Special-Interest Vacations

A number of organizations, outfitters, and tour companies offer special trips to Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard.

Biking

Several biking tour companies offer bike trips on Cape Cod and the islands. My favorite, Bike Riders (tel. 800/473-7040; www.bikeriderstours.com), offers a 6-day "island-hopping" trip to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket in which you stay at top hotels on the islands and eat at terrific restaurants. After biking all day, you've earned the pampering! Trips are in June, July, and August and cost about $2,500.

Fishing

Orvis Fly-Fishing School, based at the Chatham Bars Inn in Chatham (tel. 800/235-9763; www.orvis.com), offers 2-day fly-fishing seminars on the Cape for about $430.

Hiking

Every town on Cape Cod has open space with excellent hiking trails. The local chapter of Audubon, at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary in South Wellfleet (tel. 508/349-2615; www.massaudubon.org), offers hikes of all lengths, including a half-day trip to Monomoy, an island and bird sanctuary off Chatham.

Kayaking

Kayaking has become almost as popular as biking on the Cape and islands. Depending on your skill level, there are dozens of estuaries and inlets to explore, as well as more challenging waterways to conquer. For example, you might enjoy a meandering paddle trip through the estuaries of Nauset Marsh or a trip across Vineyard Sound from Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard, which is a 4-mile trip through sometimes choppy waters. You'll need a sea kayak for that trip. A number of outfits based on Cape Cod offer kayaking trips and lessons. Eric Gustafson runs guided kayak tours (tel. 508/349-1429; www.funseekers.org) of kettle ponds and tidal rivers from Chatham to Truro. Cape Cod Kayak (tel. 508/563-9377; www.capecodkayak.com) offers eco-tours on waterways mainly on the Upper Cape. Eastern Mountain Sports in Hyannis (tel. 508/362-8690; www.ems.com) sponsors trips mainly in the mid-Cape area. Goose Hummuck in Orleans (tel. 508/255-2620; www.goose.com) runs kayak trips mainly in the Lower Cape. Cape Outback Adventures in Wellfleet (tel. 508/349-1617; capeoutback.com) runs kayak trips in the Lower and Outer Cape. Daylong trips cost anywhere from $40 to $70.