TOURS ETC.\Taj Mahal, temples, elephant rides featured on tour of India.

Byline: Daily News

Absolute Asia will lead a seven-day tour of India that includes visits to Agra and the Taj Mahal; the "Pink City" of Jaipur, the center of India's gem trade; Ajmer for an elephant ride to its fort; and New Delhi's markets and temples.

Cost ranges from $985 to $1,390 per person, double occupancy, and includes ground transportation, airport transfers, some meals, hotels and guide services; air fare to India is not included. Information: [phone].

Desert tour: Los Angeles Pierce College Extension will lead a March 22-24 tour of the Southern California desert, including Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert and Julian. Cost is $299 per person, double occupancy, or $399 single, and includes motorcoach transportation, two nights spa lodgings, sightseeing and a ride on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to the top of Mount San Jacinto.

Going it alone: The Single Persons Travel Club offers a March 15-22 cruise to the western Caribbean aboard the Carnival ship Tropicale. Cost starts at $1,049, double occupancy, including air fare from New Orleans, the cruise's departure point. Roommate matching is available. Information: [phone].

Fisherman's paradise: The Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort in Solvang offers its spring fly-fishing school April 11-14 and April 18-21. Cost begins at $1,495 per couple, and include fishing on private Lake Alisal, four days' lodgings for two, all meals, three days of fly fishing instruction, fly box and flies, loan of rod and reel, unlimited golf, tennis, horseback riding, swimming and lake activities. Information: [phone].

Nostalgic train: Train Holidays, in conjunction with Holland America Line, offers a 22-day trip that includes a train trip aboard a private pullman train on the Ocean Liner Express from California to New Orleans, where passengers board the Nieuw Amsterdam for a Panama Canal cruise. Cost for the April 23-May 13 trip starts at $3,780, double occupancy. Information: [phone].

Natural wonders: The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History will lead a March 28-31 trip to Big Sur, Monterey and Santa Cruz. Cost is $795, double occupancy, or $970 single. Information: [phone].

Greek tour: Opa Tours Greece offers a three-week tour, departing May 7, focusing on Athens, Mani, Monemvasia, Olympia, Delphi, Thessaloniki and the islands of Aegina, Thasos and Hios. Cost is $4,290, double occupancy, and includes roundtrip air fare from New York, sightseeing and most meals. Information: [phone].

Snorkel trip: Undersea Expeditions will lead a gay/lesbian trip to Ecuador's Galapagos Islands departing May 8. Cost is $2,999, double occupancy, and includes a week's stay aboard the yacht Reina Silvia with daily diving and land tours, all meals aboard the yacht, four nights in Quito, breakfasts and a tour of the city. Information: [phone].

Close to home: Through mid-April, Los Angeles Harbor Cruise offers two-hour, narrated whale-watching cruises daily at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Cruises depart from the Village Boat House, Berth 78, Ports O' Call Village, San Pedro. Cost is $15 for adults, $5 for children age 2-12; one child free with paying adult on morning cruise. Information: [phone].

Horse race: Travel-On and Insight International Tours offer an April 3-10 trip to England that will include attending the 12th Grand National Steeplechase on April 6. Cost is $2,299 per person, double occupancy, and includes air fare from New York, three nights' lodgings in Chester, three nights' stay in London, theater tickets to a London show and sightseeing. Information: [phone].

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Photo The Taj Mahal, built by a maharaja for his wife, is mirrored in a reflecting pool.