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1999 Family Vacation Guide, Where in the World?

Outside's Family Trip-Finder

Alaska: Yacht Safari
On this nine-day adventure, you'll cruise through glacial fjords, hike through forests inhabited by grizzlies and bald eagles, and kayak among humpback whales and sea lions.

Minimum Age: Eleven

Kids Will Love: The flightseeing trip over the ice fields and glaciers of Glacier Bay; spotting brown bears while tromping through wildflower-filled meadows; watching a gigantic humpback glide alongside the ship.

Outfitter: Abercrombie & Kent, 800-323-7308

1999 Departures: July 24 and August 7

Price: $5,425-$6,425 per person (no discount for kids)

Accommodations: A 120-foot, 20-passenger yacht

The Amazon Rainforest Student & Family Workshop
Eight days learning about the Amazon, its people, and its wildlife in hands-on workshops such as Monkey See, Monkey Do; Fishing for Dinner; and Bats, Bats, Bats

Minimum Age: None

Kids Will Love: Listening to the riotous sounds of rainforest wildlife on the multitiered Canopy Walkway; observing and learning about freshwater dolphins

Outfitter: International Expeditions, 205-428-1700

1999 Departures: June 19

Price: $1,998 per person, including airfare from Miami (no discount for kids)

Accommodations: Rainforest lodges and camps

Australia: The Outback, Reefs, and Rainforests
Spend 15 days sailing, snorkeling, and surfing the Great Barrier Reef; hiking amid the jungles and mangrove swamps of Cape Tribulation; traveling the Outback on camel and horseback; and hiking among kangaroos in Blue Mountains National Park.

Minimum Age: Six

Kids Will Love: Learning to surf on the Sunshine Coast; spotting koalas, kangaroos, and maybe even a platypus

Outfitter: Thompson Family Adventures, 800-262-6255

1999 Departures: June 11, July 9, and August 6

Price: Adults, $5,890, including airfare from Los Angeles or San Francisco; kids 12-17, $500 off; kids 11 and under, $1,000 off

Accommodations: Jungle lodges, resort hotels, a coastal village homestay, and a farm stay

Belize: Rainforests, Reefs, and Ruins
An eight-day adventure that includes a visit to Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary; canoeing along jungle creeks and rivers; discovering ancient ruins of Lamanai; and snorkeling the barrier reef

Minimum Age: None

Kids Will Love: Spotting jaguars, ocelots, and tree frogs at Cockscomb Basin; hearing the howl of monkeys while on a nighttime wildlife hike

Outfitter: International Expeditions, 205-428-1700

1999 Departures: July 2 and 25 and August 7

Price: Adults, $1,898, including airfare from Miami; kids 7-11, $1,000; ask about kids six and under

Accommodations: Lodges

British Columbia: Gwaii Haanas
A week of sailing on a 71-foot yacht among British Columbia's spruce- and cedar-forested Queen Charlotte Islands, with time for canoeing, kayaking, hiking, and rafting

Minimum Age: None

Kids Will Love: Watching the wildlife: sea lions, seals, whales, porpoises, peregrine falcons, and bald eagles; camping on uninhabited islands while mom and dad stay on the boat

Outfitter: Ecosummer Expeditions, 800-465-8884

1999 Departures: July 11, 18, and 25 and August 1, 8, and 15

Price: Adults, $1,575 per person (ask about discounts for families)

Accommodations: Ocean Light II (tents for sleeping on the islands are also available)

Costa Rica: Selva Verde Family Adventure
A ten-day trip that includes encounters with monkeys, sloths, and neon-colored frogs on hiking trails, river boat safaris, and aerial trams; exploring the lakes and lava of Arenal Volcano; and two days of watersports at Tamarindo Beach

Minimum Age: Five

Kids Will Love: Visiting injured or orphaned jaguars and cougars at a feline rehabilitation center; boogieboarding, snorkeling, and encountering 1,000-pound leatherback sea turtles

