Tours & Cruises

ANTARCTICA

Trip to the bottom of the world

VOYAGE to the bottom of the globe on a 13-night cruise that retraces some of the route of British Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.

The ice-rated 90-passenger MV Explorer departs Jan. 27, during the Antarctic summer. Dave German will lead the group on daily landings, including stops on the icebergs near Joinville Island, Crystal Sound and Elephant Island. "We visit the Danger Islands, where the whole sea is alive with penguins jumping around," said German, president of Fathom Expeditions.

Participants of all ability levels can take guided hikes on a volcano, join motorboat whale-watching excursions, walk the beaches or take history, biology or photography seminars.

Cost: $4,995 per person, double occupancy ($2,500 single surcharge); includes all meals, accommodations, excursions, guides, seminars, permits and landing fees. Airfares to Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, Argentina, are not included.

Contact: Fathom Expeditions Inc., Toronto, Canada; (800) 621-0176 or www.fathomexpeditions.com.

CANADA

Bear buggy

on the tundra

WATCH polar bears on their annual march from the Arctic tundra to winter on frozen Hudson Bay on a two-day trip to Churchill beginning Oct. 16.

Tourists, accompanied by a naturalist guide, will observe the bears at close range from aboard a heated, 36-passenger vehicle equipped with a restroom.

Cost: $999 per person, double occupancy ($126 single surcharge); includes charter flight from Winnipeg to Churchill, two nights' accommodation in Winnipeg, most meals, guide and full-day tundra buggy tour. Airfare to Winnipeg is not included.

Contact: The Great Canadian Travel Co., Chicago; (800) 661-3830, www.greatcanadiantravel.com.

BALI

Pick a favorite island pursuit

Lounge on the beaches of Benoa and Nusa Dua during a two-week independent tour of Bali, with departures through Nov. 30 or Jan. 10 to March 31.

Travelers can take up to three full-day and two half-day guided excursions during their stay. The tours include Bali Bird Park, Kintamani (the volcanic crater in the middle of the island) or the eastern region of Bali with stops at the sultan's water palaces and temples.

Another option is a day of shopping in nearby villages for jewelry, paintings, and stone and wood carvings.