PATAGONIA WORKSHOP - March 2014 Patagonia is twice the size of France but with fewer people per square mile than Western Sahara It remains remote more than a century after Europeans settled in. Pep Roig Travel photographer Peter Eastway Landscape photographer Ignacio Palacios Travel/Landscape photographer WHO SHOULD GO ON THIS PHOTOGRAPHIC TOUR PATAGONIA Anyone with a keen interest in travel and nature photography and a sense of adventure. In this workshop we will focus on landscape photography but there will also be opportunities to photograph other subjects such as people and wildlife. All levels of photographers are welcomed. You don t have to be a professional to get something out of this tour. Peter Eastway, Pep Roig and I will be providing instruction during the workshop so you are always assured of personal interaction and tuition. We are three experienced travel/landscape photographers with different skills. This will ensure that you will get whatever you need. Some evenings before dinner we will run presentations depending on the needs and desires of the group. At the end of the workshop we will run a slide show of your best images for a bit of friendly group critiquing. It allows the group (including us!) to broaden our styles and see the world in different ways. That way we all learn from each other.
ITINERARY - 15 28 March 2014-14 days Day 1: Saturday 15 th of March - SANTIAGO DE CHILE You will be met and transferred to your accommodation for check-in in Santiago de Chile at the Hilton Garden Inn (or Holiday Inn) *. These hotels are very close to the airport as we need to fly to Punta Arenas on a very early flight. Group gathering, presentations and briefing. The group will fly to Punta Arenas and we will travel all the way to Torres del Paine National Park. Day 2: Sunday 16 th of March PTA. ARENAS TO TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK Transit to Torres del Paine. On the way to the National Park we will stop to have lunch at a traditional Hosteria on the Rubens river. We will also stop at some scenic points during the entrance to the Torres del Paine National Park. Hotel check-in and short walk to stretch your legs. We are booked in hotel Rio Serrano: http://www.hotelrioserrano.cl/home_en.html Day 3: Monday 17 th of March - TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK, PEHOE LAKE Lago Pehoe from where we will take photographs of the Paine Horns. We will take a boat to Pudeto with plenty of photo opportunities. Come back to hotel, dinner and briefing. Day 4: Tuesday 18 th of March - TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK, TREKKING DAY Trekking to Torres Campsite. This is the best opportunity to photograph Torres del Paine. Return to hotel, dinner and briefing. Day 5: Wednesday 19 th of March - TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK Short walks and bus rides to Lago Nordenskjöld, Salto Grande waterfall and Laguna Larga. Return to hotel, dinner and briefing. Day 6: Thursday 20 th of March - TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK Transfer by bus to Lago Grey from where we will take a boat that will take us to the head of Grey Glacier and the calving icebergs. We will trek to the head of the glacier. We will spend the night in a typical Chilean refugio (mountain shelter) in dorms. Dinner and breakfast served in the refugio. We are booked in Refugio Grey: http://www.verticepatagonia.com/ Day 7: Friday 21 st of March - TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK and arrival to PTO NATALES We will wake up before sunrise to photograph Grey glacier and its changing colors. After sunrise we will trek down to Grey beach and we will take the bus to Pto Natales, where we will spend the night. Day 8: Saturday 22 nd of March - PUERTO NATALES TO CALAFATE We will cross the border into Argentina. There will be spectacular scenery so we will stop frequently to photograph from different lookouts. Check in in El Calafate and walk around Lago Argentino. Dinner and briefing.
Day 9: Sunday 23 rd of March - CALAFATE PARQUE NACIONAL LOS GLACIARES, PERITO MORENO Early in the morning, we will head to Parque Nacional los Glaciares and be the first tourists to see the impressive Perito Moreno glacier. This will be an unforgettable experience and we will spend the whole day in the park to ensure that you get your shot. We will take a boat to get close to the glacier and we will do a short walk to the tongue of the glacier. Return to Calafate, dinner, presentation and briefing. Day 10: Monday 24th of March - EL CHALTEN CERRO TORRE and FITZ ROY We will take the bus to El Chaltén, which is the starting point to explore Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy granite peaks. On the way we will stop in Viedma Lake. Hotel check-in, short walk and briefing. Day 11: Tuesday 25 th of March - EL CHALTEN - CERRO TORRE (trekking to D Agostini campsite) We will trek to D Agostini camp from where it is possible to see the spectacular Cerro Torre one of the granitic peaks more difficult to climb. We will camp and, weather permitting, we will have the opportunity to photograph the massif during sunset from the Maestri lookout. Day 12: Wednesday 26 th of March - CERRO TORRE to POINCENOT CAMPSITE We will take some sunrise photos and trek to Poincenot camp from where we will have spectacular views of Fitz Roy peak, Aguja Poincenot and Aguja Saint Exupery. This will is an amazing geological wonder. If weather is good, we can climb up to Laguna Sucia and we will camp to Poincenot camp. Note: If the weather is bad we will return to our hotel in El Chaltén. If some people are tired, one guide can come back with the group back to the hotel. Day 13: Thursday 27 th of March - RETURN TO EL CALAFATE We will trek back to El Chaltén and after a well-deserved meal we will take the bus to El Calafate, hotel check-in, final workshop and debrief. Day 14: Friday 28 th of March El CALAFATE - TRANSFER TO AIRPORT Transfers to El Calafate airport where there are flights to Buenos Aires connecting back to Santiago de Chile or directly to Australia. * This itinerary is the plan. The actual tour may vary slightly due to weather, road conditions or other things beyond our control. Either way, we will ensure you get the best photographic tour that we can provide and you will come away with fantastic images and memories that will last a lifetime.
