TOURS & CRUISES

ANTARCTICA

Trip to the bottom of the world

VOYAGE to the bottom of the globe on a 13-night cruise that retraces some of the route of British Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.

The ice-rated 90-passenger MV Explorer departs Jan. 27, during the Antarctic summer. Dave German will lead the group on daily landings, including stops on the icebergs near Joinville Island, Crystal Sound and Elephant Island. “We visit the Danger Islands, where the whole sea is alive with penguins jumping around,” said German, president of Fathom Expeditions.

Participants of all ability levels can take guided hikes on a volcano, join motorboat whale-watching excursions, walk the beaches or take history, biology or photography seminars.

Cost: $4,995 per person, double occupancy ($2,500 single surcharge); includes all meals, accommodations, excursions, guides, seminars, permits and landing fees. Airfares to Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, Argentina, are not included.

Contact: Fathom Expeditions Inc., Toronto, Canada; (800) 621-0176 or www.fathomexpeditions.com.

CANADA

Bear buggy

on the tundra

WATCH polar bears on their annual march from the Arctic tundra to winter on frozen Hudson Bay on a two-day trip to Churchill beginning Oct. 16.

Tourists, accompanied by a naturalist guide, will observe the bears at close range from aboard a heated, 36-passenger vehicle equipped with a restroom.

Cost: $999 per person, double occupancy ($126 single surcharge); includes charter flight from Winnipeg to Churchill, two nights’ accommodation in Winnipeg, most meals, guide and full-day tundra buggy tour. Airfare to Winnipeg is not included.

Contact: The Great Canadian Travel Co., Chicago; (800) 661-3830, www.greatcanadiantravel.com.

BALI

Pick a favorite island pursuit

Lounge on the beaches of Benoa and Nusa Dua during a two-week independent tour of Bali, with departures through Nov. 30 or Jan. 10 to March 31.

Travelers can take up to three full-day and two half-day guided excursions during their stay. The tours include Bali Bird Park, Kintamani (the volcanic crater in the middle of the island) or the eastern region of Bali with stops at the sultan’s water palaces and temples.

Another option is a day of shopping in nearby villages for jewelry, paintings, and stone and wood carvings.

Cost: $999 per person, double occupancy ($250 single surcharge); includes 12 nights’ accommodations, airfare from Los Angeles, airport transfers, daily breakfast, three full-day and two half-day sightseeing tours. Airport taxes and most meals are not included.

Contact: Natrabu Travel, San Francisco; (800) 628-7228, www.natrabuusa.com.

BALTIC COUNTRIES

Enjoy the ride in East Europe

TAKE a seven-day winter road trip through the Baltic region between Nov. 1 and Dec. 12, and leave the driving to the locals.

Travelers will stay two nights each in Vilnius, Lithuania; Riga, Latvia; and Tallinn, Estonia. They’ll be escorted between cities and on sightseeing excursions by private car.

Cost: $1,944 per person, double occupancy (single supplement not available); includes airfare from Los Angeles, six nights’ lodging, daily breakfast, private car transfer between cities and to and from the airport, hotel taxes and service charges. Most meals are not included.

Contact: Nordic Saga Tours, Edmonds, Wash.; (800) 848-6449, www.nordicsaga.com.

MEXICO

Ripe vintages with a Baja vantage point

TASTE the fruits of the Guadalupe Valley, Baja California’s wine country, on a two-day bus tour of the region that begins Oct. 23.

The group departs from San Diego, stopping first at the Chateau Camou winery, which has won awards for its fume blanc, for a tour and tasting. Then it’s on to the boutique winery Monte Xanic and L.A. Cetto for lunch.

After a night at a hotel in nearby Ensenada, the group travels to the Santo Tomas Valley, another of Baja’s wine-producing areas, to tour the Santo Tomas Winery. The tour group stops for lunch in Puerto Nuevo on the way back to San Diego.

Cost: $199 per person, double occupancy ($40 single surcharge); includes bus transportation, accommodations, tours, tastings and lunch.

Contact: Baja California Tours Inc., La Jolla; (800) 336-5454 or (858) 454-7166.

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