The call of the wild horses

TRACK mustangs for four days in the High Sierra on a trail ride that begins May 12.

Participants ride out each day to photograph the horses and study their behavior.

The group spends the first two nights in Benton Hot Springs. “It’s a neat place. It’s a living ghost town,” said Craig London, trail leader and veterinarian. “Then we ride up into the high country, where we’ll see wild horses, bighorn sheep, mountain lions and eagles.”

From Benton, where participants can camp or stay in a hotel, the group rides to Adobe Valley and the Pizona high country in Inyo National Forest, camping for two nights along the way.

Cost: $595 per person, double occupancy for four nights of camping; $695 for two nights in a hotel and two nights of camping ($30 single surcharge). Included are accommodations, meals, mounts, guides, tents, camping equipment and ground transportation. Transportation from Los Angeles is not included.

Contact: Rock Creek Pack Station, Bishop; (760) 872-8331, www.rockcreekpackstation.com.

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ITALY

Food, wine, art and la dolce vita

DELVE into the art and food of Italy on a tour from Rome to Lake Como that begins June 11.

The 14-night trip, led by Giovanni Tempesta, a lecturer at Stanford University, tours the hill towns of Umbria, plus Urbino and Ravenna.

Participants will see the Duomo in Orvieto and early 14th century frescoes by Giotto in Padua, visit a ceramics factory in Deruta and enjoy a cooking lesson in Montefalco.

Four days will be spent touring the lake region and boating on Lake Como.

Cost: $4,200 per person, double occupancy ($600 single surcharge), including hotels, most meals, internal transportation and admissions. Airfare from Los Angeles to Rome and return flight from Milan are not included.

Contact: Little World Travel, Belmont, Calif.; (888) 292-0664, www.littleworld.com.

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CALIFORNIA

An enchanting plein-air landscape

PACK the easel box and head to Channel Islands National Park for six days of plein-air painting.

The 55-foot, six-passenger Enchanted Lady sails from Long Beach to Santa Cruz Island.

“What’s really nice about this time of year is that the light is wonderful,” said tour operator Len Daniello. “There are a number of sites that are outstanding,” including Smugglers Cove, Prisoners Harbor and Scorpion Ranch.

Participants sleep and eat aboard the boat.

Cost: $1,050 per person, double occupancy ($525 single surcharge), including berth accommodations and meals.

Contact: Horizons West Adventures, Huntington Beach; (714) 536-9316, www.horizonswestadventures.com.

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SOUTHEAST ASIA

Explore Thailand and Singapore

TRAVEL to Singapore and Bangkok, Thailand, on a seven-night tour organized by public broadcasting station KCET.

The trip, which begins April 8, includes a tour of the studios of ChannelNewsAsia and a private reception at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore.

Participants will visit several of the city’s ethnic communities, tour the National Orchid Garden and shop before flying to Bangkok.

There, participants will visit temples and travel by yacht to the ancient capital of Ayutthaya to see the temple complex of Wat Phra Mahathat.

The group will join in the Songkran Festival, the traditional Thai New Year.

Cost: $4,100 per person, double occupancy ($600 single surcharge), including round-trip airfare from Los Angeles, airfare between Singapore and Thailand, hotels, meals, ground transportation, sightseeing, entrance fees and airport transfers.

Contact: Tony Lease Incentive Tours, Palm Springs; (866) 696-2525, www.tonylease.com.

The Times is not responsible for changes in prices, dates or itineraries. Send information to Tours & Cruises, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A., CA 90012; travellatimes.com.