TOURS & CRUISES

We’re talking politics

GAIN insight into China on a tour that will feature seminars with Richard Allen, former national security advisor to Ronald Reagan.

The 10-night trip, sponsored by Pepperdine University, will begin Oct. 15 and will include visits to Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai.

“Richard Allen will give briefings in each of the three cities,” said Michael Warder, Pepperdine vice chancellor. Topics include U.S.-China relations, political stability in China and issues with Taiwan. Receptions will be held in Hong Kong and Singapore, where the group meets with Pepperdine alumni and Chinese dignitaries.

Sightseeing in Hong Kong includes a ride on a cable car to view the city and the harbor and a ferry trip to Lantau Island, stopping at the Po Lin Monastery and Tai O fishing village, known as China’s Venice because of its many canals.

The group then flies to Beijing, where participants will explore the hutongs (ancient alleyways of the old city), climb the Drum Tower, tour the Forbidden City and see the Great Wall and the Ming tombs.

In Shanghai, the itinerary includes the Temple of Jade Buddha, the 16th century Yu Yuan Garden and the Shanghai Acrobatic Circus.

Cost: $6,805 per person, double occupancy ($1,600 single surcharge), including round-trip airfare from L.A., internal flights, hotels, most meals, entrance fees, tips, porterage, ground transfers and taxes.

Contact: Lakeside Travel, Burbank; (800) 782-4898.

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ITALY

Country is the cat’s meow

LOVE cats and Italy? Join the Friends of Roman Cats for an 11-night tour of Italian cat sanctuaries and historical sites.

The tour, which begins Oct. 5, visits Venice, Padua, Florence, Tuscany and Rome.

In Venice, the group will tour St. Mark’s Cathedral and Square, the Doge’s Palace and the Dingo cat sanctuary. In Padua, participants will see the 14th century frescoes of Giotto in the Arena Chapel.

In Florence, the itinerary includes the Duomo and the Baptistery with its famous doors created by Ghiberti and the Boboli Gardens, where 60 cats live in the hedges. In Tuscany, the group will tour a cat sanctuary on an estate near Bagno a Ripoli and a new shelter near the town of Arezzo They will also visit the cathedral in the medieval hill town of Orvieto.

In Rome, the tour visits the Vatican and Rome’s historic center. Other stops include a cat shelter in Torre Argentina and one in the Protestant cemetery where English poets Keats and Shelley are buried.

On their last day in Rome, participants visit the Coliseum and the Roman Forum and see the cats that inhabit the Markets of Trajan.

Cost: $2,400 per person, double occupancy ($400 single surcharge), including hotels, most meals, ground transportation, entrance fees and airport transfers. International airfare is not included

Contact: Friends of Roman Cats, San Francisco; (415) 334-8036, www.friendsofromancats.org.

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NEW MEXICO

Airships and pueblos

WATCH hot air balloons soar en masse at Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta on a six-night fall tour.

The tour, which begins Oct. 8, stops in Albuquerque for three days, then travels to Santa Fe and Taos.

Participants will visit artists’ studios and a pueblo near Albuquerque, Bandelier National Monument and the Taos Pueblo.

Cost: $1,500 per person, double occupancy ($300 single surcharge), including lodging, ground transportation, most meals and entrance fees. Airfare from Los Angeles and balloon flights are not included.

Contact: Aventura Artistica, Del Mar; (800) 808-7352, www.aventuraartistica.com.

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CALIFORNIA

Hike Half Dome, and eat well too

GRAB your backpack and head to Yosemite for a 25-mile trek that begins Sept. 4.

“Our guides are really experienced and very supportive,” said Janet Holt of Call of the Wild. “And the food is great.” Carole Latimer, the company founder, specializes in trail cuisine.

The women-only five-night backpacking trip starts in Yosemite Valley and ascends rugged Merced Canyon to the summit of Half Dome. The hike travels parts of the John Muir Trail, and back down past Vernal and Nevada falls where the Merced River plummets almost 600 feet.

Cost: $675 per person, including tents, meals, campground fees and guides.

Contact: Call of the Wild, Berkeley; (510) 849-9292, www.callwild.com.

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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., Los Angeles, CA 90012 or write via e-mail to travel@latimes.com.