Tours & Cruises

CHINA

Yunnan’s villagers open their homes

Explore remote regions of China’s Yunnan province on foot, by horseback and by vehicle on three springtime expeditions that offer a close look at day-to-day village life.

The trips, April 8 to 26, May 1 to 20 and May 22 to June 10, include visits to isolated ethnic communities, where tourgoers will participate in traditional celebrations and stay in residents’ homes.

“The group has an opportunity not just to see but to live among the people and learn about their daily life,” said Brian Falconer, who has organized eco-tours into the region for nine years. The April trip focuses on tropical, southern Yunnan province, where participants find lodging in the homes of the Dai people, one of several minority groups living in Yunnan. The group spends four days in the village of Mengla. The trip coincides with the Dai water splashing festival, during which villagers wash off everyone’s bad luck.

The second and third tours are centered in mountainous northern Yunnan. The May 1 group will explore the maze of courtyard houses, shops and markets in the ancient city of Lijiang and travel by foot or horseback to Wenhai, a Naxi village, for a four-day stay.

On the final tour, the group visits the Tibetan region of Yunnan, touring Zhongdian, Dechen and the high grasslands of Litang. They will stay in Tibetan homes, hike and visit with villagers, monks and lamas.

Cost: $2,950 per person, double occupancy, including accommodations, meals, internal transportation and guides fluent in Mandarin and local dialects. Accommodations range from luxury hotels to village homes. Round-trip airfare from Los Angeles to Kunming, China, is not included.

Contact: Walk Softly Adventures of Duncan, British Columbia, Canada; (800) 746-1905, www.walksoftly.ca.

ARIZONA

Ladies, hit the trail and soak up some resort amenities

SADDLE up, cowgirls, for five-day trail riding adventures through the high desert country of southern Arizona. When you’re not cantering down a trail, you can play golf or tennis or indulge yourself with a massage.

The trips, planned March 28 to April 1 and April 2 to 6, are based at Rio Rico Resort and Country Club in the Santa Cruz Valley south of Tucson. Participants explore historic trails in the region during the day, returning to the resort each afternoon.

“We structure it so they can ride and enjoy the resort too,” said Edie Harrop, owner of the Bar H Ranch in Driggs, Idaho, who will lead the tour. “We take women riding each summer in the Grand Tetons, and many of them wanted a chance like this to ride in the off-season.”

Cost: $1,535 per person, including four nights’ lodging, all meals, equipment, guides and experienced trail horses. Shuttle service from the Tucson airport to the resort is available. Transportation from Los Angeles to Tucson is not included.

Contact: Bar H Ranch; (888) 216-6025, www.tetontrailrides.com.

EASTERN EUROPE

Creative writing comes with the territory

Roam through Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic during a creative writing course offered by West Los Angeles College.

The June 30-to-July 20 course, sponsored by the school’s Jewish American Cultural Studies program, will feature six days each in Krakow, Poland; Budapest, Hungary; and Prague, Czech Republic. The course has been designed for beginning writers and for those who have a work in progress. It is being taught by Bernard Goldberg, who has led creative writing programs in Prague and Jerusalem.

Cost: $2,645 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip airfare from Los Angeles, accommodations, daily breakfast, travel within Eastern Europe, tours and transports. Course fees are not included.

Contact: Bernard Goldberg, (310) 287-4551, e-mail goldbebm@wlac.edu.

CALIFORNIA

Tooling north from Los Angeles on two wheels

ReV the engine and head up Highway 1 during a three-day motorcycle tour along the California coast.

The March 21 excursion, on rented Harley-Davidsons, will cruise the coast to Santa Barbara, head inland for lunch at the Stagecoach Tavern in Los Olivos, then rejoin the coastal route at Pismo Beach. The next day, the group will tackle the twisting, hilly segment of highway along the Big Sur coast. Participants will be accompanied by guides and a support van and will stay in hotels in Pismo Beach and Monterey.

Cost: $549 per person, double occupancy, including Harley-Davidson rental, hotel accommodations and return flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

Contact: Los Angeles-based Eagle Rider; (800) 501-8687, Ext. 22, www.tours@eaglerider.com.

GREECE, TURKEY

The Bible, the Bosporus and lots of historic sites

Visit Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey, and cruise through the Greek Isles on a June 23-to-July 6 tour that focuses on biblical sites.

The tour includes a cruise on the Bosporus -- the narrow strait between Europe and Asia -- and visits to the Cappadocia region of Turkey and Athens.

Cost: $3,188 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip airfare from LAX, accommodations, breakfast and dinner and English-speaking guides.

Contact: Larry Bishop, (949) 581-9936, e-mail larryeb@pac bell.net. Bishop is coordinating travel arrangements for Nawas Tours.

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