War sites and age-old castles

Take a fall journey through the Balkans on an 18-night trip that includes Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia.

The tour, which begins October 5, will give participants a look at “places like Albania that are opening up to tourism ... (and) countries that couldn't be included before because of wars and insurrections,'' said Kathy Kutrubes of Kutrubes Travel.

Albania and Macedonia

In Albania, the tour takes the group to the capital, Tirana; Kruja; the old Roman city of Durres; and Berat, whose castles and fort are more than 2,400 years old.

Participants also travel to Elbasan, Pogradec and Lake Ohrid before crossing into Macedonia, where they will stroll the Turkish bazaar in Skopje.

Kosovo

In Kosovo, the group tours the site of the 1389 Battle of Kosovo and the capital city Pristina then heads into northern Albania to the Italianate city of Shkoder, which was once part of the Venetian empire.

Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina

In Montenegro, the tour stops in Podgorica (formerly Titograd) before traveling the Adriatic Coast to the Croatian city of Dubrovnik. The group tours churches and palaces on the way to Mostar and Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Croatia and Slovenia

The tour returns to Croatia, stopping in the city of Split and at Plitvice Lakes National Park with its 16 lakes and cascading waterfalls. Continuing, the group visits Slovenia, the Julian Alps resort town of Bled and the capital Ljubljana before returning toCroatia for two days of sightseeing in Zagreb.
For more information visit www.kutrubestravel.com.

By train through Mexico's Copper Canyon

Traverse Mexico's Copper Canyon by train on a trip that includes visits to villages, birding in the rugged landscape and seeing archeological sites.

The 10-night trips, scheduled for October 31 and April 14, begins in El Mochis and travel through the Sierra Madre, navigating 87 tunnels and crossing 37 main bridges on the way to Chihuahua.

The tour visits the home of Pancho Villa in Chihuahua and takes in the scenery of Arareco Lake. The group will stop in the village of Mata Ortiz, known for its pottery.

Cost: $2,360 (Dh8,668) per person, double occupancy ($350/Dh1,285 single surcharge), including lodging, ground transportation, meals, guides, admissions, transfers and a $200 (Dh734) tax-deductible donation to the Santa Teresita Clinic in Creel and two schools in the region. Airfare to El Mochis is not included.

Japanese fire festival

Celebrate the Kurama Fire Festival in Kyoto on a tour of Japan that begins October 18.

The 12-night excursion travels from Kyoto to Tokyo and stops in villages between the two cities.

The group stays in an ancestral country home in Kameoka, visits the mountain town of Takayama, and Tokyo, where they will visit museums and see Kabuki theater.

The Kurama Fire Festival (Kurama-no-Himatsuri), on Oct. 22 features more than 500 torches, which light the way to the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

Cost: $5,280 (Dh19,393) per person, double occupancy ($1,695/Dh6,225 single surchar-ge), including accommodations, most meals, ground transportation, entrance fees and performances. International airfare is not included.

For more information log on to: www.asianpacific adventures.com.

— Los Angeles Times-Washington News Service