Strap on a mask and go snorkeling in tropical waters

WORLDWIDE

Play hide-and-seek with colorful tropical fish as you drift on a turquoise lagoon during a snorkeling tour off the island nation of Palau.

Palau, in the Pacific Ocean east of the Philippines, is one of four regions the nonprofit Oceanic Society is highlighting in a series of guided snorkeling tours at some of the world’s most scenic underwater spots. Also featured are Honduras and Belize in Central America and the Seychelles, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

“By the simple act of strapping on a mask, a whole new world becomes available,” said society president Birgit Winning. “The most exotic life in the ocean can be found in waters less than 25 feet deep. You don’t need a heavy scuba tank or expensive lessons.”

Naturalists accompany all Oceanic Society excursions. In the evening there are educational presentations on marine biology and coral reef ecology.

Palau’s Rock Islands, limestone ridges set in crystalline waters, are in a large lagoon that harbors more species of marine life than any similar-sized area in the world. Trips are scheduled April 29 to May 7 and Oct. 20 to 28. The cost is $2,985, including airfare from Honolulu.

Snorkeling safaris to Honduras visit the Bay Islands, about 30 miles from the mainland. The emphasis here is on a complex reef system less than 100 yards from participants’ over-water bungalows. A trip is planned April 26 to May 3; cost is $1,650. Airfare is not included.

Five- and eight-day programs are available in Belize, where participants visit atolls along the Belize Barrier Reef. A beginning snorkeling course also is offered at the society’s Blackbird Island Field Station. Tours range from $575 to $2,084. Several dates are available for each type of trip.

The Seychelles trip, aboard a 290-foot boat, is March 20 to April 6; prices start at $9,480.

Contact: San Francisco-based Oceanic Society Expeditions; (800) 326-7491, www.oceanic-society.org.

CANADA

Relish the super, natural charms of British Columbia

Get acquainted with Uncle Sam’s neighbor to the north on an eight-day tour of British Columbia that focuses on mountains, lakes and hot springs.

The self-drive itinerary, available in May, June, September and October, includes lodging at resorts and guest ranches along a route that begins in Vancouver and includes Whistler, 100 Mile House and Harrison Hot Springs, areas known for their fishing, hiking, golfing or biking.

Cost: Land-only rates begin at $739 per person, double occupancy, including a full-size rental car and accommodations.

Contact: Cartan Tours; (800) 422-7826, www.cartantours.com.

GERMANY

Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Here’s where to start

Say guten tag to a new German vocabulary, courtesy of a four-week study and travel program in Berlin sponsored by Long Beach City College.

The course, which begins June 14, offers five to seven units, with classes available in history, culture and the German language. Participants stay with German families, attend social events in Berlin and go on two weekend excursions, to Dresden and Weimar. Long Beach City College professor Ingrid Wollank will accompany the group.

Cost: $3,095 per person, including round-trip airfare from Los Angeles, accommodations, breakfast and dinner, a pass for public transportation within Berlin and sightseeing.

Contact: Ingrid Wollank, (562) 938-4690, https://fl.lbcc.edu/studyabroad.html. An orientation meeting will be held at 6 p.m. March 21 in the English Lounge at LBCC.

CENTRAL EUROPE

History both recent and remote in four countries

Explore the palaces, museums and castles of Central Europe on a 16-day tour of the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Germany.

The June 24 trip is being led by Charles Frazee, former professor of East European history at Cal State Fullerton.

The tour will begin in Berlin with a trip to Cecilienhof Palace, where Truman, Churchill and Stalin negotiated the Potsdam Treaty in 1945, dividing Germany into four zones of occupation. The group will visit the ornate Zwinger Palace and Old Masters gallery in Dresden, Germany, before traveling to Prague, Czech Republic, and Krakow, Poland. There will be a visit to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. The final stop on the tour will be Budapest, Hungary, where the group will take a dinner cruise on the Danube River.

Cost: $4,190 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip airfare from Los Angeles, accommodations, two meals daily, all tours and ground transport.

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

ALASKA

See and learn more with the Sierra Club

Cruise Alaska’s Inside Passage, watching massive glaciers calve and humpback whales breach, on a seven-night cruise escorted by Sierra Club leaders.

The May 19 trip, aboard the Dawn Princess, is a fund-raiser for the Angeles chapter of the Sierra Club. The ship sails north from Vancouver, Canada, visiting Glacier Bay National Park, College Fjord, Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway; the trip ends in Seward. The Sierra Club supplements regular activities with walking tours, hikes and discussions.

Cost: From $549 per person, double occupancy, plus port and government taxes. Accommodations, meals and entertainment are included. Airfare from Los Angeles to Vancouver and back from Seward is extra.

Contact: Montrose Travel; (800) 301-9673, www.montrosetravel.com/sierraclub.

*

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