Galapagos nature cruise celebrates Darwin

GALAPAGOS

Eco-friendly Darwin cruise

Honor Charles Darwin, his 200th birthday, the 150th anniversary of “On the Origin of the Species” and the 50th anniversary of Galapagos National Park on Abercrombie & Kent’s Conservation Consciousness in the Galapagos 11-day voyage. Joining you aboard the eco-friendly, 48-person M/V Eclipse will be Randal Keynes, Charles Darwin’s great-great-grandson, as well as British actress and conservationist Miranda Richardson.

Itinerary: Quito, Ecuador, to the Galapagos and back to Quito

Dates: Oct. 22 to Nov. 1

Price: $6,850 per person, not including a mandatory $1,000 tax-deductible pledge to the Charles Darwin Research Center. The price includes accommodations, meals, transfers, hotel taxes, a guided tour of Quito (including park and entrance fees), twice daily guide-led shore and wildlife excursions, snorkeling, kayaking and the services of an A&K; tour director. International airfares and airport taxes are not included.

Info: Abercrombie & Kent, Downers Grove, Ill.; (800) 554-7016, www.abercrombiekent.com

GREECE

Sea and land trip

Take in the best of continental Greece and its inimitable islands during Variety Cruises’ Classical Greece itinerary. The ancient and the modern blend beautifully in the form of culture and architecture during seven nights aboard the mega-yacht Harmony G, plus a two-night city stay.

Itinerary: Athens to Kea, Delos, Mykonos, Santorini, Crete, Monemvasia, Nafplion and Spetses

Dates: Departs Oct. 30

Price: Starting at $1,082 per week, double occupancy (single supplement 50%), which reflects a $750 discount that applies to this sailing date only, and including a two-night stay at the Ledra Marriott Hotel and a half-day tour of Athens; the rate does not include port charges.

Info: Variety Cruises, New York, N.Y.; (800) 319-7776, www.varietycruises.com

ZION NATIONAL PARK, UTAH

Marking Zion park’s centennial

Claim your share of the recent national parks craze amid southern Utah’s red rock bluffs, with Red Mountain Resort & Spa’s Zen to Zion package, celebrating Zion National Park’s 100-year anniversary. The four-day deal includes your choice of a daylong Zion experience -- spiritual, adventurous or educational.

Dates: Through Oct. 31

Price: Starting at $259 per person, per night, double occupancy, including deluxe accommodations, all meals, daily guided hikes, unlimited fitness and wellness classes and high-speed Internet access. Book online to save 5%.

Contact: Red Mountain Resort & Spa, St. George, Utah; (877) 246-4453, www.redmountainspa.com

KENYA

Annular eclipse safari

Gaze in amazement at the millennium’s longest annular eclipse (about 8 1/2 minutes) and at huge swaths of African wildlife during TravelQuest’s 12-day Kenya Annular Eclipse safari. Other highlights include crossing the equator, game drives, meeting Masai people and having eclipse meteorologist Jay Anderson along.

Itinerary: Nairobi to Mt. Kenya National Park, Samburu Game Reserve, Lake Nakuru National Park to Masai Mara and back to Nairobi

Dates: Jan. 12 to 23

Price: $4,390, double occupancy (single supplement $800), including hotel stays, most meals, a Nairobi city tour, land and air transfers, excursions and game-viewing drives, park fees and taxes, and services of guides and staff.

Info: TravelQuest International, Prescott, Ariz.; (800) 830-1998, www.travelquesttours.com

BELIZE

Guy-friendly yogo retreat

Limber up during the Yatra Yoga Belize Retreat, led by Robert Sidoti, the founder of broga -- yoga for regular dudes. During this weeklong retreat at Ak’Bol in Ambergris Caye, Sidoti will train attendees in a version of yoga that incorporates strength exercises such as push-ups and squats -- all set to guy-friendly tunes against a backdrop of the Caribbean Sea.

Dates: March 13 to 20

Price: Starting at $1,291, double occupancy (single supplement $167), including accommodations, all meals, yoga and meditation sessions and the opportunity to volunteer locally. The rate does not include airfare or taxes.

Contact: Yatra Yoga International, Santa Fe, N.M.; (888) 359-5020, www.yatra-yoga.com

-- Avital Binshtock

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itinerary@latimes.com