Following a Saint’s Path Through Turkey, Greece

A pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Paul in western Turkey and the Greek Islands of Samos and Patmos is available from May 22 to June 4. Sites to be visited include Istanbul to see the Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque. Also planned are a cruise on the Bosporus, a ferry across the Sea of Marmara to Bandirma and a drive to Canakkale along the Strait of Dardanelles. Guests will continue through the ancient cities of Troy, Pergamum, Izmir and Ephesus. The group will travel to Antalya and stay on the Turkish Riviera before continuing to Konya and Cappadocia, where two nights are spent, then continue to Ankara to visit the capital.

Cost: $1,440 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, two meals daily, guides, ground transportation and most entrance fees. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Larry Bishop, pilgrimage director, 24875 Oak Creek Lane, Lake Forest, CA 92630; telephone (949) 581-9936.

San Francisco: Cruise

If time and money are in short supply, Fog City Travel in San Francisco is offering a two-night cruise to nowhere Jan. 9 and 10 on the Seabourn Sun. The cruise ship heads into the Pacific from the Port of San Francisco, then turns around the next day.

Cost: $374 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, all meals, entertainment and gratuities. Past Seabourn or Cunard guests can enjoy an extra 10% savings. Port and handling fees of $75 per person are additional, as is transportation to San Francisco.

Contact: Fog City Travel; tel. (415) 693-0808, Internet https:// fogcitytravel.com.

Mexico: Butterflies

Experience one of nature’s annual events, the monarch butterfly migration, in Mexico’s Michoacan region. On the 12-day trip, which begins and ends in Mexico City, travelers explore three monarch sanctuaries high in the mountains to see millions of butterflies that made a 2,500-mile journey from Canada and the Northeast.

The nature tours, scheduled Jan. 30 to Feb. 10 and Feb. 13 to 24, also include visits to a health spa in the lakeside resort of Valle de Bravo, and coastal Pacific villages where travelers can snorkel, explore mangrove lagoons and observe local efforts to protect sea turtles and iguanas. Other stops include the colonial city of Oaxaca, known for its cuisine and Indian crafts, and the nearby ruins of Monte Alban.

Cost: $3,195 per person, double occupancy, including all accommodations, most meals, all transportation within Mexico (including internal flights), park entrance fees and guide services. Air fare to Mexico City is not included.

Contact: Natural Habitat Adventures, 2945 Center Green Court, Boulder, CO 80301; tel. (800) 543-8917.

Italy: Alps

Ski the Matterhorn on a trip to Cervinia, which is the Italian side of the Matterhorn. The trip departs Jan. 28 and ends Feb. 5. Skiers will have a six-day pass to hundreds of ski lifts. There will also be a visit to Zermatt, Switzerland.

Cost: $1,569 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare, hotels, breakfast and dinner daily, ground transportation and ski passes.

Contact: Carlucci Tours; tel. (888) 676-2259 in California or (520) 854-3081.

Egypt and Israel

A tour of Egypt and Israel from March 11 to 26 will be escorted by Alberto Benzi, a history professor, who will lecture on the cultural, religious and artistic significance of sights. Main sightseeing in Egypt will be the Pyramids of Saqqara and Giza, the Sphinx, Valley of the Kings and Oueens with the Tomb of Tutankhamen. Included in the tour will be Elephantine Island with the Aga Khan’s mausoleum, the botanical gardens of Kitchener’s Island, the Aswan Dam and the Granite Coves plus the Egyptian Museum, the alabaster mosque of Mohammed Ali, a papyrus institute and the Khan El Khalili bazaar in Cairo.

In Israel, sightseeing will include the places most significant to the Jewish and Christian religions: Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Bethany, Nazareth, Tiberias, Masada, Jericho, the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. Guests will also visit Safed, the Golan Heights, the River Jordan, Haifa, Tel Aviv and Jaffa.

Cost: $3,750 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare, deluxe ground transportation, deluxe hotels, cruise on the Nile River between Aswan and Luxor, daily buffet breakfast and dinner, a special dinner in Cairo with a belly dance show and a special farewell dinner with wine in Jerusalem. Also included: arrival and departure transfers, sightseeing, guiding and all entrance fees.

Contact: Professor Benzi Cultural Tours; tel. (619) 464-1434.

South America: Chile

Santa Monica College Spanish language professor Cecilia Dighero is leading a 12-day tour of her native Chile from Dec. 2 to 14.

The tour will include a visit to a 250-acre horse ranch, national parks, lakes, 2 million-year-old volcanic caves and natural hot springs.

There will be informal Spanish classes so students can bargain in the Indian markets of Temuco and Puerto Montt, which the group will visit on a tour of southern Chile’s lake region.

The trip will also include a tour of Santiago and Valparaiso with a special stop at Nobel Prize-winner Pablo Neruda’s home. The trip will end with a wine tasting in one of the most prestigious wineries of the country.

Cost: $3,350 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare to Santiago and all internal flights in Chile, ground transportation, transfers, accommodations, breakfasts, bilingual guides and some meals.

Contact: Cecilia at South American Personalized Tours; tel. (323) 654-9489.

Australia: Victoria

Visit the state of Victoria in Australia on seven-night trips that run year-round. Melbourne, Victoria’s capital, is known for arts and culture, entertainment, food and wine, sporting events and shopping. Guests will visit the Melbourne Cricket Ground, stroll through lush parks and gardens, see the Yarra Valley, visit wineries and venture into the gold fields for a taste of Australia’s pioneer history. For coastal scenery, participants will travel along the Great Ocean Road.

Cost: $1,379 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles to Melbourne on Air New Zealand, six days’ car rental, accommodations for seven nights and some sightseeing fees.

Contact: ATS Tours; tel. (800) 423-2880.

Belize: Tropical Journey

Deep Journey Tours is offering a trip to Belize to see the tropical forests, explore ancient Mayan temples and swim in warm Caribbean waters. The group will learn about native healing plants and herbs from local herbalists, explore a jungle river and visit Tikal, the Belize Zoo and the Tropical Education Center.

Cost: $2,000 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from LAX, accommodations, some meals and sightseeing fees.

Contact: Meg Easling, Deep Journey Tours, P.O. Box 1837, Ojai, CA 93024; tel. (805) 646-3800.

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