances and transportation while on tour. Air fare is not included.

Contact: Judith Corona at Art Adventures International, 18139 Coastline Drive, Suite 2, Malibu, CA 90265; tel. (310) 230-9299.

Africa: Family Festival

African Americans who want to return to their roots can make a pilgrimage to Gambia as part of the annual “Roots Homecoming Festival” June 23 to July 3. The festival is held in Banjul, the capital city. Participants will attend cultural and educational events and visit Juffureh, the birthplace of Alex Haley’s Kunta Kinteh, as they ride down the Gambia River. Guests will explore historical monuments and can shop at arts and crafts markets. From Dakar, Senegal, the group will take a ferry to Goree Island for the afternoon.

Cost: $1,777 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from New York, beach-side hotels, daily breakfast and dinner in Banjul, ground transportation and festival registration.

Contact: Julie Ward of Gallery ASHA at the African Festival Hotline; tel. (310) 726-9230.

California: Sailing

The American Pride will join more than 50 other tall ships from around the world for a Gold Rush Race to celebrate 150 years of California statehood. Participants can sail aboard the 130-foot schooner and help out, taking the helm and doing other sailboat duties. The sailing dates are in “legs,” from June 25 to 30 (Long Beach to San Francisco), July 2 to 9 (San Francisco to Long Beach) or July 11 to 13 (Long Beach to San Diego).

Cost: from $300 to $950 per person, depending on the leg and accommodations.

Contact: American Heritage Marine Institute; tel. (714) 970-8800.

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