Outfitter: Wildland Adventures, 800-345-4453

1999 Departures: Late July

Price: Adults, $1,675; kids 9-12, $1,265; kids under nine, $945

Accommodations: Hotels and lodges

The Galápagos Islands and Peru:
Sea Lions and the Incas
A 13-day trip that combines trekking a lesser-known path to Machu Picchu past cloud forests and ancient Inca ruins, and cruising among the marine iguanas, tropical fish, and flamingoes of the Galápagos Islands

Minimum Age: Seven

Kids Will Love: Swimming with sea lions and their pups; snorkeling with giant sea turtles, manta rays, and penguins

Outfitter: Thompson Family Adventures, 800-262-6255

1999 Departures: June 12, July 3, July 31, and August 7

Price: Adults, $4,990, including airfare from Miami; kids 12-17, $300 off; kids 11 and under, $500 off

Accommodations: Andean hotels and on a 195-foot, 98-passenger yacht

Ireland: Family Biking Trip
Pedal 25 to 36 miles a day on this six-day trip along quiet roads through the emerald hills of Ireland's west coast, past medieval castles, sheep grazing in the countryside, and small fishing villages.

Minimum Age: Three

Kids Will Love: Taking a horse-and-buggy ride on the Gaelic-speaking island of Inismor; the kids-only afternoon activities that let them swim, sail, canoe, and ride horseback with kids their own age

Outfitter: Butterfield & Robinson, 800-678-1147

1999 Departures: July 16 and August 7

Price: Adults, $3,390; kids 12-18, ten percent off; kids under 12 sharing a room with their parents, 35 percent off

Accommodations: Two castles and one family-run B&B

Italy: Dolomites Family Walking Trip
Five days of hiking through lush valleys and over mountain passes in northern Italy's spectacular Dolomites, with views as far as the Austrian Alps; numerous tram and chairlift options for those who tire of hoofing it

Minimum Age: Three

Kids Will Love: Climbing an outdoor rock wall with an instructor in the mountain town of Corvara; kids-only afternoon activities, including a scavenger hunt and a visit to a working farm

Outfitter: Butterfield & Robinson, 800-678-1147

1999 Departures: July 12

Price: Adults, $3,950; kids 12-18, ten percent off; kids under 12 sharing a room with their parents, 35 percent off

Accommodations: Two family-run, chalet-style hotels

Kenya and Tanzania: Family Safari
Sixteen days visiting the lions, elephants, rhinos, and zebras of East Africa's game parks and reserves, including Amboseli and Serengeti national parks, Ngorongoro Crater, and Masai Mara Reserve

Minimum Age: Six

Kids Will Love: Getting up close with wildebeests, impalas, and gazelles; visiting a giraffe center and a rhino sanctuary

Outfitter: Abercrombie & Kent, 800-323-7308

1999 Departures: July 7 and 21 and August 4 and 11

Price: Adults, $6,010; kids 12-17, $5,110; kids 6-11, $4,275

Accommodations: Hotels and lodges

Nepal: Mountains, Rivers, and Tigers
Thirteen days of trekking along footpaths in the foothills of the Annapurna Range, rafting down the Seti River, and going on an elephant safari in Royal Chitwan National Park

Minimum Age: Six

Kids Will Love: Looking for Bengal tigers, one-horned rhinos, leopards, and wild boars while perched on the back of an elephant

Outfitter: Thompson Family Adventures, 800-262-6255

1999 Departures: March 17

Price: Adults, $3,990, including airfare from Los Angeles or San Francisco; kids 12-17, $200 off; kids 11 and under, $400 off

Accommodations: Hotels, jungle lodges, and a permanent tented camp

The Netherlands: Biking the Dutch Countryside
Spend six leisurely days cycling the Netherlands's numerous bicycle paths through forested national parks and past giant windmills, canals, and sculpture gardens.

