TOURS & CRUISES

HONG KONG

New Year’s festivities in a city where fireworks are just the start

Ring in the Year of the Goat in one of the world’s most colorful cities: Hong Kong.

A low-cost eight-day trip to Asia will be highlighted by Chinese New Year celebrations in Hong Kong, where parades of brightly colored serpentine dragons -- some up to 100 feet long -- will snake along city streets accompanied by marching bands, lion dancers and other performing groups. Fireworks will light up city streets and the harbor to send off the old year and welcome the new.

Departures are scheduled Jan. 27, 28 and 29 from Los Angeles on Northwest Airlines and from San Francisco on United Airlines.

Chinese New Year, celebrated by almost one-fourth of the world’s population, begins Feb. 1. According to Chinese astrology, a patron animal lends its personal characteristics to the entire year. Next year’s animal, the goat, is regarded as being artistic, intelligent and creative.

Cost: $960 to $1,810 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from LAX to Hong Kong, a choice of nine hotels ranging from first class to deluxe, bleacher seats for the New Year’s Day parade, five breakfasts, a half-day city tour, museum pass, airport transfers, tour guide, baggage handling, hotel taxes and service charges.

Contact: New York City-based Pacific Delight Tours; (800) 221-7179, www.pacificdelighttours.com.

A similar tour is available for $1,198 per person, double occupancy, from Whittier-based Village Travel Agency, (888) 945-1160.

MEXICO

Eyeball to eyeball with calving whales in Baja

GET close to the giants of the animal kingdom on winter whale-watching trips to Baja.

Five-day tours, with San Diego departures from Feb. 4 to March 16, journey to San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja to watch migrating gray whales. The huge mammals annually travel more than 5,000 miles from the frigid waters of the Bering Sea to the warm waters of the desert lagoon to mate and calve.

Participants stay in a safari-style camp at Rocky Point overlooking the lagoon. Accommodations are in tents.

Excursions into the lagoon to see the whales are available in 22-foot Mexican fishing pangas. Naturalists hold programs and discussions.

Cost: $1,925 per person, double occupancy, including air and bus transportation from San Diego to San Ignacio Lagoon, meals, transfers, accommodations, fees and taxes. Seven-day itineraries are available.

Contact: Baja Discovery; (800) 829-2252, www.bajadiscovery.com.

GERMANY

Culture and history on a quick trip to Berlin

SEE Checkpoint Charlie, the Brandenburg Gate, Museum Island and other well-known sites in Berlin during a low-cost five-day, three-night tour.

The package, which costs $849 per person, double occupancy, includes round-trip transportation from LAX on Swiss airline and accommodations at the Kempinski Bristol Hotel on the Kurfurstendamm. Daily buffet breakfast and a city orientation tour are included.

The package is available through March 31. During the holiday season, Dec. 14 through Jan. 10, the price increases to $1,099.

Contact: Nordique Tours/Norvista; (310) 645-7527, www.nordiquetours.com.

WYOMING

Wildlife in snow and other sights in Yellowstone study

Learn to love the big bad wolf during winter educational programs at Yellowstone National Park.

Courses focus on wolves, wildlife and outdoor skills. Some are field seminars; others are hotel-based learning vacations that combine recreation with study.

“Winter is an excellent time in Yellowstone to view wildlife, find solitude and enjoy spectacular scenery,” said Jeff Brown, director of educational operations for Yellowstone Assn. Institute, the nonprofit sponsor of the sessions.

All the field seminars are held at Lamar Valley Buffalo Ranch, a residential campus and National Historic Site. Instructors are scientists, photographers and authors. Seminars last two to four days. Participants stay in simple log cabins at the site for $22 per person per night. Seminar fees range from $115 to $245 per person.

Of the 23 seminars offered this winter, eight study Yellowstone’s wolf population. Others focus on coyotes, snow tracking, ravens, wildlife observations, avalanche safety and first aid. Snowshoeing and skiing courses are also held. Seminars begin this month and continue through March.

Learning vacations also are held at two park hotels: Mammoth Hot Springs and Old Faithful Snow Lodge. Once again, wolf observation is the most popular course. Two-day wolf study programs are offered twice each week, Wednesday to Friday and Friday to Sunday, Jan. 1 through Feb. 28. A five-day program called Introduction to Yellowstone in Winter will run Jan. 5 to Feb. 28. Wildlife watching, snowshoeing, snow coach tours and ski trips are included.

Courses are taught by naturalist/guides at the institute.

Cost: Rates for the programs vary, but the hotel-based courses range from $239 for the two-day wolf observation program to $770 for the five-night Introduction to Yellowstone program. Included are lodging, breakfast and lunch, ski or snowshoe rental, in-park transportation and optional evening programs. Transportation to Yellowstone is not included.

Contact: Yellowstone Assn. Institute. For field seminars telephone (307) 344-2294; for hotel-based programs call (307) 344-5566, www.yellowstoneassociation.org.

*

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