TOURS & CRUISES

ANTARCTICA

Break the ice

Visit Antarctica’s eastern coastline during the austral summer when the sun never sets aboard the icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov. The 38-day voyage will depart from the Falkland Islands and end in Australia, with copter rides and landings in between at penguin rookeries, research stations and volcanoes.

Dates: Dec. 1 to Jan. 7

Itinerary: Stanley, Falkland Islands; South George and South Sandwich islands; Weddell Sea and Prydz Bay; Fremantle, Australia.

Price: From $38,400 per person double occupancy ($65,280 for a single cabin); includes on-board accommodations and meals, helicopter flights. Does not include transportation to the Falklands or return from Australia.

Info: Quark Expeditions, Darien, Conn.; (800) 356-5699, www.quarkexpeditions.com

ENGLAND

London culture splash

See Ian McKellen rage against the storm as King Lear during a London jaunt that takes in six theatrical performances, including the musical “Desperately Seeking Susan” and the South African group Isango Portobello performing Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.” The tour, led by L.A. arts writer Barbara Isenberg, also stops at museums and takes in two concerts.

Itinerary: Various London venues and Berkshire for a visit to the Astors’ 18th century Kirby House.

Dates: Dec. 27 to Jan. 5

Price: $5,989 per person, double occupancy ($1,000 single surcharge), includes round-trip airfare, accommodations, breakfast, interviews, talks, museum tours and group transfers.

Info: Susan Holden, Protravel International, Beverly Hills; (800) 301-3993.

NEW YORK

Shades of ‘Blonde’ and ‘Purple’

See three Broadway shows on a tour led by El Camino College professor Ron Scarlata. Participants will see two musicals -- “Legally Blonde” and “The Color Purple” (starring “American Idol” winner Fantasia) -- plus the drama “August: Osage County.” Included is at least one post-performance seminar with actors, plus guided tours of the city.

Dates: Dec. 26 to Jan. 1

Price: $2,295 per person, double occupancy (single surcharge $1,000); includes round-trip nonstop flight from Los Angeles to New York, accommodations, three shows, tour guide, bus tour of Manhattan, airport transfers, taxes, fees and some tips.

Info: Tour operator is Broadway Melody Tours, Los Angeles; for reservations or information, contact Scarlata at (310) 320-7534.

COSTA RICA

Tropical engagement

Get immersed in the wildlife, geology and ecology of Costa Rica with Connie Morgan, president of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Assn. Morgan escorts a trip that includes an aerial tram ride through a rain forest, speedboating on an alluvial flood plain, and volcano and cloud forest visits.

Dates: Nov. 10 to 18

Itinerary: San José, Braulio Carrillo and Tortuguero national parks, Arenal volcano and the Monteverde Cloud Forest.

Price: $2,995, double occupancy (single surcharge $395 per person), includes round-trip airfare from Los Angeles to San José, ground transfers, accommodations, some meals. Does not include U.S. and foreign airport taxes and tips.

Info: Greater Los Angeles Zoo Assn., (323) 644-4792, www.lazoo.org/calendar/travel.

JAPAN

Sleeping beauties

Get steamed in natural hot springs and visit ancient castles, gardens and a sleeping volcano on a tour that takes Westerners into fresh corners of Japan. Among other highlights, participants will tour the forested island of Miyajima and its torii, traditional Japanese Shinto shrine entry gates, and see the Korakuen and Suizenji gardens and the Zen garden of Ginkakuji Temple.

Itinerary: Osaka, Himeji, Hiroshima, Kyushu Island, Fukuoka, Beppu, Kumamoto, Nagasaki and Kyoto.

Dates: Nov. 6 to 17

Price: $3,100 per person, double occupancy (single supplement $800); includes round-trip airfare from L.A. to Osaka, domestic flight in Japan, accommodations, most meals, a traditional onsen (natural hot springs) bath, all tours and entrance fees.

Info: Hermes Travel & Tours, Torrance; (310) 791-5556, www.hermestoursonline.com.

--

amy.hubbard@latimes.com