Discovering the Mysteries of Tibet and South China

Explore Tibet and southern China with John Campbell, a Columbia University professor of Tibetan Buddhist studies. Campbell, an expert on the relationship of Tibetan and Hindu meditation practices and a translator of Tibetan and Sanskrit texts, will be lecturing and escorting the tour May 13 to 26. The tour visits Lhasa and Shigatse in Tibet and Guilin, Chengdu, Kunming and Guangzhou in southern China.

The program begins in Chengdu, capital of the province of Sichuan, to see traditional Chinese architecture, the Wuhou Temple and the Chengdu Zoo. Travelers will then fly to Lhasa in central Tibet and the Kyi Chu Valley to see the Potala Palace and to Shigatse to see the Tashilhunpo Monastery, Panchen Lama Pagoda and Sakya Monastery. Return to Lhasa for a tour of the 18th century Norbu Lingka complex, once the center of Tibetan authority. The group then will fly to Kunming for a visit to the Golden Palace and an excursion into the Western Hills overlooking Lake Dian. The next stop is Guilin for a cruise on the Li River. The tour ends in Guangzhou.

Cost: $3,990 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare, internal air and ground transportation, first-class and deluxe accommodations, local guides, all meals, entrance fees, taxes and portage.

Contact: East-West International Tours, 925 Acapulco St., Laguna Beach, CA 92651; telephone (800) 359-6719, Internet https://www.eastwest-tours.com.

Iberia, Morocco: History

Santa Monica College is sponsoring a trip to Spain, Portugal and Morocco that covers the important historic sites of the three countries. The two-week tour starts July 30 and visits the cities of Madrid, Seville, Granada and Torremolinos in Spain; Lisbon and Fatima, Portugal; and Tangier, Morocco. Sights include the Prado Museum in Madrid, the Alhambra in Granada, the Belem Tower in Lisbon and the Medina of Tetouan in Morocco.

Cost: $2,199 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, hotels, motor-coach transportation, daily breakfasts, some dinners, baggage handling and guides.

Contact: Richard Robinson at Santa Monica College; tel. (310) 434-4731.

England: Theater

The “British Theater History Tour” is a two-week trip beginning July 17 to look at England’s theatrical heritage. The tour, sponsored by Saddleback College’s Emeritus Institute, will feature England’s early 20th century repertory. The itinerary includes Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool along with Stratford-on-Avon, Nottingham, Oxford and a new museum of British touring theater. Each location will feature presentations by theater professionals or guest lecturers. Stops will be made at London’s Globe Theatre, Drury Lane and the National British theaters, and the British Theatre Museum. In London, contemporary theater will be explored.

Cost: $2,685 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air transportation, accommodations, most meals, ground transportation, guides, admission fees and tickets to performances.

Contact: William Thomas at the Saddleback College Emeritus Institute; (949) 582-4835 or (949) 366- 6545.

Egypt: Monuments

An educational tour of Egypt from April 15 to 23, led by historian Bruce Oleander, includes Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and a four-night cruise on the Nile River. Also on the itinerary: a camel ride, sailing around Elephantine Island to see botanic gardens, the Aga Khan Mausoleum, the Egyptian Museum, Idfu to explore the Temple of Horus, Luxor with the Valley of the Kings and Temple of Karnak, a papyrus factory, a sound and light show at the Giza pyramids and the Cairo bazaar.

Cost: $1,995 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air from Los Angeles, internal air, hotels, all breakfasts, some meals, guides and transfers.

Contact: Doreen Adams, Lido Travel, 3404 Via Lido, Newport Beach, CA 92663; tel. (800) 843- 6679.

Houston: Museums

The Palos Verdes Art Center is sponsoring a tour to Houston from April 25 to 30 to explore “Art, Architecture and Gardens Texas Style: New Museums and Private Collections in Houston.” There will be visits to private homes and gardens that are not open to the public, including the homes of several prominent architects in the Houston area. The city is experiencing a museum boom, led by the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, which has a new addition designed by Spanish architect Rafael Moneo.

Houston’s other new museum, Rienzi, opened last year in a mansion surrounded by gardens. Rienzi features a collection of 18th and 19th century European art and antiques, including 800 pieces of Worcester porcelain. At the Menil Collection, participants will experience a specially arranged private tour before the museum opens to the public, including a sneak preview of the special exhibition “Spirits of the Water: Art From Alaska and British Columbia.”

Cost: $1,850 for this seven-day trip includes deluxe hotel accommodations, transportation by charter motor coach, breakfast and lunch every day, welcome dinner with wine, entrance fees, gratuities, services of a professional tour escort and a tax-deductible contribution to the Palos Verdes Art Center.

Contact: Spectrum Tours, P.O. Box 50608, Santa Barbara, CA 93150; tel. (800) 974-7132.

England: Writing

A writers’ workshop in England, May 24 to June 4, spends four days in London and six days in Deal, on the southeast coast, on an exclusive creative writing adventure led by poet and novelist Terry Wolverton of Writers at Work. Daily class instruction designed to strengthen writing skills will be enhanced by cultural excursions.

In London guests stay in the heart of the neighborhood where Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group lived. Guided explorations include visits to the Millennium Dome, the Globe Theatre, the West End and a boat trip to Kew Gardens.

The group then travels by train to Deal, an old-fashioned seaside town near the White Cliffs of Dover. Once famous as a haven for pirates and smugglers, this quiet village today offers quaint shops, historic pubs and a castle built by Henry VIII. Guests stay at the beachfront Royal Hotel beside the English Channel. Writing workshops include structured exercises, individual assignments and critiques, leaving time every day for guided outings to hidden treasures along the coast.

Cost: $3,250 per person, double occupancy, including daily class instruction with Wolverton, round-trip air fare from LAX with transfers, welcome reception in a classic London pub, accommodations, daily breakfasts, two dinners and sightseeing. Tour size is 12.

Contact: Anne Block, tour leader; tel. (323) 737-2200.

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