WORKSHOP DATES AND PRICE 15-28 March 2014 The tour commences in Santiago de Chile and ends in El Calafate (Argentina); Total Cost of this photographic tour to Patagonia is AU$7,995 twin share; Optional single supplement for those who prefer a private room: AU$790; The tour has a maximum group size of 16 people; A deposit of $1000 is required when you book the workshop. The deposit is refundable unless hotel deposits have already been placed with our agents in Chile/Argentina. Note: If you have made up your mind and want to come, we recommend that you book this workshop early as the flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas might be busy and we need to travel all together as a group! WHAT S INCLUDED One night accommodation in Santiago de Chile to begin the tour; Full 14 days in Argentina and Chile with all land content; All you meals, transportation and accommodation in Argentina and Chile; All photographic tuition and workshop materials for duration of the tour; WHAT S NOT INCLUDED Flights to Santiago and from El Calafate; Travel insurance (required as condition of booking); Visas; Camera Insurance; Alcohol and extra beverages; Tips for guides along the way. CAMERA GEAR There is really no limit to what camera gear you take but we always recommend to travel light!. Whatever level of camera equipment you have (SLR, Medium Format etc), we will help to ensure you get the most out of it. We will provide some additional advice on camera gear in November. FITNESS The areas where we go are remote and can be harsh. Some level of fitness is required to reach some campsites in Torres del Paine and Cerro Torre. Porters will be available at an additional fee. The good thing is that we are three photographers so one of us can always stay with those who don't want to go all the way up to the campsites and photograph other subjects. CHECKLIST Here is a list of some of the things that you might need. It can get pretty chilly in Patagonia so please follow our recommendations in clothing. Camera equipment DSLR or Medium Format (check your baggage allowance with your airline/travel agent); Tripod (get a good one, especially if you are taking a MF as Patagonia is very windy and we will be doing long exposures) ; Quick release plate and Rail to eliminate parallax in your panoramas; Standard zoom, wide angle lenses and telephoto (to shot in Perito Moreno glacier a 200mm is recommended as a minimum); Battery and chargers; Shutter cable release to be able to use the camera in Bulb mode and take long (very long) exposures; Polarising filter and ND filters; Laptop computer with Photoshop (very important to take advantage of our Photoshop presentations); External backup drives and memory cards for storage;
SMALL GROUP SIZE Most of our tours have a maximum group size of 16 people as small groups work best and we are three photographers to share with the group. The workshop requires a minimum of 8 to run. Important Note: please don't book your flights until we confirm that we have 8 people coming. Peter, Pep and I are travel/landscape photographers with different skills from who you will learn a lot during the workshop. We will travel on a big van or a bus (depending on the group size) with plenty of room for camera gear and so that everyone gets a window. RECOMMENDED MOVIES AND LITERATURE Movie: 180 DEGREES SOUTH - The film follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia. Novels: IN PATAGONIA (Bruce Chatwin) PATAGONIA EXPRESS (Carlos Sepúlveda) THE OLD PATAGONIAN EXPRESS (Paul Theroux) IDLE DAYS IN PATAGONIA (William Henry Hudson) Photography books: There are hundreds, but check out this one - UNKNOWN PATAGONIA (Linde Woldhofer). You can download for free in ebook. CHECKLIST (It will be cold and it will be windy, but it will be fun!) Clothing Hiking boots (used!); Water bottle; Sunglasses (mandatory to walk near / on glaciars); Hat, sunscreen, insect repellent; Waterproof trousers and gloves; Raincoat and waterproof jacket; Wind jacket and jumper; Head torch; Alarm clock. Note: Tents and sleeping bags are not needed but of course you are always welcomed to bring your own sleeping bag. VISAS Australians can pay the visa in the airport upon entering in Chile. The cost for the Chilean visa is US$80 and for the Argentinian one US$100. For Spanish citizens the visa to enter both Chile and Argentina is free. AUSTRALIAN TRAVEL AGENT Please contact Alexandra Peek of Flight Centre Wold Square to book your flights. As we are going in a group, Alexandra will be able to do some group discounts for us and they will make sure that everyone goes in the same flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas. Her details are below: Shop 9.38 World Square, 644 George Street Sydney NSW Phone: 02 9202 3800 Fax: 02 9261 2255 Email: alexandra.peek@flightcentre.com.au To reserve your place for 2014 or to make an enquiry, please call Ignacio on 0400 213 073 or email info@iptravelphotography.com.