Minimum Age: None

Kids Will Love: Visiting a cheese farm and a wooden-shoe factory; stuffing themselves with delicious Dutch chocolate

Outfitter: Backroads, 800-462-2848

1999 Departures: June 27 and July 4

Price: Adults, $2,498; kids 13-16, 10 percent off; kids 7-12, 20 percent off; six and under, 40 percent off

Accommodations: Inns

Nova Scotia: The Atlantic Coastal Islands
A five-day kayak tour among uninhabited islands along the rugged Nova Scotia coastline, where you'll visit hidden coves and seal colonies while camping on deserted sandy beaches

Minimum Age: Eight

Kids Will Love: Digging for clams and mussels and watching the seals play in the sun

Outfitter: Coastal Adventures, 902-772-2774

1999 Departures: July 14 and August 18

Price: $435 per person

Accommodations: Camping

Panama: Family Adventure
Nine days of exploring Panama's tropical rainforests in search of monkeys, crocodiles, and toucans; virgin cloud forests; and the San Blas Islands, home to the Kuna Indians

Minimum Age: None

Kids Will Love: Snorkeling the reefs off Dolphin Island; observing animals with weird names like the white-bellied ant bird, three-toed sloth, and long-tailed silky flycatcher

Outfitter: Wildland Adventures, 800-345-4453

1999 Departures: July 10

Price: Adults, $1,895; kids under 12, $1,295

Accommodations: Hotels and Kuna-owned huts

Peru: Incas and the Amazon for Families
On this 13-day trip you'll canoe and raft on lakes and the Tambo Pata River in the Amazon jungle teeming with otters, turtles, and caimans; hike trails in search of howler monkeys, nesting eagles, and parrots; and discover ancient Inca ruins around Machu Picchu.

Minimum Age: Ten

Kids Will Love: Spotting caimans on late-night walks on the beach; telling their friends back home they encountered a dusky-headed titi monkey in the jungle

Outfitter: Journeys International, 800-255-8735

1999 Departures: July 30

Price: Adults, $2,195; kids 12-15, $1,795; under 12, $1,495; a four-day Inca Trail trek add-on is about $300 per person

Accommodations: Remote jungle lodges, research centers, and hotels

Quebec: Bonaventure Family Trip
Based along the wooded shoreline of the Bonaventure River on the southern end of Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula, families spend five days canoeing, sea kayaking in a nearby bay, fishing for cod and mackerel, and exploring the peninsula by foot and mountain bike.

Minimum Age: None

Kids Will Love: Staying in teepees, taking a dip in the clear (but chilly) river, and spotting moose and caribou

Outfitter: Quebec Adventures, 888-678-3232

1999 Departures: Anytime June through September

Price: Adults, $695; kids 12-14, $520; kids 5-11, $350; under five, free

Accommodations: Teepees with beds and a fireplace

Samoa: Treasure Island Odyssey
A weeklong trip exploring the rainforests, waterfalls, coastal trails, lava fields, lagoons, and traditional Polynesian villages of three Samoan islands by foot, sea kayak, and outrigger canoe

Minimum Age: Four

Kids Will Love: Wandering through lava tube caves on Savai'i Island; swimming and snorkeling with parrot fish, clown fish, and grouper

Outfitter: Journeys International, 800-255-8735

1999 Departures: July 27 and August 18

Price: Adults, $1,195; kids under 12, $895

Accommodations: One hotel and several fales (traditional open-sided thatched-roof structures with beds)

Turkey, Greece, and the Aegean Islands:
Voyage to the Lands of Gods and Heroes
A Mediterranean cruise for families aboard the 290-foot Clelia II, visiting ancient fishing villages, medieval cliffside castles, and Greek islands, including Crete, Santorini, and Rhodes

Minimum Age: Eight

Kids Will Love: The Young Explorers Program, where kids learn about the heroes of classical mythology, practice celestial navigation, and perform in a Greek- or Roman-style play; windsurfing, canoeing, and sailing in Greece

Outfitter: Discovery Tours, American Museum of Natural History, 800-462-8687

1999 Departures: July 3

Price: $4,495 for two adults; $1,995 for kids 17 and under sharing a room with their parents

Accommodations: Seven nights in a suite on the Clelia II and four nights at a beachside resort hotel in Greece.
— Kara Ryan

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