An Asia-Pacific Roundup for Seekers of the Exotic

Ritz Tours’ “Exotic Asia,” a 14-day trip to Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong, is billed as an introduction to the Asia-Pacific region. Tours will depart early April through December.

The trip will begin with several days in Bangkok to see the Grand Palace and Coronation Hall, the Dam Nern Saduak Floating Market and the Emerald Buddha Temple. Then travelers will fly to Chiang Mai to visit the Doi Suthep Temple, a handicraft village, the Chiang Dao Cave and Meo village.

Next on the itinerary is Chiang Rai and a visit to the “Golden Triangle,” where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet, followed by Singapore and Hong Kong. Visitors will have ample time to explore Hong Kong’s popular shopping areas.

Cost: from $1,799 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles and between cities in Asia, hotel accommodations, sightseeing in air-conditioned buses and many meals and guides.

Contact: Ritz Tours; (800) 900-2446, www.ritztours.com.

Brazil: Art

Sao Paulo, Ouro Preto, Brasilia, Salvador and Rio de Janeiro are on the itinerary of a trip to Brazil from April 7 to 20 with the Pasadena Art Alliance. The group will visit churches with gilded interiors, tour museums, walk the cobblestone streets of Ouro Preto (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), ride a historic steam train, have dinner in a private home and relax on the beaches of Rio. An extension to Iguacu Falls is available from April 20 to 23.

Cost: $4,550 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, some meals, entrance fees and guides. Air fare to Sao Paulo and a return from Rio is additional. Extension is $1,115.

Contact: Carol Bramhall, (626) 799-0011, or Royal Adventures, (800) 453-4754.

Italy: History

Historian John Nicholas, chair of the history department at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, will escort a 15-day tour of southern Italy and Sicily from May 21 to June 4. The tour will begin in Rome to see the ruins of the Colosseum and the Pantheon; the Vatican Museums; and the Sistine Chapel. On the way to Naples, the group will visit the Abbey of Montecassino to view the birthplace of Western monasticism. After visiting the National Archeological Museum in Naples, travelers will tour Herculaneum and Pompeii. A few days will be spent relaxing on the Sorrento Peninsula; travelers will ride on a hydrofoil to the island of Capri. The tour then will head south to Sicily to see Taormina, Siracusa and the mosaics at the Villa of Casale.

Cost: $4,250 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from the East Coast, ground transportation, accommodations, two meals daily, all entrance fees, transfers, porterage and taxes. Air fare from Los Angeles is extra.

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

Peru: Amazon Cruise

Many scientists consider the Peruvian rain forest to have the greatest biodiversity on Earth. Orange Coast College ecology professor Norm Cole will escort an International Expeditions natural history cruise to the Peruvian Amazon River from July 13 to 21. Passengers will see rain forest trees layered with bromeliads and orchids, giant waterlilies, hundreds of bird species, six monkey species, tree sloths, caimans, river dolphins and large butterflies.

The 16-passenger riverboat has air-conditioned cabins with private baths. Launches will take participants on wildlife viewing excursions on smaller waterways and to shore for rain forest walks and village visits. An overnight stay and excursion in Lima, as well as a tour of Iquitos, are included. A five-day extension to Machu Picchu is available for $1,698.

Cost: $3,498 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, all other transportation, meals, accommodations and local guides.

Contact: Norm Cole; (949) 497-1818, www.ietravel.com.

France, Italy and Tahiti

Artists of all skills can join four trips to Europe and French Polynesia. Participants will paint daily, take lessons and go sightseeing. Groups will be small, and the instruction will be individualized. Nonpainting friends and spouses are welcome.

In the Dordogne region of southwestern France from June 14 to 28, artists will view prehistoric cave art at Lascaux, Pech-Merle and Font-de-Gaume. Other sites to paint include countryside vistas, gardens, castles and lavender fields.

Cost: $4,595 per person, double occupancy, including lodging, most meals, ground transportation, painting instruction and bilingual leadership. Three units of UC Santa Cruz Extension credit can be earned. Air fare is extra.

The all-media landscape painting class to Tuscany, Italy, from June 28 to July 12 includes visits to Florence, Siena and Arezzo. Students may work in watercolor, acrylic, oil or pastels. Classes will be enhanced by discussions of Renaissance art and the viewing of Old Master paintings.

Cost: $3,665 per person, double occupancy, including lodging, some meals, ground transportation and painting instruction. Air fare is extra.

Two painting trips to Tahiti are also planned. A watercolor class focusing on tropical flowers is scheduled from July 10 to 21, and a combination class in hatha yoga and watercolor for self-expression is scheduled from July 24 to Aug. 4. Costs are $3,660 and $3,460, respectively, and include accommodations at resorts on the islands of Tahiti and Huahine, most meals, ground transportation, painting instruction and guides. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Carol Duchamp at Art Trek; (415) 868-9558 or (888) 522-2652, www.arttreks.com.

Spain: Photography

Southern California commercial photographer Jim Howell and travel planner Gloria Howell will escort photography buffs to Barcelona and Girona, Spain, from July 28 to Aug. 3.

The Barcelona segment of the tour will introduce photographers to the cathedrals and narrow streets of the city’s medieval quarter, the modernistic architecture of Antonio Gaudi, Sagrada Familia church, La Pedrera, La Rambla market and various photography galleries. Participants will then take two days to explore the ancient city of Girona, which stands on a hill above the Onyar River.

Cost $2,975 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, ground transportation, entry fees, local guides, all breakfasts and some meals. Air fare is extra. The tour is limited to 20.

Contact: J. Jackson Howell Photography; (949) 489-3484, www.howellphotography.com.

Mexico: Anthropology

Join the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art Collectors’ Council for an anthropological tour of Mexico’s treasures. The trip was created by anthropologist and council president Mark Gumbiner.

The tour, from April 18 to May 2, includes festivals in Amatenango Valley and a visit to Chiapa, a pottery-making mountain village outside San Cristobal de las Casas. Ancient sites of the Maya, Olmec and Aztec include El Tajin, Palenque, Bonampak, Yaxchilan, Comalcalco, Zempoala, Teotihuacan and the stone Olmec heads in Villahermosa.

Other highlights include a tour of Mexico City, the National Museum of Anthropology, the anthropology museum of Jalapa, murals by Diego Rivera, boat trips up the Usumacinta River bordering Guatemala and between the 3,000-foot cliffs of El Sumidero Canyon, private art collections, small villages with local crafts and lectures.

Cost: $2,780 per person, double occupancy, including entrance fees, lodging, 31 meals and membership in the Bowers Museum and Collectors’ Council. Air fare to Mexico is not included.

Contact: Mark Gumbiner, (949) 830-9005.

Vietnam: Ancestry Festival

The Hung Temple in Hanoi is the place to celebrate and pay tribute to ancestors. This tradition dates back many centuries and is a colorful sight with processions, traditional music, games and people in local attire gathering from all parts of the country. The itinerary on Ceylon Express’ tour of Vietnam includes visits to Hanoi, Hai Phong, Halong Bay, Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue, Can Tho, the Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). The tour will feature boat trips, exploration of a floating market in Cai Rang, a water puppet show and visits to villages. Tour dates are April 17 to 30.

Cost: $2,995 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, hotels, breakfast and dinner daily, guides, entrance fees, porterage and an overnight stop in Singapore.

Contact: Ceylon Express International; (800) 423-9566, www.ceylonexpress.com.

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