Tea Parties in England and Japanese History

A small-group tour of England, May 3 to 13, highlights teatime in the traditional English fashion. Three days in London include tea at the Ritz, a tour of Windsor Castle, a visit to the Braham Tea & Coffee Museum, a pub walk along the Thames and a night at the theater. The City of Flowers, Bath, will be the next stop, with an afternoon tea at a country manor owned by Prince Charles and dinner at a pub. The third city is Stratford-on-Avon, the city of Shakespeare, followed by a tour of the Cotswolds.

Cost: $2,975 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, hotels, all breakfasts, teas, most dinners and entrance fees.

Contact: Penelope Carlevato, telephone (310) 640-2190, or Marsha at Del Amo Travel, tel. (310) 316-3983.

Japan: Cities, Temples

An 11-day cultural and historical tour of central Japan is planned for April 24. The tour starts in the ancient capital of Kyoto to explore the Imperial Palace and visit the garden at the Ryoan Temple. The group will then travel north to the Awara Onsen hot springs in Mikuni and stay in a Japanese-style hotel. After visiting the Kenroku garden in Kanazawa, the group will visit the arts and crafts center of Takayama. The group will climb aboard the Alpine Express to Tokyo for a city tour.

Cost: $2,495 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, all breakfasts, three dinners, ground transportation, entrance fees and guides. Air fare is not included.

Contact: Gurnham Group; tel. (800) 475-0004, Internet https:// gurnhamgroup.com.

Bali: Deepak Chopra

Join author Deepak Chopra, director of the Chopra Center for Well Being in La Jolla, on a tour of Bali this fall. Visions Travel & Tours is organizing the eight-night trip, which begins Sept. 2. Guests will stay at the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel, where daily workshops and meditations by Chopra will take place. Four days of sightseeing include Denpasar, Ubud, Pura Taman Ayun Temple, a bird park and kecak dancing. Also planned is a buffet dinner with the Ramayana Ballet and a farewell dinner with the Legong Dancers.

Cost: $3,982 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, ground transfers in Bali, deluxe accommodations, daily breakfast and gratuities.

Contact: Visions Travel & Tours Inc., 5250 W. Century Blvd., Suite 301, Los Angeles, CA 90045; tel. (310) 568-0138.

Brazil: Nature

A 15-day tour to Brazil departs from LAX on Aug. 6. Various cultures and natural areas will be explored as guests travel from northern Brazil south to the Argentine border. The tour will be led by tropical biologist Paul Abravaya, who worked for five years at a biological museum in Brazil.

Guests will arrive at the Amazon forest city of Manaus, where they will travel up the Rio Negro to the Ariau Tree Top Hotel. There they will spend three days and visit native villages, and take a jungle trek and canoe rides through the forest. Next they depart for Salvador, known for its Afro-Brazilian culture. Guests will visit baroque churches, beaches and colonial alleyways full of folkloric crafts and regional foods. Also planned is a tour of Rio de Janeiro, Iguacu Falls and its surrounding nature trails in southern Brazil.

Cost: $2,600 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from LAX to Brazil, hotel accommodations, air and land transportation, included activities and 20 meals.

Contact: Tropical Eco-Tours, 1333 Calle Pimiento, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360; tel. (805) 492-0365 or (888) 900-1-ECO.

Spain and Morocco

Trips That Make a Difference is offering a tour to Spain and Morocco departing Los Angeles on May 31. The three-week journey will be in Spain until June 14, with the Moroccan extension from June 14 to 21.

The tour focuses on meetings with local citizens and naturalists, as well as hikes through the picturesque landscapes.

The tour also features Madrid’s Prado Museum, medieval Pamplona, Segovia and Toledo, trekking in the Pico de Europa Mountains, the architecture of Barcelona’s Gaudi, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, seaside San Sebastian, Andalusian and Moorish botanical and palace gardens and Spain’s romantic cities of Granada, Cordoba and Seville. The group will have the opportunity to view flamenco performances and taste local cuisine.

The extension to Morocco covers Fes, Meknes, Marrakech and Rabat, with side trips to ancient Roman Volubulis and the shrine of Moulay-Idriss. Shopping at street markets and a Berber banquet are also scheduled.

Cost: $3,795 for Spain, $1,295 for the Morocco extension (or $5,090 for both), double occupancy, including international air from Los Angeles, all transportation abroad, centrally located hotels, most meals, national and local guides and museum fees. Group size is limited to 20.

Contact: Glorious Adventures, 10007 Gaynor Ave., North Hills, CA 91343; tel. (818) 893-9030.

Britain: Cruise

Cruise the British Isles and Norway on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Splendour of the Seas for 12 days starting Aug. 9. The ship will be positioned Aug. 11 to view the total solar eclipse. The itinerary starts in Harwich, England; then guests will sail to Le Havre, France, for a tour of Paris for the day. Then it’s on to Wales to see the eclipse. The ship will dock at two ports in Ireland: Cork and Dublin. In Ireland passengers can kiss the Blarney Stone, taste Guinness at the brewery in Dublin or go shopping for Waterford crystal. The next port is Glasgow, Scotland, to see the Burrell Art Museum or take a tour to Edinburgh.

In Norway, guests will visit Bergen and Flam, with opportunities to take tours inland and ride the cogwheel railroads. A full day will be spent in Amsterdam to see the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House.

Cost: $1,799 per person, double occupancy. Taxes and air fare to England are extra.

Contact: Whole World of Travel; tel. (800) 458-3636.

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