Tours & Cruises: Camping in Utah among shelter animals
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UTAH
Camp out among furry friends
Volunteer your time with orphaned animals at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, America’s largest no-kill pet shelter, then enjoy hiking and camping in a national park, either Grand Canyon or Zion. Scientist Jonathan Balcombe, the author of “Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals,” accompanies the Zion itinerary. The first segment of your vacation may include feeding, grooming, walking or training cats, dogs, birds, horses or pot-bellied pigs. You can even keep an animal in your cabin overnight, if you like. The second part of your travels takes you, via national-park travel specialists Adventure Bus (www.adventurebus.com), into nature’s grandeur for an immersive outdoor experience.
FOR THE RECORD:
Tour price: A June 6 Travel section brief in Tours & Cruises about Paul Gauguin Cruises’ South Pacific trip implied that the cruise price —$6,195 -- would be eligible for a 45% discount if the trip was booked by June 30. That price already reflects the discount.
Dates: Aug. 9-14 for the Grand Canyon; Oct. 5-10 for Zion
Price: The August Grand Canyon trip starts at $1,167; the October Zion trip starts at $1,308, double occupancy, including all transportation (starting in Las Vegas), overnight lodging, use of camping gear, most meals (which are vegetarian with vegan options), guided hikes and a donation to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. The cost does not include gratuities.
Info: Green Earth Travel, Cabin John, Md.; , https://www.vegetariantravel.com/
BARBADOS
Birthday on the Caribbean
This beachfront Hilton is offering a Celebration Package in commemoration of the property’s fifth birthday. The deal includes a Land Rover safari tour for two, as well as a spa treatment and daily breakfast. The hotel is on Needham’s Point, a tropical peninsula, and is a five-minute commute from Bridgetown, the capital.
Dates: Through Aug. 31; book by June 30
Price: Starting at $339 a night (five-night minimum), double occupancy, including deluxe accommodations, daily breakfast for two, a two-person Land Rover tour, one 30-minute massage per person, a bottle of sparkling wine and a departure gift. Request booking code P5.
Info: Hilton Barbados, St. Michael, Barbados; (877) 464-4586, https://www.hiltoncaribbean.com/barbados
SARDINIA, ITALY
Take your best shot
See Sardinia through a photographer’s eyes — and learn the tricks of the trade — during TourCrafters’ weeklong guided tour. Tommaso Galli, a professional travel and wildlife photographer, will lead a small group around the island and teach his charges how to take better pictures, as well as how to print and manage their imagery. The subject matter, the Mediterranean’s second-largest island (after Sicily), provides plenty of inspiration: crystalline waters, fascinating wildlife, prehistoric ruins and medieval villages. All the while, travelers take in local culture and food.
Dates: Departs Sept. 20
Price: $1,458, including seven nights of double-occupancy apartment lodging in the village of Tortoli, daily breakfast, most meals, intra-island transportation and photography instruction. The price does not include transatlantic airfare.
Info: TourCrafters, Libertyville, Ill.; (800) 482-5995, https://www.tourcrafters.com
LAOS AND VIETNAM
Not the usual Asian tour
Go off the beaten track in Southeast Asia to see historic towns and dramatic landscapes and to cruise the islands of Halong Bay. Photographer Michele Burgess escorts the journey, during which you’ll meet members of hill tribes, explore Laos’ historic capital as well as Vietnam’s mountains and colorful markets.
Itinerary: Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng, Vientiane, Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Dien Bien Phu, Sapa and Halong Bay
Dates: Oct. 29-Nov. 20
Price: $5,795, double occupancy (single supplement $1,200), including round-trip airfare from L.A., inter-Asia flights, transfers, overnight accommodations and most meals. The price does not include taxes and fees (about $410), visa fees or tips.
Info: In Focus with Michele Burgess, Huntington Beach; (714) 536-6104, https://www.infocustravel.com
FRENCH POLYNESIA AND NEW ZEALAND
Whirlwind island exploration
Take two weeks to explore the islands of the South Pacific, including a thorough visit to New Zealand. The president of Paul Gauguin Cruises, Richard Bailey, accompanies this voyage, which stops in the French Polynesian islands where he grew up. The luxurious vessel, the Paul Gauguin, takes travelers to sophisticated Tahiti, rugged Rarotonga, lively Auckland and to places where the indigenous, welcoming Maori culture endures. Along the way are white sand beaches, colorful villages, dense forests and lagoons ideal for snorkeling.
Itinerary: Papeete to Moorea, Taha’a (Motu Mahana), Bora-Bora, Cook Islands, Tonga, Bay of Islands, Tauranga and Auckland
Dates: Departures Nov. 6 and 21
Price: Starting at $6,195, double occupancy (single supplement 100% in most cases), including onboard accommodations and meals (including alcohol), gratuities, a cocktail reception, a commemorative gift and attendance at educational lectures given by archeologist Mark Eddowes. The price does not include taxes, a possible fuel surcharge or government fees ($126). Book by June 30 to get 45% off the price, plus free airfare from Los Angeles.
Info: Paul Gauguin Cruises, Bellevue, Wash.; (800) 848-6172, https://www.pgcruises.com
— Avital Binshtock
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