The Pipes Are Calling to Scotland and Ireland

“Scottish Pipes and Irish Landscapes” is a tour that includes Edinburgh’s Military Tattoo, an annual festival of parades and music. The Aug. 20 to Sept. 2 excursion includes visits to several Scottish castles; a ferry ride to Belfast, Northern Ireland; and a tour of Ireland to see Galway, Limerick, the Dingle Peninsula and Dublin.

Cost: $2,695 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, most meals, guides, reserved seats at the Tattoo and entrance fees. Air fare to Britain is extra.

Contact: Shamrock Travel, 24001 Muirlands Blvd., No. 436, Lake Forest, CA 92630; telephone (949) 470-030.

Nepal: Easy Hiking

From Sept. 29 to Oct. 12, Esprit will lead a trip to Nepal that combines comfort and accessibility with moderate walking at a maximum elevation of 5,000 feet. Participants will explore the country’s art, architecture and religions, and help out at Tibetan and Nepali schools and orphanages.

The 14-day tour begins in Katmandu, Nepal’s capital, where the group will stay at a Western-style hotel in the lively Thamel neighborhood. From there, the group will take walking tours to many of the city’s prime attractions, including Swayambhunath on Sacred Mountain; Durbar Square; the city’s ancient palace complex; and the grand bazaar. From Katmandu guests will fly to Pokhara, on the shore of Lake Phewa, which will be the base for a two-night trek into the hills. Porters will carry all the gear, and travelers will spend nights at trail-side guest houses.

Cost: $3,625 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from Los Angeles, lodging, most meals and all land costs.

Contact: Esprit Travel, 2101 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 101, Santa Monica, CA 90403; tel. (310) 829-6060 or (800) 377-7481, https://www.esprittravel.com.

Utah: National Parks

“Utah Color Country Tour” combines boats, buses and trains to get to such places as the Sundance Resort; a Mormon Tabernacle Choir rehearsal; Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce and Zion national parks; and sightseeing in Capitol Reef National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument and the Colorado River. The tour runs Sept. 6 to 11.

Cost: $825 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare, ground transportation, many meals, lodging and entrance fees.

Contact: Main Street Tours; tel. (800) 300-6246.

Italy: Cinque Terre

Carlucci Tours, which specializes in trips to Italy, is offering a 12-night vacation to the Italian Riviera and Lake Region from Sept. 8 to 21. The small-group (maximum 20) trip takes guests to a lakeside hotel in Baveno on Lake Maggiore. A ferry conveys travelers to the Borromean Islands to see villas. Then it’s on to the fishing village of Monterosso al Mare, one of the Cinque Terre--or “five lands,” the name given to five small towns on the sea. Guests will also cruise from the Riviera to Portofino. The last few nights will be spent on Lake Como near Milan.

Cost: $3,299 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, hotels, some meals, private motor coach transportation and guide.

Contact: Carlucci Tours; tel. (520) 854-3081.

Spain: And Beyond

Spend New Year’s Eve in Granada, Spain, in the shadow of the Alhambra, on a trip that covers Spain, Morocco and Portugal. Tour dates are Dec. 29 to Jan. 14. Starting in Madrid, the tour visits Toledo and then the beach on the Costa del Sol. Next it’s across the Strait of Gibraltar to Tangier, Morocco. Stops will be made in ancient Fes, Marrakech, Casablanca and Rabat. Recrossing the strait to Spain, the tour stops in Seville for an evening of flamenco dancing. Next are the seascapes of the Lisbon area, followed by the religious site of Fatima. The tour ends with a visit to Salamanca, Spain. The tour will be led by Joseph Jeppson, a history professor at Canada College in Redwood City, Calif.

Cost: $1,995 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from Los Angeles, hotels, some meals and entrance fees.

Contact: Joseph Jeppson, Community College Travel Program, P.O. Box 620620, Woodside, CA 94061; tel. (800) 527-3137.

Africa: Conference

The Pasadena Foothills chapter of the United Nations Assn. will conduct a trip to South Africa combining travel with a conference on eliminating racism. On the trip, from Aug. 16 to Sept. 21, the group will visit Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Kruger National Park and Durban. Included are lectures on the politics and history of the area. The leader will be Brice Harris, a professor of North African and Middle Eastern studies at Occidental College.

Cost: $4,995 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, hotels, many meals and local guides. Contact: United Nations Assn., 272 S. Los Robles, Pasadena, CA 91101; tel. (626) 449-1795.

Peru: Amazon Cruise

Travcoa is offering a “Remote Upper Amazon River Cruise” from Oct. 12 to Nov. 1. The nine-day cruise aboard a luxury riverboat will explore some of the river’s most remote backwaters.

The tour starts in Lima and goes on to some of Peru’s ancient ruins, including Machu Picchu. Travelers will also spend a couple of days in Trujillo, touring the city and its colonial district and visiting the Archeological Museum and the citadel of Chan Chan. Chiclayo and Lambayeque, some of the most significant archeological sites in the country, are the next stops. Guests will then fly over the Andes to Iquitos, where they’ll board La Aquamarina, a luxury vessel they’ll call home for the next week on the Amazon River. The journey concludes with a day at the Inca city of Cuzco.

Cost: $9,695, including luxury hotels, ground transportation and guides. Air fare to Peru is extra.

Contact: Travcoa; tel. (800) 992-2003, https://www.travcoa.com.

Cruise: Clipper Ship

If you want a cruise that seems more authentically maritime than the big ships that feature theaters, ice rinks and shops, try the steel-hulled Royal Clipper. Built between 1989 and 1991, it is 439 feet long, with five masts, 42 sails, a crew of 105 and room for 228 passengers. It will cruise from Cannes, France, to Barbados from Oct. 13 to Nov. 3.

Cost: $2,625 to $9,025 per person, double occupancy. Air fare is extra. There are also lower-priced Malaga, Spain-to-Cannes and Barbados-to-Malaga segments.

Contact: Star Clippers of Coral Gables, Fla.; tel. (800) 442-0551.

France: On Foot

Europeds is offering a culinary walking tour through the Provence region of France, June 5 to 11 and Sept. 1 to 7. The tour offers walking, wine tasting and food in fine restaurants, culminating in a hands-on cooking class. The town of Gordes in the Luberon Valley is the base for the first three days. Then the guests go to St. Remy, where they will spend three days at a private cooking school. Cost: $2,895 per person, double occupancy, including lodging, transportation, breakfasts and dinners. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Europeds; tel. (800) 321-9552, https://www.europeds.com.

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