Fall means Moose Lover’s Special at Grand Teton National Park

When the summer vacation period ends, savings season begins.

Fall is a great time to visit national parks, with cool weather and fewer people. The Grand Teton Lodge Co. (800-628-9988; www.gtlc.com) has a Moose Lover’s Special on select dates through Oct. 5. Pay $128 a night and see some of the 350 or so moose that live in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park, as well as 100,000 elk that get active during autumn’s mating season.

Enjoy a three-night weekend Oct. 8-11 at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. The rate includes lodging at Far View Lodge, an all-day guided tour of the park’s prehistoric sites, daily breakfast, one lunch and a gift pack of specialty coffee and fudge. Call (800) 592-7924 and cite code WKND3.

The Wuksachi Lodge in Sequoia National Park drops rates by up to 50 percent for stays beginning Oct. 1. Discounted rates start at $79 a night. The lodge offers interpretive programs, campfire talks, games and crafts. Contact: (888) 252-5757; www.visitsequoia.com.

The end of summer doesn’t have to mean the end of surfing. Guapa Surf Camp in Jaco, Costa Rica, has a great package for wave riders of all skill levels. It’s run by four-time Costa Rican surfing champion Alvaro Solano and his family, and all accommodations include private baths.

Rates for the weeklong camp include lodging, surfing lessons, two meals a day and transportation to the best surf. Rates start at $775 per person through Nov. 1, with discounts for nonsurfers. See www.vistaguapa.com.

If Jamaica’s your pleasure, book a villa through Dec.14 with savings of as much as 40 percent. There are villas for honeymoon couples, families and large groups. Each comes with a cook, laundress, housekeeper and butler. Rates per bedroom, per night, start at $110. Find out more at www.jamaicavillas.com.

For more traditional Jamaica lodging, the new couples-only Sandals Ocho Rios Beach & Villa Resort ( www.sandals.com) opens in December. An introductory sale offers a 40 percent discount on stays of three or more nights in any room category and a $250 spa credit. There’s no posted booking deadline. Travel can begin as early as Jan. 1.

Scheduled to open Feb. 10 is the all-adult Sandals Whitehouse European Village & Spa. It’s offering a 50 percent discount for stays through Dec. 26, 2005.