Wayfarers adds Loire walking tour

The Wayfarers is among companies guaranteeing its prices in U.S. dollars no matter how high the euro soars. An adventure company specializing in walking vacations, is offering a new walking tour this year: The Loire: River of the Kings, a seven-day walk with accommodations in a 15th-century chateau-fortress and a sail on the Loire.

This tour is priced at $3,795 per person, double occupancy, and is set for June 1-7 and Aug. 17-23. This is just one of 10 walking vacations offered for France and Italy.

Among the other walks available in France are The Historic Dordogne, available June 15-21 and Sept. 7-13. Priced at $3,595 per person, this tour combines history and gastronomy with a walk through the Dordogne region in Southwest France. Highlights include stays in a coaching inn in Perigord Noir and a charming period mansion at Roque Gageac.

Among the walks available in Italy are a woman-only tour, Cinque Terre & The Riviera, on June 15-21 and Sept. 21-27, priced at $3,795 per person. It highlights the pathways and rocky terraces of the Five Lands forged by the Romans as trade routes and features unusual accommodations in a former Franciscan monastery and a cliff-top retreat originally built for the doges of Genoa.

Tuscan Villas, Wines & Cuisine will be held on June 1-7, Sept. 14-20 and Oct. 5-11, priced at $3,795 per person. It will take vacationers through Tuscany and include a Brunello wine tasting and cooking lesson on an organic farm, stays in a 300-year-old villa overlooking the Orcia Valley and Renaissance monastery in Pienza, and visits to the hilltop towns of Montepulciano and Montichiello.

Named one of the Best Outfitters on Earth by National Geographic Adventure, The Wayfarers marks its 25th season with 83 diverse walks through 15 countries. Walks range from five to 12 days and are rated easy to challenging, with distances of anywhere between four to five miles to 12 to 15 miles per day.

For reservations or more information. visit www.thewayfarers.com or call (800) 249-4620.
 

 By RICHARD P. CARPENTER The Boston Globe

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