TOURS, ETC. : RAILWAY TO OFFER DELUXE SERVICE.

Byline: Daily News

Travelers taking the train between Williams, Ariz., and Grand Canyon National Park can soon opt for deluxe service in two newly refurbished train cars.

The Grand Canyon Railway's Coconino car is a classic 1954 dome coach with the main area featuring recliner swivel chairs and the dome area featuring an upper-level observation deck. In the Chief car, travelers will find a 1954 passenger coach outfitted with overstuffed armchairs and divans, oversize windows and an open-air platform. Both cars feature continental breakfast on the morning journey and appetizers with champagne on the return. The train leaves the Williams depot at 9:30 a.m. daily; after a 3-1/2-hour layover at the Grand Canyon, it starts the return trip at 3:15 p.m.

Cost is $99 round-trip for adults, $69 for children under 16 on the Coconino Main; and $114 adults and $84 children for the Coconino Dome and Chief. Round-trip coach class tickets are $49.50 for adults, $19.50 for children. Prices do not include tax or $6-per-person National Park service fee. Both cars should be on line by the end of March. Information: [phone].

Exploring Peru The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County will sponsor a two-week trip to Peru focusing on the country's ancient cultures.

The trip, from May 3-17, will include four days of exploring sites of the Moche and Chimu cultures that preceded the Inca civilization; Cuzco and the ruins of Machu Picchu; and the royal tombs of Sipan. Cost is $3,990, per person double occupancy (single supplement is an extra $830), which includes accommodations, most meals and air fare within Peru. Air fare to and from Lima, Peru, is not included. Information: [phone].

Women in the outdoors: California State Parks is offering a series of weekend programs designed to provide women with training in outdoor skills. Seminars include beginning backpacking, introduction to camping, wilderness first aid, map and compass, outdoor cooking, sharing nature with children, wildflower identification, canoeing and wilderness survival.

The first program will be held May 16-18 at Mendocino Woodlands, just east of the town of Mendocino on California's northern coast. Participants will stay in rustic cabins and dine in a lodge. The second program is scheduled Oct. 3-5 in Big Basin Redwoods State Park near Santa Cruz.

The cost for four classes, meals and lodging on either weekend is $238. Participants must provide their own transportation, bedding and towels. Reservations can be made through Destinet at [phone].

Hoop tour: Sports Tours Inc. offers two tours to the NCAA Final Four basketball contest in Indianapolis, Ind., March 28-April 1.

The value package includes upper-level tickets to the games at the RCA Dome, three nights' accommodations, daily continental breakfast, a midsize rental car with unlimited mileage and transfers between the games and the hotel. Cost is $1,478 for a single room, $1,197, double, and $1,155, triple or quad.

The deluxe package includes upper-level tickets to the games, four nights' accommodations, daily full breakfast, full-size rental car with unlimited mileage, transfers between the games and the hotel and a commemorative program. Cost is $2,281 single, $1,895 double and $1,792 triple or quad. Air fare to Indianapolis is not included. Information: [phone].

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Photo: The Grand Canyon Railway, which runs between Williams, Ariz., and the Grand Canyon, will add deluxe service in refurbished cars this month.

T. Watson/Grand Canyon Railway