By Sea and Land in the Northwest and Canada

An eight-day excursion to Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, Canada, combines cruises and land tours. Participants will spend three nights in Portland, Ore., for tours of the city, then travel to Salem, Tillamook and Astoria.

On a tour of Washington state, visitors will tour Mt. St. Helens, the state capital of Olympia and Mt. Rainier. From Seattle the group will board Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas for a cruise to Victoria and Vancouver, Canada. Passengers will return to Seattle for a tour before leaving for home. Two departure dates are available: May 10 and Sept. 20.

Cost: $1,449 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from Los Angeles or San Diego, 17 meals, hotels and land transportation.

Contact: Geoffrey’s Tours and Cruises; (888) 530-0604.

China: Highlights

William Pang, a Chinese business and cultural expert for the California State University system, will lead a 19-day tour to China.

The tour will start in Shanghai and continue to Wuxi, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Huang Mountain. Then the group will fly to Beijing to visit the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Temple of Heaven, the Ming Tombs and the Great Wall.

From Beijing, travelers will take a night train (four to a cabin) to Xian for a two-day visit to see the archeological site of the terra-cotta warriors and Hanging Hot Spring.

Two nights will be spent in Guilin, and from there the group will take a Li River cruise, go sightseeing at Ludi Cave and tour Yang- zhou. At the next stop, Shenzhen, the group will see a dance performance and have time to shop.

The tour will end with two nights in Hong Kong with visits to Ocean Park and Victoria Peak. Tour dates are May 23 to June 10 and Aug. 2 to 20.

Cost: $2,550 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare, domestic flights, accommodations and all meals.

Contact: William Pang; (714) 998-3976.

Alaska: In the Wilds

The Alaska frontier is more accessible on an Alaska Wildland Adventures safari and fishing trip. An eight-day expedition will begin in Fairbanks with a train ride into Denali National Park, where participants will hike, mountain bike and pan for gold for three days.

Then they will travel to Anchorage for rafting on the Kenai River, boating on Skilak Lake and sea kayaking. Two cruises are planned: an overnight to Fox Island and another to Kenai Fjords National Park to see wildlife. Departures are June 7 to Sept. 4.

Cost: $3,895 per person, including lodging, all meals, guides and land transportation. The fare for children 4 to 12 is $3,595. Air fare to Alaska is extra.

Contact: Alaska Wildland Adventures; (800) 334-8730, www.alaskawildland.com.

Southwest: Nature

A trip to explore Native American culture and the natural wonders of the Southwest is planned for June 29 to July 7 with the University of Connecticut Alumni Assn. Travelers will ride in jeeps through the red-rock country of Sedona, Ariz., see centuries-old trees that have turned to stone in Petrified Forest National Park, visit the Painted Desert and the Grand Canyon, play in Lake Powell and have a Fourth of July picnic, and explore the ruins in Canyon de Chelly. Tour leader John Craig, a professor of art and photography, has lived with and photographed a Navajo family in Canyon de Chelly National Monument for the past 20 summers and knows the area well. He will help group members with photo techniques.

Cost: $2,075 per person, double occupancy; children 7 to 11 sharing a room with two adults, $1,475. The price includes eight nights’ accommodations, entrance fees, many meals, ground transportation and guides. Air fare to Phoenix is extra.

Contact: University of Connecticut Alumni Assn.; (888) 822-5861, www.uconnalumni.com/alumnitravel.

Brazil: Samba Cruise

Passengers can float along the Amazon River and soak up the sunshine on Ipanema Beach on Trafalgar Tours’ new eight-day Brazilian Samba vacation to Manaus, the Amazon jungle and Rio de Janeiro. Among the highlights are visits to the Opera House and Indian Museum in Manaus, a two-day jungle excursion and a cable car ride to Sugarloaf Mountain, which has views of Rio de Janeiro. Departures from Miami are available until Jan. 15.

Cost: from $2,010 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from Miami, cabin accommodations, many meals and guides. Air fare to Miami is extra.

Contact: Trafalgar Tours; (800) 648-1638, www.trafalgar.com.

Appalachians: Trains

Travelers can ride historic rail cars in North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., with rail historian Carl Fowler from June 14 to 23. Travelers will ride by day and stay in hotels at night. Passengers will see the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway, stop at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C., and discover Blue Ridge crafts and folklore in museums and galleries along the way.

Cost: $2,875 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, most meals, guides and entrance fees. Air fare to Charlotte, N.C., and the return from Washington, D.C., are extra.

Contact: Smithsonian Study Tours; (877) EDU-TOUR (338-8687), www.smithsonianstudytours.org.

Colorado: Pioneer Trails

Every Friday, June through August, wagon trains will trace pioneer routes through the Pawnee National Grassland in northeastern Colorado. The two-night trips begin Friday evening with a western-style feast at the base camp. The first starry night is followed by two days on the trail. The group will also visit the Overland Trail Museum in Sterling. Highlights of the trip include learning about ancient tepee rings and storytelling around the campfire. A mountain man or a Native American may stop by to share some grub.

Camping comforts such as cots, tents and sleeping bags are included. All ages are welcome, although the trip is not recommended for children younger than 6. The wagons are bumpy and travel one to two miles per day.

Cost: $450 per person with a 10% discount for kids younger than 12. All meals while on the trail ride are included. Air fare to Denver and ground transportation to Sterling are extra.

Contact: Pawnee Vacation Tours; (800) 284-0367.

Oregon: By Rail

Travel from Los Angeles along the coastline to Oregon on Amtrak, and then take a bus tour of the state from Aug. 4 to 11. When the train arrives in southern Oregon, a bus will take travelers to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Crater Lake National Park, Newport, Yaquina Bay and Portland. A jet boat ride on the Rogue River is included. Participants will catch the train in Portland for the return to L.A.

Cost: $1,359 per person, including all transportation from Los Angeles, accommodations, some meals and guides.

Contact: Friendly Excursions; (800) 775-5018.

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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.