Getting Back to Roots in Gambia and Senegal

A cultural heritage tour of Senegal and Gambia is planned June 20 to July 2. On the annual “Roots Homecoming Tour,” travelers will visit Dakar, Senegal, to see Goree Island and shop at the Sandaga market. Then guests will travel to Banjul, Gambia, for African Redemption Day festivities that include initiation and rite-of-passage ceremonies, dancing and educational events.

Cost: $2,478 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, ground transportation, luxury beach-side hotels, daily breakfast and sightseeing.

Contact: African Festival Hotline; telephone (310) 726-9230.

Ecuador: Rafting

With dozens of rivers, Ecuador is a popular white-water destination, according to River Odysseys West (ROW), an Idaho-based rafting company.

ROW offers wilderness rafting adventures on the Rio Upano that include six days on the river and three days exploring the Altiplano, the highlands of the Andes.

Travelers can expect numerous Class III rapids, sprinkled with a few Class IV. Naturalist guides will point out birds such as herons, parrots, toucans and oro-pendulas and their hanging nests. At night, guests will camp and dine on sandy beaches and visit with Shuar Indian families who live near the river.

Before and after the river trip, participants will visit Quito and the market town of Otavalo and attend a musical performance in a 17th century hacienda.

Cost: from $2,195 per person, including accommodations, equipment, meals and guides. Air fare is extra. Trips run through February and again in November.

Contact: ROW, P.O. Box 579-PR, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83816; tel. (800) 451-6034, Internet https://www.rowinc.com.

Morocco: Tribal Markets

“The Tribal Markets of Southern Morocco,” March 11 to 23, is a tour for those who enjoy hunting for treasures in exotic bazaars.

Participants will explore ancient markets where stalls are filled with jewelry, carpets, pottery and hand-woven fabrics, including flat-weave tapestries embroidered by the Middle Atlas tribes. Visit historic sites constructed with beautiful tiles and travel through desert scenery. Attend the weekly market in Zagora, where there are two parking lots--one for female donkeys, the other for male donkeys. Tribal people from the Sahara ride into town to sell their wares. Also scheduled: Marrakech, Fes, Ouarzazate and Tiznit.

Cost: $3,545 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air from New York plus air fare from Casablanca to Agadir, all hotels, some meals and guide service.

Contact: Specialty World Travel; tel. (800) 242-2346, Internet https://www.specialtyworld travel.com.

Philippines: Walking

Adventures in Asia is offering a 15-day “Philippines Discovery” partial walking tour, mainly on Luzon. After arrival in Manila, the group heads to the hill town of Baguio, then to Sagada, Banaue (an area of carved rice terraces) and the falls at Pagsanjan (seen in “Apocalypse Now”). Guests also visit Panay and Boracay islands. Departure dates vary throughout the year.

Cost: $1,898 per person, double occupancy, including internal flights, ground transportation, lodging, daily breakfast, four lunches and four dinners. Air fare to the Philippines is extra.

Contact: Adventures in Asia; tel. (800) 432-4176 or (416) 482-3006, Internet https://www.AdventuresInAsia.com.

Southwest: Family

Explore the canyons, rivers and trails of the Wild West on a family-oriented seven-night tour that begins in Las Vegas and ventures through Arizona.

The itinerary includes one night in Las Vegas; two nights in Peach Springs, Ariz., at the Hualapai Lodge; two nights in Sedona at the Pace Diablo Resort; one night in Scottsdale; and one night in Phoenix. Included is a visit to the Grand Canyon; a round-trip steam train ride from Williams, Ariz., to the Grand Canyon; a one-day raft trip on the Colorado River; a Jeep tour of Broken Arrow, a forest area just outside Sedona; horseback riding; and a hike in Walnut Canyon (also near Sedona) to Indian ruins.

Cost: $785 per person, double occupancy. Children 8 to 16 are $535. Transportation to Las Vegas, meals, tax and gratuities are not included.

Contact: InterWest Adventures; tel. (801) 495-2592.

Japan: Cuisine

Absolute Asia’s culinary tours offer travelers an opportunity to learn the art of Asian cuisine through private, hands-on classes with instructors ranging from local homemakers to chefs.

Cooking instructor Kivoko Konishi, an authority on traditional Japanese cuisine, will host a trip to Tokyo. Classes will be held in her home several hours a day and will be based on the student’s culinary background and interests. The 10-night sample culinary tour includes four days of private cooking classes, deluxe accommodations in Tokyo and Kyoto (in a traditional ryokan in Kyoto), a coach tour in Kyoto and a private excursion to the Mine Museum near Kyoto.

Cost: from $5,390 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, most meals, tours and ground transportation. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Absolute Asia, 180 Varick St., New York, NY 10014; tel. (800) 736-8187, Internet https://www.absoluteasia.com.

Europe: River Cruises

Cruise Holland and Germany in the spring when the Dutch tulip gardens are at their peak. Rebel Tours is offering four April/May departures on the Calypso, which is a nonsmoking vessel. Each cabin has a private shower, toilet and individually controlled heating and air-conditioning. The itinerary includes stops in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Enkhuizen and Gouda, Netherlands; and Dusseldorf, Germany, with a variety of sightseeing tours included.

Cost: from $1,299 per person, double occupancy, including seven nights aboard the Calypso in an outside cabin with panoramic view, three meals daily while on board, sightseeing, baggage handling and tour host. Round-trip air fare is extra.

Contact: Rebel Tours, 25050 Avenue Kearny, Valencia, CA 91355; tel. (800) 22-REBEL (227-3235), Internet https://www.rebeltours.com.

Panama: Kayaking

If you have strong arms, the Kuna Indians have invited you to paddle along Panama’s Caribbean coast. The Kuna live in villages along the San Blas Islands and are known for their fabric designs called molas.

After an introduction to a community leader and a chance to learn about life in their village, the group will embark on a nine-day kayaking excursion, moving from island to island and paralleling a rain forest resounding with parrots and howler monkeys. Stops will be made in small Kuna villages en route. Guests can also go snorkeling. Twelve-day trips depart Feb. 11, Feb. 25 and Dec. 22.

Cost: from $2,190 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, most meals and equipment. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Mountain Travel-Sobek, 6420 Fairmount Ave., El Cerrito, CA 94530; tel. (510) 527-8100, Internet https://www.mtsobek.com.

Papua New Guinea

Irian Jaya in Papua New Guinea is one of the last frontiers for travel among Stone Age cultures, many of which have experienced little contact or influence from Western civilization. Travelers will visit the remote Yali and Kombai tribes as well as the more visited Dani tribe. In these mountains guests traverse reasonably good but steep trails among the remote Yali villages. The trip is limited to six people. Trips run March 11 to 30, June 3 to 22 and Oct. 7 to 26.

Cost: $2,730 per person, includ- ing accommodations, most meals, all ground transportation, porters, camping supplies (tents and cooking gear), local guides, taxes and entrance fees. All flights are extra.

Contact: Asian Pacific Adventures, tel. (818) 886-5191.

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