Tours and cruises in Hawaii, Asia and Europe

HAITI

Lend a helping hand

If you want to help ease some of the pain caused by the January earthquake in Haiti, here’s an opportunity: In this package, you’ll travel to the Caribbean country and help construct a computer classroom for a school in Jacmel and part of a home for orphaned boys in Port-au-Prince. The volunteer work is physically demanding, but you get time off to tour Jacmel, an art-filled port town; to travel to Bassin-Bleu, a series of waterfalls and basins; to play with children and join their folkloric dance classes; to visit the azure waters of Ti Mouillage beach; and to browse Croix-des-Bouquets, a village with a population of metalworking artisans.

Itinerary: Port-au-Prince to Jacmel and back

Dates: Aug. 15-29 or Nov. 21-Dec. 5

Price: The basic package is $500 and includes a stay in tents or on floor pads, and includes breakfasts and lunches. An upgraded version costs $1,500 and includes hotel accommodations and all meals. Both packages include transportation, a volunteer orientation and training, sightseeing activities and a 5% donation to local causes. Airfare is not included.

Info: Elevate Destinations, Cambridge, Mass.; (617) 661-0203, https://www.elevatedestinations.com

CHINA

A highlight show

This 12-day “Magical China & Yangtze River” itinerary hits many of China’s highlights, including the Great Wall, the Three Gorges Dam, Tiananmen Square, Xian’s terra-cotta warriors and the giant pandas at Chongqing Zoo. Five days of the trip are aboard Victoria Cruises’ newest vessel, the upscale Victoria Jenna, and along the Yangtze, you’ll take in centuries-old pagodas, traditional entertainment nightly and tai chi lessons. Other cultural experiences await, such as a family tea ceremony, a noodle-making demonstration by a master chef, a Chinese calligraphy class, a silk-factory visit, a rickshaw ride, a lacquer workshop and an acrobatic show.

Itinerary: Beijing to Xian, Chongqing, the Yangtze River and Shanghai

Dates: Departures Aug. 29-Oct. 3

Price: From $2,929, double occupancy, including accommodations onboard the boat and at hotels, intra-China flights, some meals, shore excursions and sightseeing but excluding international airfare.

Info: Avalon Waterways, Littleton, Colo.; (877) 797-8791, https://www.avalonwaterways.com

ITALY

To Verona and beyond

TourCrafters’ “Forever Young” package, inspired by the film “Letters to Juliet,” is an affordable way to visit Verona, the town Shakespeare chose as the setting for “Romeo and Juliet,” and Tuscany, that idyllic region of beauty and food.

Dates: Departures September through December

Price: Starting at $799 for November and December dates; $929 for September and October dates, double occupancy, including round-trip airfare from New York to Verona (add $223 for L.A. departures), a seven-day car rental, three nights’ lodging in Verona, three nights’ lodging in Cortona, daily breakfast and admission to the Villa Aurea’s spa. The price does not include airport taxes or fuel surcharges. Similar packages that are more luxurious but also more expensive are also available.

Info: TourCrafters, Libertyville, Ill.; (800) 482-5995, https://www.tourcrafters.com

PERU

Nature and culture

The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Assn., with Classic Escapes (www.classicescapes.com), is offering a wildlife- and culture-filled journey, the 16-day “Classic Adventure to Peru,” that includes time in bustling cities, along the coast and on the Amazon River. Start with a tour of Lima that visits the Plaza de Armas, the Archaeological Museum and dinner in a pre-Columbian temple. Then fly over the 2,000-year-old Nazca Lines, visible only from above, and forge into Paracas National Reserve, a marine-conservation center where whales, otters and penguins thrive. A boat trip to the Ballestas Islands yields yet more marine-life sightings before a boarding of the M/V Delfin II for a five-day Amazon River cruise through the world’s largest protected wetland, the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve. An array of bird species as well as exotic fish, pink river dolphins and red howler monkeys will all be on view as nature-expert guides proffer their knowledge. During stops at indigenous villages, locals share traditions, rituals and folklore.

Itinerary: Los Angeles to Lima, Nazca Lines, Paracas, Ballestas Islands, Pachacamac, Iquitos, Nauta, the Amazon River, Belluda Caño, El Dorado River, Atún Poza, Río Pacaya, Caro Curahuayte, the Yarapa River, Puerto Miguel and back to Iquitos, Lima and L.A.

Dates: Oct. 29-Nov. 8

Price: $5,995, double occupancy, including intra-Peru flights, overnight accommodations at hotels and on the boat, most meals, naturalist guides, entrance fees, most tips, hotel taxes and a donation toward conserving Peruvian wildlife. The rate does not include international airfare. A six-day post-trip extension is available to Cuzco and Machu Picchu for an additional $2,695.

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

HAWAII

Learning legends

Bob and Kelly Wilhelm have led small-group tours of the Big Island since 1994. Their specialty is storytelling, which they incorporate into every element of a journey that consists of day trips from the Japanese-themed Manago Hotel. Their November itinerary visits a volcano and black-sand beaches, artists and folklorists and national and state parks. The focus on tradition and history ensures that travelers gain a thorough understanding of the legends of the Pacific Islands. Cultural experiences include touring a coffee plantation, exploring a ranch, strolling native botanical gardens and attending musical performances.

Dates: Nov. 10-19

Price: Lodging starts at $700, including most meals; tuition costs $1,300, including lectures, seminars, entrance fees and performances; communal minivan transportation costs $250, or you can rent your own car.

Info: Storyfest Journeys, Hagerstown, Md.; (301) 791-9133, https://www.storyfestjourneys.com

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