TOURS & CRUISES

Cross paths with ancient traders along the Silk Road

CRISSCROSS the exotic lands traveled by Marco Polo, Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan on an ancient Silk Road tour organized by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

The 23-day Central Asia tour, which begins Sept. 22, visits Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, all former Soviet republics, stopping at the cities of Khiva, Shakhrisabz, 2,000-year-old Samarkand and Bukhara. The tour will traverse the mountains, lakes and deserts once crossed by caravans of traders.

Architecture is one highlight, said tour leader Christine Robison, who is travel program coordinator for the museum. “Central Asia and the Silk Road were immensely important to the development of world civilization but, regrettably, are little known today, considering how fascinating the region is.”

The tour will visit medieval madrassas (schools), mosques, residences, forts and palaces. The group also will see open-air markets, bazaars and museums and will have the opportunity to eat in private homes and mingle with residents.

Cost: $6,630 per person, double occupancy (single supplement $875), including accommodations, all meals, ground and air transportation during the tour, tips and insurance. Round-trip airfare from Los Angeles is not included.

Contact: Christine Robison, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County; (213) 763-3350, www.nhm.org/travel.

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COSTA RICA

Doing it the hard way -- strictly on muscle power

Bike, hike, raft and canoe your way across Costa Rica on 15-day coast-to-coast adventure trips.

The tours, scheduled through the end of the year, travel 150 miles from Costa Rica’s Pacific Ocean beaches to Tortuguero National Park on the Atlantic Ocean. The trip “uses only muscle power and is intended to challenge even those in good physical condition,” said tour operator Trish Sare. “You see Costa Rica the hard way, following backcountry trails, dirt roads and rivers.”

Tours begin and end in San Jose, the capital. Along the way, participants hike through Manuel Antonio National Park, raft Class III and IV rapids on the Pacuare River, bike across mountains, hike through the cloud forest in Tapanti National Park and canoe along canals in Tortuguero National Park.

Departures are planned for Aug. 16 and 30, Oct. 25, Nov. 23 and Dec. 20.

Cost: $2,295 per person, including gear (except sleeping bags), most meals and wilderness guides. Accommodations range from family-run guest houses to two-person tents. Airfare is not included.

Contact: BikeHike Adventures of Toronto; (888) 805-0061, www.bikehike.com.

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CANADA

In Toronto, a world-class festival for movie buffs

GET an insider’s look at the world of cinema on a Sept. 6-13 trip to the Toronto International Film Festival.

Los Angeles film critic and author Stephen Farber will lead the UCLA Extension tour, which will include screenings and discussions with filmmakers, critics and industry professionals.

The Toronto festival, one of the largest in the world, usually draws 250,000 viewers and attracts thousands of industry representatives from Canada, the U.S. and abroad, as well as a large international media contingent.

Cost: $2,050 per person, double occupancy ($750 single supplement), including seven nights’ accommodations, film passes, festival parties, special events and most meals. Registration for this UCLA course is required; the course fee is $260. Airfare to Toronto is extra.

Contact: Roxanne Roth, Crown International Travel; (800) 421-9537 or (310) 475-5661.

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EGYPT

Pyramids, the Sphinx and more ancient wonders

Cruise the Nile River and see other wonders of ancient Egypt on a tour Sept. 16 through Oct. 5. The all-inclusive tour includes five nights in Cairo, two nights in Aswan, five nights on a Nile cruise, two nights in Luxor, three nights in Hurghada and two nights in Sharm el Sheik.

Included in the itinerary are visits to the Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Valley of the Queens and Kings.

Cost: $2,750 per person, double occupancy (single supplement $650), including round-trip airfare from LAX to Cairo; air, water and ground transportation within Egypt; accommodations; breakfasts; and sightseeing tours.

Contact: Stan Mazin Travels, Sherman Oaks; (818) 990-4499, www.stanmazin.com.

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FRANCE, NETHERLANDS

Following in the footsteps of Vincent van Gogh

Celebrate the 150th anniversary of Vincent van Gogh’s birth on a 10-day tour to sites that inspired many of the artist’s masterpieces or that celebrate his genius.

The Sept. 7 tour visits Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum, the world’s major storehouse for the artist’s works, then travels to Paris to see the Musee d’Orsay, which features works by Impressionist and Postimpressionist artists.

While in Paris, the group will visit sites where Van Gogh lived, including Montmartre and Au- vers-sur-Oise, where the artist is buried.

The group, limited to 15 participants, also will visit Provence, in southern France, stopping at Arles and St. Remy, towns where Van Gogh also had lived.

Cost: $3,697 per person, double occupancy (single supplement $500), including round-trip airfare from LAX, intercity train transportation, accommodations, most meals, museum entry fees, city tours and transfers.

Contact: Enchanted France; (323) 931-1769, www.enchanted-france.com.

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