
Fauna and Forests
Chile
April 20 to May 1, 2022
Chile's Patagonia and Araucania regions are amazing, and we'll be there for beautiful fall color! You'll take great photos of pumas and we'll also photograph condors, mountain scenics, sunrises and sunsets, lakes, icebergs, birds, and abstracts in our quest for images that stand out from the crowd. Learn to previsualize images and then master your camera settings to get exactly what you want in some of the most beautiful and wild places on the planet! With two award-winning leaders, you'll be learning and improving every step of the way.

Date
April 20 to May 1, 2022
$
Price
$TBD

Difficulty Level
Moderate
4
Available Spots
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View the itinerary below, read more about the tour, or sign up now!
Leaders

Rodrigo Moraga
Rodrigo Moraga is a Chilean biologist and wildlife photographer who specializes in the pumas of Patagonia. Rodrigo has also worked as a photographic and naturalist guide in Antarctica. He is a regular contributor to various photographic magazines in Chile, and he is a Sony Chile ambassador. Rodrigo's photos have been awarded multiple times in the Nature's Best Windland Rice Smith competition.

Greg Basco
Gregory Basco is a professional nature photographer based in Costa Rica. After completing graduate degrees in political science and tropical ecology (his doctoral dissertation focused on the politics of ecotourism in Costa Rica), Greg worked in conservation before turning to photography full-time in 2006. His images have been awarded in the Veolia Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Nature's Best Windland Smith Rice competitions and have appeared in numerous magazines and books around the world.
His latest major project is the second edition of the large format printed book National Parks of Costa Rica in conjunction with Zona Tropical and Cornell University Press. His popular e-books include The Guide to Tropical Nature Photography, the mega e-book Flash for the Nature Photographer, and the new Complete Video Guide to Lightroom for the Nature Photographer.
You can see more of Greg's work at his website.
Follow him on Instagram @gregbascophotography
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Info

Airport
You should arrive to and depart from Chile's Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport (SCL). Our driver will be waiting to provide your private transfer to our capital city hotel.

Electricity
Electrical current is 220 volts and 50 Hz, so people from North America will need an adapter. Don't worry. We'll be happy to recommend our favorites.

Insurance
We strongly recommend you purchase trip insurance that includes trip cancellation and medical coverage while overseas.

Medical
Travel to Chile does not require any special vaccinations or medicines, but you should be up to date on routine vaccinations. The CDC recommends being up to date on Hepatitis A and Typhoid vaccinations.

Internet Access
All of our hotels have free WIFI. We will also have cell data coverage at times.

Certified
All of our services are conducted by fully licensed travel, lodge, and transport operators. This is part of our commitment to providing a professional travel experience.

Recommended gear
Tele zoom 100-400, 150-600
Camera body or bodies
Medium zoom lens, e.g., 24-105
Wide angle lens, e.g., 16-35
Polarizing/ND filters
Fast wide angle lens for night scenes
Cable release
Rain cover for camera
Small pack or shoulder bag for daily shooting
View the full Itinerary +

