Take a Walk With Wildlife in Costa Rican Parks

Sloths, monkeys, macaws and crocodiles await visitors to the rain forest in Costa Rica on trips with naturalist Paul Abravaya, Feb. 19 to 27 and April 8 to 16. Guests will see hanging gardens of epiphytes; stay at Hotel Villa Lapas, which borders Carara Biological Reserve; and visit Jaco Beach and Manuel Antonio National Park. They will explore the Carara Reserve on a guided walk through the rain forest and then travel to the Tilajari Resort and Nature Preserve in the Arenal Volcano area.

Optional activities include boating or horseback riding. Guests will return to San Jose on a scenic route that includes a visit to a waterfall and lookout point.

Cost: $799 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, ground transportation, guides and some meals. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Paul Abravaya at Tropical Eco-Tours, 1333 Calle Pimiento, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360; telephone (888) 900-1326 or (805) 492-0365.

France: Barge Cruise

From May 17 to 26, a barge cruise through the Loire Valley in France will visit historic villages, regal cha^teaux and wineries, and make a daily stop for fresh bread, pastries, fruits and vegetables. Bicycles are stored on board for anyone who wishes to pedal alongside the slow-moving barge. Two nights will be spent at a hotel in Paris before boarding the canal barge, which holds 24 passengers.

Cost: $3,450 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare, all shore excursions, hotel in Paris, transfers and meals on board.

Contact: Jim or Virginia Blake at Travel Club Tours, 102 Avenue A, Box 281, Surfside, CA 90743; tel. (562) 592-2242.

India: Cultural Look

Tours of Exploration is offering two departures of its “Wildlife and Cultural Journey” in South India on March 25 and Nov. 25. The journey focuses on exotic wildlife, diverse cultures and scenery. Travelers will visit nature preserves, ancient temple cities and mountain villages. An extension to Rajasthan is also available to experience Agra, Bharatpur and the “pink city” of Jaipur.

Cost: about $3,175 per person, double occupancy, including air fare within India, hotels, most meals and entrance fees. Air fare to India is extra.

Contact: Tours of Exploration, P.O. Box 48225, Vancouver, B.C., Canada V7XIN8; tel. (800) 690- 7887.

Africa: Ghana

Celebrate Black History Month on a journey Feb. 19 to 26 to Ghana offered by Blue Heart Tours. The trip will be led by Norman Peters, a Washington, D.C., schoolteacher who is doing graduate work in African studies.

A city tour of Accra will include the W.E.B. DuBois Memorial Center, a high school, the University of Ghana, a Liberian refugee camp and the Aburi gardens. Then the group will drive to the coast to tour the Elmina Castle slave market, completed in 1482 by the Portuguese; visit churches and other schools; stop at Ntonso and Bonwire, two villages noted for handicrafts; then return to Accra.

Cost: $1,699 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from New York, six nights’ lodging, most meals and all entry fees.

Contact: Blue Heart Tours; tel. (800) 882-0025.

Puerto Rico: Art

Art lovers can experience the architecture and galleries of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and meet artists making traditional crafts on a trip that runs Jan. 24 to Feb. 1.

Participants will travel throughout the island and explore its natural scenery, including mountains and coastlines.

The tour visits historic Old San Juan, the Caribbean National Forest and the caves of Rio Camuy Cave Park. It goes along mountain trails to Ponce, then into San German. Historian Karen Gonzalez, a native of Puerto Rico, will lead the trip.

Cost: $2,495 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, sightseeing fees and some meals. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Smithsonian Study Tours; tel. (202) 357-4700.

South America: 3 Nations

Professor Terry Baden, chair of the language department at Cal State Fullerton and a South American history expert, will lead a tour to Brazil, Argentina and Chile from March 12 to 26. Participants will fly to Rio de Janeiro to see Corcovado Mountain, the orchid farms at the Petropolis, Sugarloaf Mountain and Copacabana Beach.

Next they will travel to Iguacu Falls before flying to Buenos Aires to explore the port town of Tigre and visit a ranch for a gaucho show. In Santiago, the Pre-Columbian Art Museum, a Chilean barbecue at the base of the Andes and wine tasting are planned.

Cost: $4,590 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, hotels, guides, two meals daily, taxes, entrance fees and performances.

Contact: East-West International Tours; tel. (800) 359-6719, Internet https://www.eastwest-tours.com.

Hawaii: Bicycling

Cycle around the Big Island in Hawaii on six- or eight-day biking, hiking and kayaking trips. The programs feature the tropical gardens of Hilo, a two-day layover at Volcanoes National Park, stops at black sand beaches, cowboy country in Waimea and the Waipio Valley.

Participants will visit a Kona coffee plantation; kayak and snorkel in the marine sanctuary of Kealakekua Bay, where they may see dolphins, sea turtles and whales, and have the opportunity to join in a luau.

Cost: $1,349 for the six-day and $1,749 for the eight-day trips, per person, including accommodations, all but two meals, maps and detailed route information, support van, and the services of two guides to ensure safety and to discuss the area. Not included: bike rentals ($114) and air fare to Hawaii.

Available departure dates are Feb. 6 and 20, March 5 and 19. This trip is rated moderate, suitable for most abilities, and cycling averages 40 miles a day.

Contact: Getaway Adventures; tel. (800) 499-2453, Internet https://www.getawayadventures.com.

France: Paris

Take your valentine to Paris for a romantic tour Feb. 14 to 20. The tour visits city sights, Le Printemps department store, a Seine River cruise and the Moulin Rouge show. Five nights are spent in a centrally located Paris hotel.

Cost: $589 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from Los Angeles, hotel, transfers and daily continental breakfast. Airport tax and meals are extra.

Contact: Adventure Vacations; tel. (800) 600-5587 or (858) 459- 1065.

Baja: Whales

Blue whales, the largest animals in the world, are expected in large numbers this spring in Baja California’s Sea of Cortez. Searcher Natural History Tours, based in San Diego, will host eight- and 11-day eco-tours aboard a yacht. Itineraries include hiking, bird-watching and snorkeling at several of Mexico’s protected islands.

More whale watching is done from small boats in the gray whale breeding lagoons. Scheduled departures are Feb. 6, March 5 and April 1.

Cost: from $1,450 per person, double occupancy, including one-way air fare, activities, meals and accommodations. Passengers board the vessel in San Diego and fly back from Cabo San Lucas.

Contact: Searcher Natural History Tours; tel. (619) 226-2403, Internet https://www.bajawhale.com/ searcher.

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