Tours & Cruises

PORTUGAL

Coastal walks, sea grottoes

TAKE the road less traveled on an eight-day walking tour of the Algarve area of Portugal.

The Easy Rider tour begins April 2 in Faro and heads to Tavira for two nights at a former 17th century convent, then continues through the Ria Formosa nature reserve along the coast and into the foothills to Malhada do Peres, an ancient village.

Participants will spend two nights in Querenca and visit the Barrocal countryside and hike the cliffs of Rocha da Pena.

Tour participants also will take a boat cruise through the sea grottoes in Lagos and walk the beaches near Senhora da Rocha.

“It’s off the beaten path and then some,” said Nancy Roeder, co-owner of Easy Rider Tours of Newburyport, Mass.

The company employs native guides. “They are showing you things that you won’t find in a guidebook,” she said.

“We also time everything to the weather. In April, everything is in full bloom, and the tourists aren’t there yet.”

Cost: $2,295 ($490 single surcharge). Includes accommodations, dinners with wine, breakfasts and two picnics, guides and ground transportation. Transportation from Los Angeles to Faro is not included.

Contact: Easy Rider Tours, (800) 488-8332, www.easyridertours.com.

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NETHERLANDS

Dutch art, garden cruise

EXPERIENCE the Flemish landscape and the paintings of the Dutch Golden Age on a nine-night tour and river cruise sponsored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The 120-passenger riverboat Heidelberg will sail April 6 from Amsterdam to various ports, including Middleburg and Arnhem, and the Belgian cities of Ghent, Bruges and Antwerp.

Nadine M. Orenstein, curator and specialist in 16th and 17th century Dutch drawings at the Met, will lead the tour to museums and architectural sites along the route, such as the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem and the Mauritshuis in Amsterdam.

Anna Pavord, British garden expert and author, will join the tour as guest lecturer, providing insights into many gardens.

Cost: $3,995 to $5,995 per person, double occupancy, depending on cabin ($1,500 single surcharge). Includes two nights in hotels in The Hague, seven nights’ ship accommodations, all meals aboard the cruise and most meals on land, escorted sightseeing, entrance fees, gratuities, taxes and porterage charges. Airfare from Los Angeles is not included.

Contact: Academic Arrangements Abroad, New York, (800) 221-1944, www.arrangementsabroad.com.

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NEVADA

The writing on the walls

VIEW ancient petroglyphs Feb. 12, March 12 or April 9 on a guided six-hour walking tour in the Valley of Fire near Las Vegas with the Nevada Rock Art Foundation.

The petroglyphs are thought to have been the work of ancient indigenous people and are 2,000 to 5,000 years old, said Alanah Woody at the Nevada State Museum.

Tour-goers are advised to take plenty of water, bring a lunch and wear a hat and sturdy walking shoes.

Cost: Free. Transportation is not included.

Contact: The Nevada Rock Art Foundation, Reno; (775) 782-5990. To register for the tour, call Woody at the Nevada State Museum, (775) 687-4810, Ext. 229, or evenings, (775) 782-5990, www.nevadarockart.org.

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CALIFORNIA

Fungi hunt in Big Sur

FIND fungi on a mushroom hunt as part of a two-night stay at the Ventana Inn & Spa in Big Sur.

Chuck Bancroft, a California state ranger and member of the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz, will lead a morning class Feb. 9 followed by a wild mushroom-themed lunch at Cielo restaurant and a cooking class with Wendy Brodie.

Cost: $475 a night. Includes mushroom hunt for one person ($90 for additional person), mushroom lunch, dinner for two, two spa treatments, daily continental breakfasts, daily afternoon yoga sessions, classes and guided walks. Must include a Wednesday-night stay. Transportation from Los Angeles is not included.

Contact: Ventana Inn & Spa, Big Sur; (800) 628-6500, www.ventanainn.com.

Contact: Academic Arrangements Abroad, New York; (800) 221-1944, www.metmuseum.org/events/evtravel.asp.

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