Tours

February 2017 issue | Appears on page 48

“TOUR DE CHOCOLAT”

7-day, 6-night tour in SWITZERLAND, May 7-13 and Oct. 22-28, 2017. Highlights: Transfer from Zürich to Lucerne for cogwheel excursion to Mt. Pilatus/lake cruise to Ibach for tasting at Felchlin Chocolate/Goldenpass Scenic Railway to Montreux for hands-on chocolate workshop/truffle hunting in Jura Mountains/in medieval walled city of Gruyères, castle, cheesemaking tour/wine tasting in Lavaux vineyards. $3,595 ppdo. Single supp., $299. Alpenwild (Provo, UT; 801/226-9026, www.alpenwild.com)....

February 2017 issue | Appears on page 48

“ROMANIA!”

13-day, 12-night folk dance tour, Aug. 5-17, 2017. Meet with local folk dance groups. Highlights: In Bucharest, Romanian Athenaeum, National Museum of the Romanian Peasant/next to River Olt, 14th-century Cozia Monastery/in medieval town of Sibiu, Transylvania, folk-dance lessons/in Cluj, Turda Salt Mine/in Maramures¸ region, Merry Cemetery, dance lessons/in Bukovina, Wooden Spoons Museum/in Bras¸ov, Black Church, Bran Castle. Land only, $3,395 ppdo; land & air (from Newark,...

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February 2017 issue | Appears on page 48

“JOURNEY THROUGH CENTRAL ASIA: THE FIVE ’STANS”

21 days, 20 nights; departures in April-May and August-October 2017. Group limit, 16. Highlights: In Almaty, KAZAKHSTAN, Zenkov Cathedral in Panfilov Park/in KYRGYZSTAN, Lake Issyk-Kul, Burana Tower, Bishkek/in Khujand, TAJIKISTAN, Muslihiddin Madrassah/in Fergana Valley, UZBEKISTAN, silk and ceramics villages/oasis towns of Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva/in TURKMENISTAN, Merv and Ashgabat. $7,895 ppdo. Single supp., $1,295. Internal air, about $330. MIR Corporation (Seattle, WA; 800/424-7289,...

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February 2017 issue | Appears on page 48

“INDIA’S PALACE ON WHEELS”

15-day, 14-night train tour; departures Sept. 6, Oct. 18, Nov. 15, 2017. Highlights: In Delhi, city tours/narrow-gauge train to Shimla for city tour/board Palace on Wheels hotel train in Delhi for visits to Jaipur, Ranthambore National Park (home to tigers), walled desert town of Jaisalmer, Jodhpur/rickshaw ride to Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary/in Agra, Taj Majal. From $4,495 ppdo; from $6,175, single. Great Rail Journeys (Saviour House, 9 St. Saviourgate, York, England YO1 8NL, U.K.; in US, 866/...

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February 2017 issue | Appears on page 48

“CYCLE JAPAN”

13-day, 12-night moderate-level bike trip, avg. 31 miles per day for 9 days. Support vehicle throughout trip. Highlights: In Kyoto, Ginkaku-ji and Nanzen-ji temples/train to Kanazawa for bike tour of Kenroku-en Garden/on Noto Peninsula, Chirihama Beach Road, So¯jiji Temple, ryokan-style lodge/Wakura Onsen hot spring resort/in Shogawa River Valley, historic village of Shirakawa-go. Land only, from $5,350 ppdo, per dates. Optional single supp., $270. Explore! (Oakland, CA; 800/715-1746,...

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February 2017 issue | Appears on page 48

“FAMILY GALAPAGOS ADVENTURE”

10 days, 9 nights in ECUADOR; departures in June and July 2017. Highlights: Drive from Quito to Otavalo for volcanoes, local artisans/fly to San Cristóbal to board M/Y Letty for week-long cruise to volcanic islands/hike up Frigatebird Hill/snorkel with sea lions/Cerro Dragon, home to iguanas/black sand beach at Urbina Bay. $6,995–$7,995 ppdo. Single supp., 1.5 times regular rate. Internal air, $550, adults; $350, 11 & under. Galapagos park fee & transit card, $120, adults; $70...

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January 2017 issue | Appears on page 50

“FAT (TIRE) BIKING IN FINLAND”

8 days, 7 nights in Oulanka National Park (5 days’ moderate-level cycling, 3-6 hours per day), March 26-April 2 and April 9-16, 2017. Highlights: Receive bike, equipment at lodge/ride prepared trails through taiga and pine forests, home to reindeer and moose/Lake Paanajärvi on Russian border/Oulanka Visitor Centre/Finnish sauna. $1,705-$1,785 (per dates) per person. Exodus Travels (112 Merton St., Toronto, ON, M4S 2Z8, Canada; 844/227-9087, www.exodustravels.com).

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January 2017 issue | Appears on page 50

“PARIS AND THE MEGALITHS OF BRITTANY”

8-day, 7-night slow-paced photo and art tour through FRANCE, June 5-12, 2017. Highlights: Arrive in Rennes by train from Paris/take van to Morbihan in Brittany for Carnac alignments, Locmariaquer megaliths and sunset and morning shoots/burial cairn on island of Gavrinis/in Paris, Eiffel Tower, Louvre. $2,499 per person, double occupancy (ppdo). $2,999 single. La Belle France Tours (Fresno, CA; 559/960-7347, www.labelle francetours.com).