Reach Machu Picchu as the Incas did

Ramble along the Inca Trail -- hiking through cloud forests and cresting high mountain passes -- on Peruvian trekking adventures that visit the ancient city of Machu Picchu, one of the world’s foremost archeological sites.

The tours, planned May 9 to 19 and June 15 to 26, include a whitewater rafting trip and time to explore the cities, markets and culture of Cuzco and Lima.

But the main emphasis of the trips is a 33 1/2-mile trek along the Inca Trail to the pre-Columbian fortress of Machu Picchu. “It’s an amazing journey, especially when you consider the Incas built the trail 600 years ago,� said Devy Reinstein, a Lima native who will lead the tours. “Arriving by foot is a lot different than arriving on a tourist bus.�

Tour members hike five days, camping three nights and spending the other nights in hotels. Hikes are considered moderate to strenuous, ranging from 2 1/2 to 9 1/2 miles at altitudes from 8,000 to 13,779 feet.

Cost: $2,550 per person, double occupancy, for the 11-day May 9 trip; $2,750 for the 12-day June 15 trip, which will include a day at Inti Raymi, the Andean festival of the sun, on June 21, the summer solstice. Other trips are scheduled later in the year. Trip costs include round-trip air fare from LAX to Lima, accommodations, meals, transportation and flights in Peru, guides, sightseeing and camping.

Contact: Santa Monica-based Andes Adventures; (800) 289-9470, www.andesadventures.com.

UNITED STATES

Steaming through landscape, history of the Civil War

Get a taste of Southern hospitality while you sharpen your knowledge of American history on cruises aboard the Mississippi Queen steamboat.

A series of cruises focusing on the Civil War will begin this spring, with authors and lecturers aboard. They also will act as guides during tours of the Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park in Georgia, where decisive battles took place in the fall of 1863. A Civil War reenactment will be held.

Itineraries include the Mississippi River city of Memphis, Tenn., the Tennessee River city of Chattanooga, and the Ohio River cities of Cincinnati and Louisville, Ky. Five Civil War-themed cruises are planned: April 25, May 4, June 12, Aug. 15 and Oct. 26.

Cost: Rates begin at $1,725 per person, double occupancy, for seven-night cruises and $1,880 for eight-night cruises. The cost includes the cruise, meals, Civil War tour and one-night hotel stay at the beginning or end of the cruise.

Contact: Delta Queen Steamship Co.; (800) 543-1949, www.deltaqueen.com.

AUSTRIA

Vienna and beyond, harking to great composers

Study the work and world of some of Europe’s most famous composers on a music appreciation tour June 11 to 21, sponsored by Los Angeles Harbor College.

The tour, led by professor Susanne Aultz, will begin in Vienna, where Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Haydn, Brahms and Strauss lived. Guests will visit the Vienna State Opera House, Esterhazy Palace and St. Stephen’s Cathedral and spend a day tracing the life of Beethoven.

The next stop will be the Abbey of St. Florian, where Anton Bruckner is buried, before the group moves on to Salzburg and Mozart’s birth house. The last leg of the trip will be Prague, Czech Republic, with visits to the Dvorak Museum, the opera house and Prague Castle.

At each stop, the group will attend concerts and see important historic and musical sites.

Cost: $2,697 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, accommodations, meals (except lunch), tickets to all venues and ground transportation. College units are available.

Contact: Susanne Aultz of the Harbor College music department; (310) 233-4423, e-mail [email protected].

THE SOUTH

Peak season for gardens in South Carolina, Georgia

SEe Southern gardens at their springtime best on escorted women’s tours that will visit Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga.

The Charleston tour, March 23 to 28, will visit antebellum homes and private gardens brimming with rhododendrons, azaleas and flowering bulbs. The group will tour the city’s historic district, take a candlelight tour of Church Street and participate in the annual Festival of Houses and Gardens, a tour of eight to 10 privately owned historic homes and gardens.

The Savannah tour, March 28 to 31, will coincide with the city’s annual Tour of Homes and Gardens, which showcases eight to 10 homes in the historic Landmark District. The group will tour the city by foot and horse-drawn carriage.

Cost: The Charleston tour is $1,495 per person, double occupancy; the Savannah segment is $995 per person, double occupancy. The cost includes lodgings, some meals, sightseeing and gratuities. Round-trip air fare from Los Angeles is extra.

Contact: Alameda-based Armstrong & Hedges Ltd.; (877) 838-5142, www.teagardentravel.com.

SICILY

History, scenery and Europe’s most active volcano

Step off the beaten path on a seven-night escorted tour of Sicily, the crossroads of the Mediterranean.

Sicily, just south of the Italian peninsula, is the Mediterranean’s largest island. It has a long, rich history and a varied landscape of beaches, hills and mountains. The tours will include historic and scenic locales, including Mt. Etna, Europe’s highest and most active volcano.

Cost: $1,389 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare from Los Angeles, accommodations, all meals and a multilingual tour guide.

Contact: Picasso Travel; (310) 645-1506, www.picassotravel.com.

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