Discover South Africa on an educational tour Jan. 9, offered by Santa Monica Community College in California. The monthlong trip visits Soweto, Cape Town and Kruger National Park.
Participants will meet with “people of all political backgrounds, who have lived through elements of South Africa’s history … and facilitated change,” said Barbara Baird, who, with Frank Dawson, will lead the tour. Both are communications professors at the college.
The group will talk with members of the media, spend a night in one of the townships and visit the Apartheid Museum on Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners were held from 1964 to 1991.
“It’s going to be a great learning experience,” Baird said.
Participants will see cultural and scenic spots in Cape Town. The tour also includes the natural wonders of Kruger National Park. The 7,700-square-mile reserve is home to hundreds of bird, mammal, reptile and tree species and holds many archeological sites.
Students will earn six units in communications.
Cost: $3,950 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, rooms, most meals and six credit units.
Contact: Overseas Studies, Santa Monica Community College, 310-434-4159, or Barbara Baird, 310-434-4530, www.smc.edu/southafrica/classes.htm.
Nights on the Danube
Cruise the Danube River from Nuremberg, Germany, to Budapest, Hungary, on a holiday season trip beginning Nov. 30 aboard the 162-passenger Symphony.
The 10-night land-and-cruise journey begins with a tour of Prague, Czech Republic.
The cruise stops in Bavaria and the Wachau Valley as well as Vienna. It also includes Christmas markets in Nuremberg, Regensburg and Passau in Germany, and Linz and Melk in Austria.
Cost: $1,699 per person, double occupancy ($750 single surcharge), including accommodations, meals aboard ship, airport transfers and shore excursions. Air fare and optional tour of Salzburg, Austria, are not included.
Contact: Concord Tours, Beverly Hills, Calif.; 800-404-3681, www.concordtours.com.
Mary Poppins and the Met
Feast your eyes on art, architecture and theater on a tour of Manhattan beginning Dec. 18.
The six-night tour visits the Whitney Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and several art galleries.
The group will also take in three Broadway shows, including the London hit musical “Mary Poppins.”
Cost: $2,120 per person, double occupancy ($993 single surcharge), including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, accommodations, breakfast daily, tickets, airport transfers and museum admissions.
Contact: Broadway Melody Tours, Los Angeles; 323-227-8370.
Travel classes, seminars
Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door hosts free travel classes from 10 to 11:30 a.m. most Saturdays at the Edmonds Theater, 415 Main St., Edmonds.
* Croatia and Slovenia with Cameron Hewitt, 10 a.m. Nov. 18.
* Italy with Rick Steves, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Nov. 18.
* Packing light and right with Ann Neel, 10 a.m. Dec. 2.
* Paris with Steve Smith, 10 a.m. Dec. 9.
* Italy with Julie Coen, 10 a.m. Dec. 16.
Reservations are recommended. Call 425-771-8303, ext. 298, or visit www.ricksteves.com/seattle.
The Savvy Traveler offers travel seminars at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. most Saturdays at 112 Fifth Ave. S., Edmonds.
* German for travelers, 6 p.m. Thursdays through Nov. 23.
* France: Paris and Provence, 10 a.m. Nov. 18.
* Stunning Greece, 1 p.m. Nov. 18.
* Hidden Treasures of Poland, 10 a.m. Nov. 25.
* Mysterious Iran, 1 p.m. Nov. 25.
Classes are free, reservations recommended. Call 425-744-6076, 877-225-1994, or visit www.savvytraveleredmonds.com.
The Herald is not responsible for changes in prices, dates or itineraries. These should be confirmed with cruise lines, travel agents or tour operators.
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