Madagascar
A Hidden Tribe
Local Traditions, Wildlife
Live three days with the Antandroy, considered the fiercest and most tradition-bound tribe in the country. The "People of the Thorn Bush," as they are known, inhabit a harsh land that has kept them largely separate from other Malagasy peoples. Meet with the ombiasy (local healer), learn how to use a piletse (zebu-hide slingshot) and a lefona (spear), take a zebu cart to the local market, and visit ancestral tombs deep in the forest, where you'll also likely encounter rare lemur species. The prime season is April through September. Cost: $3,120, including three nights' accommodation in a mobile tent. Source: Daniela Bonanno, Absolute Travel, New York City (800-736-8187, ext. 308; dbonanno@absolutetravel.com; absolutetravel.com).

South Africa
A Royal Performance
Local Traditions, Politics
Sit in King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu's enclosure at the eNyokeni Palace to watch the Reed Flute Dance, a full-day procession of 10,000 Zulu maidens that happens on the first weekend in September. You'll have a prime seat from which to witness each woman presenting the king with her reed during this ancient ceremony, and your guide—a personal friend of the royal family—may even snag you an introduction to the king himself. Cost: $2,600, including two nights' accommodation. Source: Daniela Bonanno (see Madagascar).

AMERICAS

Argentina
Artists of Argentina
The Arts
Get a two-day education in twentieth-century Argentine art, including visits to the back rooms of two leading Buenos Aires art galleries, two of the country's most distinguished privately held collections, and two studios of living artists such as Luis Felipe Noé and León Ferrari. You'll be accompanied by a bilingual art historian and privately chauffeured for seven hours each day. Cost: $2,388. Source: Vanessa Guibert Heitner, Limitless Argentina, Buenos Aires (202-536-5812; vanessa@limitlessargentina.com; limitlessargentina.com).

Metal Man
The Arts, Local Traditions
Meet Huan Carlos Pallarols, a world-famous silversmith whose clients have included Pope John Paul II and the Prince of Wales. The Pallarols family has been working with silver for six generations. Juan Carlos will show you around the family's San Telmo workshop and reveal the techniques he uses to create his works of art, which blend southern European traditions with South American images. Cost: $640. Source: Cindy Fernandez (see Kenya).

Paddle with a Pro
Sports
Spend a day kayaking around the southern tip of Patagonia with Norberto Mendez, who was on Argentina's 1988 Olympic kayaking team. Polish your paddling technique with this former national champion while he leads you through the Beagle Channel, which winds around the Tierra del Fuego archipelago and attracts a wide variety of wildlife, from penguins to sea lions to Antarctic fur seals. Time your trip to correspond with the Southern Hemisphere's summer (mid-October through mid-March). Cost: $1,000. Source: Emmanuel Burgio, Blue Parallel, Potomac, Maryland (800-256-5307; info@blueparallel.com; blueparallel.com).