Pedaling Over Hill and Dale in England, Hawaii

VBT Bicycling Vacations of Vermont is offering 10-day guided bicycle tours of the Cotswolds and South Downs in England. Travelers explore the land of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens with loop rides on South Downs Way and see the countryside dotted with thatched cottages and historic churches.

After a ride to Amberley village and a ruined Roman villa, guests visit a working farm. Cyclists will visit Winchester and tour its Gothic cathedral, which dates back to the 11th century and is the burial place of novelist Jane Austen. Next the group will cycle along an ancient Roman road to Salisbury and explore Stonehenge. VBT has special access to the site, allowing its tour participants to go inside the fenced area to see the monoliths up close.

The tour continues with cycling through Old Sarum, the Woodford Valley and historic Bath. Also on the itinerary: Woodstock in the Cotswolds, Blenheim and Oxford.

Cost: $2,195 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, nine breakfasts, five dinners, the services of two trip leaders, a support vehicle, use of a bicycle and helmet, and round-trip airport transfers. Tour dates are available through September. Air fare is extra.

Contact: VBT Bicycling Vacations; telephone (800) 245-3868.

Hawaii: By Bicycle

Biking tours on Hawaii’s Big Island loop around the island, visiting small towns, waterfalls and historic sites. Cyclists explore the former sugar town of Honokaa, bed down in the historic Manago Hotel and explore Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Riders will stay overnight in smaller family-run hotels and lodges.

For those wanting a more diverse adventure, the “Big Island Bike and Hike” tour combines the same cycling route with two days of hiking with local naturalists. The first hike works its way down into Waipio Valley, which guests will explore and where they will spend time on a working taro farm and follow ancient hiking paths.

Cost: $1,050 for seven days, $1,395 for nine days, per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, breakfasts and dinners daily, baggage transport, airport shuttles and guide services. Air fare to Hawaii and bike rental are extra. Departures are scheduled for Oct. 22 and 29 this year and Feb. 25 and April 15, 2001.

Contact: Cyclevents, P.O. Box 7491, Jackson, WY 83002-7491; tel. (888) 733-9615, Internet https://www.cyclevents.com.

Africa: Chimpanzees

In Sapo National Park, Liberia, visitors can go into the tropical forest with guides to view wild chimpanzees and other primates such as the red colobus, black and white colobus, Diana monkey, mona monkey and potto. The guides call the chimpanzees to the travelers. The animals’ sleeping nests can be seen, as well as nut-cracking stations where they use stones for tools. Guests return each day to the Sinoe River Camp, where safari tents offer full beds, daily maid service, flush toilets and showers. The trip is 14 days long and available year-round.

Cost: $2,925 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, guides and most meals. Air fare to Africa is extra.

Contact: West African Safaris; tel. (888) 454-7710, Internet https://www.westafricansafaris.net.

Europe: River Cruise

Viking River Cruises is offering a trip down the Danube on the new 162-passenger Viking Sky. The 11-day itinerary starts with two days in Prague, Czech Republic, and then moves on to port stops in Passau, Germany; Melk and Vienna, Austria; Bratislava, Slovakia; and Kalocsa and Budapest, Hungary. Shore excursions include Melk’s Benedictine abbey, Budapest’s Buda Castle and basilica, and Vienna’s Schonbrunn Palace.

Cost: $2,598 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from New York and a cabin with windows.

Contact: Viking River Cruises, 21820 Burbank Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA 91367; tel. (818) 227-1234 or (877) 668-4546, Internet https://www.vikingrivers.com.

Canada: Golf

Eclectic Tourist Travel is offering five-day golf tours in British Columbia, Canada. Guests will play a different championship course each day in a choice of three regions: the Okanagan, the Dunes of Kamloops and the Rockies. Local golf experts will accompany golfers on the courses. All hosted golf tours include five rounds of golf with a shared cart, five nights’ accommodation, and a welcome reception and dinner. All levels of players are welcome. Time is scheduled for local tours of each area and activities.

Cost: from $799 per person, double occupancy, depending on the region chosen and the time of year. Air fare to Canada is extra.

Contact: Eclectic Tourist Travel; tel. (877) 892-3111, Internet https://www.travelswithus.com.

Argentina and Chile

A botanist from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County will accompany a group to the southern Andes of Argentina and Chile Jan. 6 to 21, 2001. The tour will begin in Buenos Aires and proceed to the Argentine Alps. It includes a boat crossing on Lake Nahuel Huapi into Chile’s Vincente Perez Rosales National Park, with views of the Osorno Volcano and Petrohue Falls. Also included in Chile are visits to Puyehue National Park, with its thermal baths, and the Valdivian rain forest; Villarrica and Huerqueque national parks, with their active volcanoes; the city of Temuco; the Termas de Chillan, known for its geysers and unusual plant life; and a tour of Santiago.

Cost: $4,295 per person, double occupancy, including internal air fare, ground transportation, hotels and all meals. Air fare to Buenos Aires and return from Santiago is not included.

An extension to Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia is available.

Contact: Christine Robison, travel program coordinator for the Natural History Museum; tel. (213) 763-3350.

California: 4-Wheelin’

Rev up those engines for a four-wheel-drive trip Sept. 16 to 18 through eastern California to see the ghost towns of Bodie and Masonic. The tour starts in Bishop in your own vehicle and travels on part of an old stagecoach route to Bodie. Along the way, participants will learn about mining history, geologic history and the ecosystems of Owens Valley and Mono Lake. Prior off-road driving experience is not required.

Cost: $282 for driver and one passenger ($40 for each extra person), including guides and admission fees. Hotels and meals are extra.

Contact: Ecological 4-Wheeling Adventures, 2234 Catherine Place, Costa Mesa, CA 92627; tel. (949) 645-7733, Internet https://www.4wdadventures.com.

Paris: Shopping

Adventure Vacations of La Jolla is offering its annual Christmas shopping tour to Paris from Nov. 6 to 12. Guests will stay at the Hotel Victoria and spend the days shopping with discount shopping cards. They will also take a Seine River cruise and have dinner at the Eiffel Tower.

Cost: $707 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare to Paris, hotel, daily breakfast, Metro pass and taxes.

Contact: Adventure Vacations, P.O. Box 1836, La Jolla, CA 92038; tel. (800) 600-5587.

Britain: Slowly

Insight Vacations’ “Country Roads of Britain” 19-day tour gets visitors out of London and into the countryside--from the moors and highlands of Scotland to Wales and then to the prehistoric monoliths of Stonehenge.

The leisurely paced tour begins and ends with overnight stays in London, then circles southeast to Chichester and up the northwest coast through Wales and England’s Lake District to the Scottish Highlands. From Scotland, the route south covers the east coast to Edinburgh, York and Cambridge. Two nights are spent in each town.

The Isle of Wight, a guided cruise of Loch Lomond in the Scottish Highlands, the Yorkshire Dales in England and an excursion to Snowdonia and Mt. Snowdon in Wales are included. Orientation tours in each historic town provide background on the area’s history and culture, with ample time allotted for individual pursuits.

Cost: $2,099 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, daily breakfast, six dinners, airport transfers and travel by motor coach. Departures are on Wednesdays through Sept. 27. Air fare is extra. Contact: Insight Vacations; tel. (800) 582-8380, Internet https://www.insightvacations.com.

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