TOURS & CRUISES

INTERNATIONAL

On private-jet wings and a few prayers

RESEARCH the religions of the world with author John Esposito on a multi-nation trip by private jet.

The three-week tour departs Rome on March 18 and travels to Israel, India, Japan, China, Tibet, Ethiopia, Egypt, Armenia and Turkey.

“We thought that if we tried to put a trip together, it should include at least the five major faiths,” said Mark Campbell of TCS Expeditions. “The stops are intended to be important to each faith.”

The tour was inspired by the book “Geography of Religion,” co-written by Esposito, who teaches at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Other scholars also will accompany the tour, lecturing on Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Hinduism.

The group tours Vatican City in Rome; Bethlehem and Jerusalem in Israel; Amritsar, Sarnath and Varanasi in India; Kyoto and Nara in Japan; Chengdu, China; Lhasa, Tibet; Lalibela, Ethiopia; Cairo; Yerevan, Armenia; and Istanbul, Turkey.

Cost: $42,950 per person, double occupancy ($2,700 single surcharge), including round-trip airfare from Rome on a private Boeing 757 jet, hotels, meals and alcoholic beverages, excursions and lectures. Airfare from Los Angeles to Rome is not included.

Contact: TCS Expeditions, Seattle; (800) 727-7477, www.tcs-expeditions.com.

EGYPT

Tombs, treasures of ancient kings

EXPLORE the mysteries of the Nile on a 13-night trip that begins March 19.

The tour, which includes a seven-night cruise, visits Cairo, the Giza pyramids and the Sphinx. Participants will see King Tutankhamen’s treasures at the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities in Cairo and cruise the Nile River aboard the 120-passenger Giselle, accompanied by an Egyptologist. The group will visit the Temple of Karnak and the Colossi of Memnon in the Luxor area, and the Valley of the Kings, among other sites.

Cost: $1,800 per person, double occupancy and up ($415 and up single surcharge), including most meals, internal flights, port fees and taxes, excursions, airport and ground transfers. International airfare is not included.

Contact: Karen Good Satzman, TravelStore Platinum, Los Angeles; (310) 689-5424, www.travelstoreusa.com.

ENGLAND

Raising the curtain on an 8-night tour

DELVE into drama on a theater tour of London with Pasadena City College.

The eight-night tour, which begins April 13, includes five performances, a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London and an excursion to see Leeds Castle in Kent and Canterbury Cathedral.

The rest of the tour is self-guided.

Cost: $2,629 per person, double occupancy ($890 single surcharge), including round-trip airfare from Los Angeles, eight nights’ hotel stay, some meals, five theater performances, bus pass, airport transfers and gratuities. Airport taxes and fuel surcharges are not included.

Contact: Pasadena City College; (626) 585-7424, www.pcclearn.org.

THE ADRIATIC SEA & ITALY

Cruise stops in Balkans, Venice

CRUISE the Adriatic Sea and visit Venice on tours that depart weekly from March 16 through Oct. 26.

The 10-night tours include seven nights aboard the 384-foot Dalmacija, traveling to Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia and three nights in Venice.

Stops include Ploce, Dubrovnik and Pula and the island of Korcula, Croatia; Kotor, Montenegro; and Koper, Slovenia.

Cost: $2,309 and up ($859 single surcharge), including round-trip airfare from L.A., accommodations and most meals. Excursions, port charges and airport fees are not included.

Contact: Foreign Independent Tours, Fort Lee, N.J.; (800) 248-3487, www.fittours.com.

BRITISH ISLES

Castles and the Beatles’ home turf

KISS the Blarney Stone on a bus tour of the byways of Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales that departs March 23.

In Ireland, the group tours Limerick, the Ring of Kerry, Killarney, Blarney Castle, near Cork, and Dublin.

Participants take a ferry to Wales to see Conwy Castle, Conwy and the walled city of Chester, a former Roman stronghold.

In England, the tour visits Liverpool, the pastoral Lake District, including Dove Cottage in Grasmere, the home of William Wordsworth.

In Scotland the group tours Loch Lomond, historic Glen Coe, the Isle of Skye, the Trossachs, Stirling Castle, Stirling, and Edinburgh.

Cost: $2,864 per person, double occupancy ($504 single surcharge), including round-trip airfare from Los Angeles to London, hotels, most meals and excursions. Fuel surcharge and departure taxes are not included.

Contact: Don Eslinger, Historic Tours & Cruises, Huntington Beach; (714) 536-3434.

The Times is not responsible for changes in prices, dates or itineraries. Send information to Tours & Cruises, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 or write via e-mail to [email protected].