TOURS & CRUISES

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

A region that’s a ‘living museum’ in the Pacific

Sail into the heart of one of the world’s last frontiers: rugged Papua New Guinea in the southwest Pacific Ocean.

The cruises are aboard the MTS Discoverer, a 42-passenger ship that explores the coast, rivers and highlands of the Melanesian nation, which is known for its diverse cultures, virgin rain forests and exotic wildlife. The cruises are four to 12 nights.

“It’s a living museum,” said Terri Koch, who represents the cruise line in the United States. “There are 800 cultures; that’s what makes the country so fascinating. Each village has its own culture, its own art and language.”

Papua New Guinea, a British commonwealth nation, was isolated from the rest of the world until 1933 when the first Europeans made contact with people in the remote Highlands region. Many areas of the country remain untouched by Western culture.

The 115-foot ship, which sails year-round, navigates the 550-mile Sepik River, which bisects the country. It also voyages to islands in the Bismarck and north Solomon seas.

Itineraries are flexible so the ship can detour for tribal festivals and celebrations.

Cost: Prices range from $1,400 to $4,200 per person, double occupancy, depending on the length of the cruise. Round-trip airfare from Los Angeles to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, is not included.

Contact: MTS Ltd.; (310) 785-0370, www.mtspng.com.

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SCOTLAND, IRELAND

Wandering the lochs and cities

of the British Isles

WARM to the way of life of the Scots and the Irish on a two-week tour that departs Aug. 2.

The trip begins in Glasgow, Scotland, visits the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond and Loch Ness and stops in Edinburgh before crossing the North Channel by ferry to Ireland.

In Northern Ireland, the group will walk on the volcanic formation known as the Giant’s Causeway and take a walking tour of Derry.

In the Irish Republic they will visit Killarney, the Iveragh Peninsula (known as the Ring of Kerry) and Dublin.

Cost: $2,971 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip airfare from LAX to Scotland and return from Ireland, accommodations, several meals and escorted tour.

Contact: Santa Monica-based Let’s Travel; (800) 458-7477.

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COLORADO

Culture of Native Americans echoes at historic sites

Join archeologists, astronomers and other scholars for programs exploring celestial events and their influence on the lives of the Native Americans of the Southwest.

A June 15-to-22 program, sponsored by the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez, Colo., begins with a two-day visit to Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico.

Participants will see rock art and visit the “great houses” of the ancestral Pueblo Indians (Anasazi) who once lived in the region.

They’ll also make a sunrise visit to Holly Site at Hovenweep National Monument, on the Utah-Colorado border, to witness the summer solstice and take a two-day raft trip down the San Juan River.

A second program, Oct. 19 to 25, will explore astronomy and the Navajo culture. It will include visits to Gobernador Knob (Spruce Mountain) and Blanco and Largo canyons, all in New Mexico, and Canyon de Chelly in Chinle, Ariz., which play a role in Navajo astronomy and related stories and myths.

Cost: The Pueblo program is $2,095; the Navajo program is $1,795. Both are per person, double occupancy, and include tuition, hotel accommodations, most meals and travel during the program. (The Pueblo program includes two nights of camping.) Round-trip transportation to Farmington, N.M., where the programs begin and end, is not included.

Contact: Crow Canyon Archaeological Center; (800) 422-8975, www.crowcanyon.org.

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FRANCE

River cruising through Burgundy and Provence

TAKE advantage of a slowdown in travel to France by embarking on a June river cruise that’s been discounted 65%.

The seven-night Viking River Cruise traverses the Rhone and Saone rivers in France, cruising Burgundy and Provence with stops in Lyon, Avignon and Viviers, among others. Participants cruise past some of France’s richest vineyards, tasting wines and foods of the region. The trips are June 7, 14 and 21.

Cost: From $599 per person, double occupancy, including an outside cabin with river view, meals, daily sightseeing tours with English-speaking guides, folkloric entertainment, lectures and transfers. The discount is valid through May 2. (Request offer 47Echo.)

Contact: Viking River Cruises; (877) 668-4546, www.vikingrivers.com.

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ARIZONA, UTAH

Visit red rock country in three national parks

ROAM the craggy hills of three of the Southwest’s national parks on a six-night trip for singles to Arizona’s Grand Canyon and Utah’s Zion and Bryce canyons.

The May 24 trip includes biking, hiking and optional horseback riding. Participants gather in Las Vegas and take a shuttle to Red Canyon and Bryce Canyon, Utah, where pink and red rock formations rise from the canyon floor. Two days are spent exploring the quiet North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and a day is spent at Zion National Park. Leisurely paced hiking and cycling are options at several locations, said tour organizer Tammy Weiler.

Cost: $2,198 per person, double occupancy (single supplement is $442), including hotel accommodations, all meals, park fees, bike rental, van shuttle support, baggage handling and gratuities at inns and restaurants. Naturalist guides will accompany the group.

Contact: Single Travel International; (877) SOLO-TRIP (765-6874), www.singlestravelintl.com.

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