Tours & Cruises

INDIA

Trek helps Indians in need

Ride to the rescue through Rajasthan, India, on a 15-day horseback trek beginning Feb. 24. The trip combines horseback riding with the delivery of medical, educational supplies and livestock to some of the area’s poorest villages.

Relief Riders International has partnered with the Indian Red Cross to provide medical staff and equipment for the project. An established local outfitter will provide horses and a full staff for riders of all experience levels. A jeep traveling with the group can accommodate weary riders.

Participants will stay one night at the Imperial Hotel in Delhi, three nights in forts and one night in a Rajput villa. The rest of the lodgings will be tents.

Cost: $4,800 per person, double occupancy ($300 single surcharge). Includes all meals, 16 nights’ lodging, Marwari horses, English trekking tack, support staff, guides and airport transfers. Airfare from Los Angeles is not included.

Contact: Relief Riders International, Great Barrington, Mass.; (413) 329-5876, www.reliefridersinternational.com.

ARIZONA

Different strokes

BRUSH up on your painting skills or learn to sculpt during one of three four-day workshops offered in January by the Desert Caballeros Western Museum and Rancho de los Caballeros in Wickenburg.

The first is a Jan. 10 watercolor class by Raleigh Kinney, followed by a Jan. 17 sculpture course taught by Cynthia Rigden and a Jan. 24 Western art class taught by Bill Anton.

Cost: $2,035 per person, double occupancy ($402 single surcharge). Includes lodging, all meals, three days of instruction, entertainment, taxes and gratuities. Airfare from Los Angeles is not included.

Contact: Rancho de los Caballeros, Wickenburg; (800) 684-5030, www.sunc.com or the Desert Caballeros Western Museum, (928) 684-2272, www.westernmuseum.org.

MEXICO

Cruise caters to the visually impaired

SAIL the Caribbean on a seven-night Carnival cruise departing Feb. 27 from Galveston, Texas, on the 2,600-passenger Elation.

The escorted tour accommodates the special needs of visually impaired travelers, seniors and their friends and family. Ports of call include Cozumel and Progreso City, Mexico, and Belize City, Belize.

Cost: $632 per person, double occupancy ($812 single cabin). Includes inside cabin, meals, entertainment, port taxes and charges. Airfare from L.A. is not included.

Contact: Sue Slater, Ticket to Travel; (314) 726-6893 or leave a message at (888) 726-9650.

PUERTO RICO

Modern art explored

Discover the contemporary art scene of Puerto Rico on an eight-day tour departing Feb. 20. It’s organized by the Palos Verdes Art Center and led by art historian Mary Drobny.

Participants will explore the culture and history of the island commonwealth through lectures, visits to the Ponce Museum of Art, private art collections and artists’ studios in San Juan. A trip to the rain forest region of El Junque is optional.

Cost: $2,875 per person, double occupancy ($400 single surcharge). Includes airfare, seven nights’ accommodations, some meals, ground transportation, guides, tour manager, museum admission, baggage handling and food service tips. Art center membership, $50 for an individual and $60 for a couple, is required.

Contact: Gail Phinney, Palos Verdes Art Center, Rancho Palos Verdes; (310) 541-2479.

ITALY

Women’s tour of Tuscany

WANDER Tuscany during a seven-night stay beginning March 17.

This leisurely women-only tour, based in Florence, visits Siena, Pisa and Chianti. A day of winery hopping includes stops in Passignano, Montefioralle, Greve and Volpaia.

An optional one-day tour of Venice is available.

Cost: $1,795 per person, double occupancy ($400 single surcharge). Includes accommodations, most meals, wine tastings, excursions, guides, tour manager and ground transportation. Airfare from Los Angeles is not included. Membership, $35 a year, is required.

Contact: The Women’s Travel Club, New York, (800) 480-4448 or (646) 723-2188, www.womenstravelclub.com.

The Times is not responsible for changes in prices, dates or itineraries. Send information to Tours & Cruises, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012, or e-mail travel@latimes .com.