Pedaling Along the Road Less Traveled in Denmark and Spain

Euro-Bike and Walking Tours is planning two tours to parts of Europe that aren’t jammed with tourists. The first is an eight-day biking trip to explore Denmark’s islands. Participants will start with a tour of Copenhagen and then pedal around the islands of Aero, Funen, Sealand and Tasinge, seeing castles and historic harbor towns. Departures can be booked any day through Aug. 30.

Cost: $2,445 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, many meals, entrance fees and backup van. Air fare is extra.

A cycling trip to northern Spain will visit wine towns in the Navarra and Rioja regions, where medieval castles and cloisters sit on hilltops above the vineyards. The seven-day trip runs through November.

Cost: $2,095 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, some meals and van support. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Euro-Bike & Walking Tours; (800) 321-6060, www.eurobike.com.

Turkey: Belly Dancing

A tour of Turkey, which will include instruction in folkloric and belly dancing, is scheduled from Sept. 5 to 16. Joan Kafri of Santa Fe, N.M., who specializes in such trips, will take participants to historical sites in Istanbul; the Renaissance Resort at Antalya, where they will spend three days; and Perge, Aspendus and Side.

Cost: $1,950 per person, double occupancy, including lodging, three meals daily and ground transportation. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Joan Kafri Tours; (505) 983-7725.

Scotland and Ireland

Phoenix-based pastor David Burrows will lead a Brendan Tours excursion to his ancestral homeland in Ireland and to Scotland from Aug. 3 to 20. In the land of “Braveheart,” visitors can attend the Ceremony of the Haggis and sample some of the world’s best whiskies. Highlights include the Military Tattoo in Edinburgh and Stirling Castle in Scotland; the Waterford Crystal factory in Waterford, Ireland; the town of Killarney and Knappogue Castle in Shannon, Ireland. Participants will also spend a day learning about traditional customs with Burrows’ family at Portadown in Armagh near Newcastle, Ireland.

Cost: $3,990 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, accommodations, mealsand venue fees.

Contact: Hager Travel Group; (800) 227-7606.

Holland: Flowers

Richard Turner, editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine, will escort a summer tour to Amsterdam, Apeldoorn and the Hague in the Netherlands from Aug. 14 to 24.

Guests will visit the Floriade, an international horticulture exhibition held every 10 years, and Aalsmeer Flower Market. Also planned are castle, nursery and garden tours and a visit with landscape designer Thomas Brekelsmans.

Cost: $2,875 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, some meals, entrance fees and guides. Air fare to Amsterdam is extra.

Contact: Landmark Travel; (925) 253-2600, www.landmarktravel.com.

New Guinea: Festival

An annual tribal festival is one of the highlights of a 13-day journey to Papua New Guinea beginning Aug. 8. Travelers will take a three-night cruise on the Sepik River, spend a few days at the Karawari Lodge and stay three nights at Ambua Lodge in the remote Tari area.

Cost: $5,000 per person, double occupancy, including most meals, accommodations and guides. International air fare is extra.

Contact: Greg Stathakis at Travel World; (800) 676-1241, www.pngtravel.com.

Canada: Adventure

Austin-Lehman Adventures, which specializes in North American destinations, has a trip for foodies who also enjoy multi-sport outdoor adventures. From Aug. 25 to 30, guests will learn about edible wild mushrooms, fish for salmon, visit wineries, trap crabs and visit an oyster farm while they bike, hike, boat and kayak along British Columbia’s coastline. After a tour of Victoria, participants will go on a mushroom hunt with a local expert and end the day watching professional chef David Frey prepare dinner for the group.

Grapes are the next focus as cyclers pedal country roads through the Cowichan Valley, stopping at a winery for a tour and tasting. Participants will join a commercial fisherman as he talks about salmon fishing, crab trapping and oyster farming at a local marina. The group will then kayak along the shoreline to Sansum Narrows, where seals, river otters and bald eagles are plentiful. The last day will be spent at the Aerie Resort, whose restaurant has a gourmet menu, and travelers will get a lesson on how to create desserts.

Cost: $2,395 per person, double occupancy, including lodging, all meals, guides and classes.

Groups are limited to 12. Air fare and ferry transportation to Victoria are extra.

Contact: Austin-Lehman Adventures, (800) 575-1540, www.austinlehman.com.

Washington: Loop Tour

CIE Tours International is also focusing on the Northwest with its “Cascade Loop” trip, a weeklong excursion that departs selected Sundays through Oct. 6. It begins in Seattle, then follows Washington state’s scenic Loop Highway with stops in Everett, North Cascades National Park, Chelan, the Bavarian-style village of Leavenworth, Edmonds and Puget Sound.

Activities include visits to the Boeing Tour Center, Ft. Casey, Deception Pass State Park and Pioneer Village, a cruise on Lake Chelan, a ferry ride to Whidbey Island and a boat ride on the Skykomish River.

Cost: $1,098 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, bus transportation, airport transfers, many meals, entrance fees and luggage handling. Air fare is extra.

Contact: CIE Tours International; (800) 243-8687, www.cietours.com.

Utah: Canoeing

Wilderness Inquiry is offering several six-day, 70-mile canoe trips on the Green River in Utah, where paddlers can see red rock canyons and explore ancient Native American ruins. No experience is necessary; guides will give instruction. Along the way, travelers will camp at the river’s edge. Dates are Sept. 15 to 20, Sept. 30 to Oct. 5 and Oct. 13 to 18.

Cost: $795 per person, double occupancy, including camping gear, canoes, all meals and guides. Transportation to Utah is extra.

Contact: Wilderness Inquiry; (800) 728-0719, www.wildernessinquiry.com.

Japan: Cooking

A culinary tour to Japan will feature food markets in Tokyo, shops of artisan food producers, vegetable farms, visits with rice-wine makers and cooking classes. Cooking aficionados will stay in ryokans, traditional inns where guests sleep on futons over straw mats and bathe in hot springs. Participants will visit historical and cultural attractions in Tokyo, Kyoto and rural areas between the two cities. The 10-day tour begins Oct. 5 in Japan and will be led by Hiroko Shimbo, who is an authority on Japanese cuisine and has a cooking school in New York City.

Cost: $7,950 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, ground transportation, all meals, classes and sightseeing. Air fare to Japan is not included.

Contact: Gourmet on Tour; (800) 504-9842, www.gourmetontour.com.

California: Gold Country

California history aficionados can see where gold was discovered on a seven-day “Sierra Sojourn” bus tour from June 24 to 30. The chartered bus leaves from various places in the Los Angeles area and stops in Kernville (an 1860s town), Lone Pine, June Lake, Mono Lake and South Lake Tahoe. Then, traveling along California 49 (the ‘49er Trail), passengers will visit the small towns of Chinese Camp and Moccasin and the Marshall Gold Discovery and Empire Mine state historic parks in Coloma and Grass Valley, respectively. A two-hour tram tour in Yosemite National Park is included before returning home.

Cost: $855 per person, double occupancy, including transportation, accommodations, eight meals, admissions, porterage and guides.

Contact: S.T.E.P. Tours; (310) 377-1601.

*

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