Day 1, Arrival/Santiago
Arrival to Chile. Meet our representative at the Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport and transfer to our hotel in the heart of Santiago. If you arrive early this day, make sure to get out and stroll around the neighborhood surrounding the hotel. The vibrant and very safe business district is a pleasant place to have a coffee or do a little shopping.
Day 2, Patagonia
After an early breakfast, we head to the airport for our flight to the southernmost major city in the world, Punta Arenas. We board our private vehicle and head toward the famed Torres del Paine National Park. En route, we have two special treats – a great typical Patagonia sheepherder's lunch and then an afternoon photo session with Andean condors at a local ranch! We arrive to our hotel late this evening to for check-in and a late dinner.
Day 3, Patagonia
This morning we shoot the sunrise right from our hotel and then have breakfast before heading out on our first Patagonian adventure. We'll take the morning to explore another nearby lake that offers us stunning mountain views. We return to our hotel for lunch and a bit of a rest before heading out to the Torres del Paine National Park for an area that offers us great views of the soaring mountain peaks. We can work with wide angle this afternoon but also with telephoto zooms for graphic compositions and time lapse. Throughout the day, our local guides will be on the lookout for pumas! We return to our hotel for dinner this evening.
Day 4, Patagonia
We leave very early this morning for sunrise over the stunning Laguna Amarga that offers a beautiful view of the famed Torres. We return to our lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, we head out right on the hotel grounds for sunset and night shots of the lake and the towering mountains of the national park by moonlight. Again, throughout the day, we will be on the lookout for puma.
Day 5, Patagonia
We enjoy sunrise this morning from a different overlook near our hotel that offers beautiful possibilities for reflections. After breakfast at our hotel, we check out and depart for another section of the park that offers beautiful views. After arriving at our hotel, we enjoy an amazing 3 hour boat ride to shoot blue icebergs and a glacier field set below the towering peaks of the Paine. It's awesome! We enjoy dinner at our new hotel after this amazing day! If the weather is clear, we can do night photography right from the grounds of our hotel.
Day 6, Patagonia
Today we take the entire day to explore a different side of the Torres del Paine National Park, focusing on river views, fall foliage, mule deer, and a number of different birds including the Megallanic Woodpecker.
Day 7, Travel
Today we enjoy our last breakfast at our beautiful hotel before heading back to the airport for our flight to Santiago. We stop en route for a snack at a great coffee shop/bakery/restaurant near the Argentinian border. We arrive to our city hotel in the early evening and have time to relax and repack for our departures tomorrow. We have included a room service dinner this evening for everyone so that we can all relax a bit.
Day 8, Araucania
Today we travel to the amazing Araucania region, which is home to snow-capped volcanoes, crystalline lakes, and the amazing Araucaria aurucana trees. These trees are sacred to the local Mapuche indigenous people, who harvested the seeds as food. All 20 members of the genus Araucaria are evolutionary fossils dating back to the Mesozoic period. The trees remain only in scattered and isolated populations dotting the southern hemisphere. Besides having a fascinating cultural and biological history, Araucaria aurucana trees are simply amazing for photographers. With their towering shape reminscicent of something out of a dinosaur-age Dr. Seuss book, they will make for amazing photographic subjects for us! We'll spend the next few days exploring the forests and lakes of the region for landscape photography.
Day 9, Araucania
Today we spend all day out in the field photographing the amazing landscapes of the Conguillio National Park. Our focus is on the incredible Araucaria trees for wide angle and telephoto scenics but we will also be able to photograph beautiful lakes, a waterfall, a snow-covered volcano, and local birds. We'll be based out of our vehicle but will also be able to take some nice hikes on flat ground to explore the area for photography.
Day 10, Araucania
We spend all day out in the field today for landscape photography in the Cordillera Las Raices section of the National Park. Fall foliage, lakes, and waterfalls are on the agenda. With luck, we may even be able to photograph local inhabitants collecting the Araucaria seeds, known locally as piñones. We'll have a bite to eat at a restaurant in the charming mountain town of Malalcahuello before continuing on the photograph a local waterfall and the forests on the flanks of another snow-covered volcano! We return to our lodge in the evening for dinner and then a night photography session.
Day 11, To Santiago
After breakfast at our hotel this morning, we check out and head back to Santiago. Along the way, we have the opportunity for more landscape photography of Araucaria trees and beautiful mountain lakes. We arrive to the capital in the evening and check in to our hotel in a beautiful section of the city that forms the bridge between the modern and the colonial sections of Santiago. If your flight leaves late at night the following day, it's a great area to walk around and do some street and architectural photography or just to enjoy the area.
Day 11, Airport
Private transfer to the airport for your flight home.
Itinerary includes
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Lodging as specified
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Meals as specified (One drink per meal)
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Coffee/tea/snacks while in the field shooting
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Domestic airfare
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Transportation w/private driver in spacious air-conditioned tour bus (sprinter)
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Private transfers to and from airport
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Professional, full-time photo instruction from your leader Greg and our photo/naturalist guide Rodrigo Moraga
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Entrances and fees for all described activities
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Taxes for all specified services
Itinerary does not include
International airfare
Dinner the first and last nights
Alcoholic Drinks
Tips
Non-mealtime snacks and drinks
Single room supplement - $TBD
Booking a tour with us is easy!

1. Register for your tour using the form at the end of each workshop page.

4. Send us your traveler info form.

2. Send us your reserve deposit.

5. We will send you your final invoice.

3. Book your international air travel.

6. We´ll send you everything you need to know before you hop on the plane!