Gone to Patagonia for a Hike in the Woods

Explore the southwestern section of remote Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile. Trip dates are Feb. 7 to 17. High Country Trekkers of Studio City will establish a base camp and participants can make day hikes to such places as Grey Glacier and French Valley. Without backpacks and the daily routine of setting up and taking down tents, participants will have more time for photographing and relaxing. Guanacos (cousin to the llama) roam freely throughout the park and guests will have frequent sightings of the South American condor. When the group is not camping on the trail, they will stay in hotels with full services.

Cost: $1,495 per person, double occupancy, including four nights in a hotel, park admission fees, daily breakfasts, all meals in the park, group equipment including stoves and tents while camping, ground transportation, airport transfers and guide service starting in Punta Arenas. Not included: air fare. Contact: Jim Gurnham at High Country Trekkers, 11950 Ventura Blvd., Suite 4, Studio City, CA 91604; telephone (800) 475-0004.

Mexico: Land, Sea

Combine a cruise and a train trip in Mexico. Departures are scheduled in December, January, March and April. The trip begins in La Paz, Mexico, where passengers board the 70-passenger Sea Lion or Sea Bird. The ships, which will have naturalists on board, then spend four days searching for whales, sea lions, rare birds and exotic flora. The cruise returns to La Paz, where the passengers fly to Los Mochis and the colonial town of El Fuerte for the train ride to the canyon.

The train ascends 8,000 feet to the summit of the canyon. Passengers spend a night in a lodge at the summit, spend the next morning exploring the canyon and then take the train to Chihuahua for a final night’s stay.

Cost: from $1,890 per person, double occupancy, including the flight from La Paz to Los Mochis, train excursion, hotels, most meals and sightseeing. Not included: air fare to Mexico. Contact: Special Expeditions; tel. (800) 762-0003.

Ski Telluride

Head for the Rockies for a ski trip to Telluride, Colo., March 1 to 9. Telluride has a new gondola that links the town with Mountain Village, an alpine community at 9,500 feet. Guests stay at the Ice House Hotel, where there are ski lockers for equipment. Cost: $1,595 per person, double occupancy, including limo service to and from LAX, round-trip air fare directly to Telluride, hotel, baggage handling, welcome dinner, five-day lift ticket and transportation in town. Contact: Jim Gurnham, High Country Trekkers, 11950 Ventura Blvd., Suite 4, Studio City, CA 91604; tel. (800) 475-0004.

Springtime in Italy

Visit the historic hill towns of Umbria and Tuscany from April 8 to 17. The historical focus of this journey is ancient Etruria, 12 city states between Rome and Florence whose inhabitants traded with the Greeks. The artistic focus is Piero della Francesca, a 14th century painter. The religious focus will be mystics San Francesco and Santa Chiara. Guests will visit such towns as Todi, Perugia, Assisi, Florence and Siena.

Cost: $2,950 double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, accommodations in Umbria, Tuscany and Rome, motor coach, local guides, daily breakfast, and 10 lunches and dinners with wine.

A three-night extension in Rome is available. Contact: Lee Hansen Travel Service, 712 Foothill Blvd., La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011; tel. (818) 403-9113.

Music at Sea

Norwegian Cruise Line is offering a Big Bands at Sea cruise April 26 to May 3. The cruise takes passengers to the eastern Caribbean with calls at St. Martin, St. Thomas and St. John. Scheduled big bands on the cruise include the Woody Herman, Larry Elgart, Artie Shaw and Hal McIntyre orchestras.

Cost: from $949 per person, double occupancy. Air fare is not included. Contact: Norwegian Cruise Line; tel. (800) 327-7030.

Yellowstone Winter

A field course in Yellowstone National Park called How Mammals Survive Winter is Jan. 25 and 26. Participants will explore the subnivean (below snow) world of mice, voles and weasels and study the scavenger food web supporting coyotes and mountain lions. The class will analyze the nutritional needs and energy balance of antelope, deer, elk and eagles. Morning lectures will be followed by afternoon laboratories to observe animals in winter. Guests will stay at the Lamar-Buffalo Ranch cabins. Cost: $120 per person, double occupancy, including cabin accommodations. Guests need to bring their own food. Kitchen facilities are available. Not included: transportation to the park. Contact: The Yellowstone Assn., P.O. Box 117, Yellowstone National Park, WY; tel. (307) 344-2294.

More Yellowstone

An 11-day cross-country ski trip to Jackson Hole, Wyo., and Yellowstone National Park departs LAX Dec. 26. Participants will lodge in Jackson for four days of downhill or guided cross-country ski tours in Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park.

Then they will travel by bus to Flagg Ranch, ski three miles along the Snake River to Yellowstone’s southern entrance and board heated snow coaches for the final leg to Old Faithful Snow Lodge, where they will ski and sightsee for four days. Ski tours through the geyser basins will take participants to the various geysers, including Old Faithful. Participants may spot wildlife, including bison, elk, moose, bald eagle and Canada geese. The last day in Yellowstone will feature a snow coach tour through the park with stops at Norris Geyser Basin and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Options on the trip include a sleigh ride dinner, snowmobile tour, dog-sled ride and elk refuge sleigh ride.

Cost: $1,375 per person, double occupancy, with round-trip air from LAX, lodging, ground transportation, guides, gratuities and park entrance fees. Not included: meals and lift tickets. Contact: Sierra Club-NSTS, Box 181, South Pasadena, CA 91031; tel. (805) 242-2205.

Spain and Portugal

The Exeter College of Art and Design, Devon, England, will conduct a special Easter tour March 22 to April 6, focusing on the cultural, religious and artistic heritage of Spain and Portugal. The tour begins in Madrid, Spain, and continues to Toledo, Segovia, Burgos, Leon, Seville, Costa del Sol, Granada, Cordoba and Santiago de Compostela. In Portugal, the tour stops at Lisbon and Porto.

In Spain, sites include the Prado Museum; El Escorial Palace; the golden Cathedral of San Isidro; Islesia de Santo Tomee, with its magnificent El Greco; the Gothic cathedrals of Burgos and Leon; the pilgrimage cathedral of Galicia for Easter Mass and its parade; a flamenco show in Seville; a traditional bullfight; the Alhambra, including the Alcazaba fortress; the Royal Palace; the Gilded Hall; the Hall of Kings and the Courtyard of the Lions; the Mesquite Cathedral of Cordoba and the world’s largest Gothic cathedral in Seville. In Portugal, an evening is spent on the town in Lisbon and a visit is made to the ancient Roman ruins at Conimbriga.

Cost: $3,449 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, hotels, all breakfasts, some dinners and lunches, transportation by private motor coach, admission fees, local guides and lectures. Contact: UET; tel. (800) 525-0525.

African Safari

A safari to Kenya and Tanzania, June 7 to 27, focuses on the wildlife at East African game reserves and national parks. Participants begin the trip with a city tour of Nairobi and an excursion to Giraffe Manor to hand-feed giraffes. Then the group travels by van to Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti Game Reserve and Lake Manyara National Park. In Kenya, guests visit Amboseli National Park, Samburu Game Reserve and the Masai Mara Game Reserve.

Cost: $4,499 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, hotels, entrance fees, all meals, baggage handling and guides. Contact: Don’s Selective Tours; tel. (818) 848-8141.

The Times is not responsible for changes in prices, dates or itineraries. These should be confirmed with cruise lines, travel agents or tour operators.