Patagonia Photography

Our Patagonia photo tour begins in El Calafate. We will meet in the evening for dinner and discuss the upcoming trip. If the weather cooperates it’s possible to see the Andes from town. Night: El Calafate

Perito Moreno glacier, one of Argentina’s top attractions is located in Los Glaciares National Park about forty-five minutes from town. We get amazing views of this behemoth spilling chunks of ice into Lago Argentina, while fall colours reveal themselves at treeline above. We have plenty of time here to capture the majesty of this gigantic glacier as it advances toward the elaborate viewing platforms. Austral Parakeets, Fiery-eyed Diucons and Thorn-tailed Rayaditos might dictate keeping the long lenses in hand.

After we’ve had our fill we return to El Calafate and continue onward to the towering spires of Fitzroy and Cerro Torre. Night: El Chaltén

Sunrise on the Fitzroy, or El Chaltén massif is our pre-breakfast target this morning. With luck, we’ll frame pampas, colourful lenga trees and towering spires not far from roadside and with coffees in hand. On site we’ll discuss the use of filters and lens techniques to capture images as crisp as the autumn air. This scene of El Chaltén and Cerro Torre epitomizes the stark landscape of Patagonia. These peaks are truly impressive sights.

After breakfast we’ll roam this northern section of Los Glaciares for more images, including a stunning waterfall that provides more scenic opportunities. For the telephoto lenses the area hosts Chilean Flickers, Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle and both Spectacled and Torrent Ducks. The mountain backdrop is not to be missed, and we’ll hope for clear vistas that so often materialize at this time of year. Night: El Chaltén

In the morning we will explore the lakes and mountains to the north of El Chalten. This area is a great place to fine-tune our imagery before heading back to El Calafate, and we often find the best fall colors of the trip here. Stretching our legs on some trails is a possibility. On the way to El Calafate we’ll drive past the turquoise Lagos Viedma and stop whenever something exciting shows up! Night: El Calafate

In the morning we will visit a local wetland with opportunities for some wildlife photography. After that, we’ll have several hours of travel as we cross into Chile toward the jaw-dropping Torres del Paine. Night: Torres del Paine

Arguably the single most scenic location in all of South America, Torres del Paine is a photographer’s dream. Today we’ll employ a local puma tracking guide, and be out early to help us get into position for the most dramatic photos possible. Here we’ll have our best chance at photographing a puma, however many other subjects will beckon, including condors, guanacos and rheas on the protected pampas. Night: Torres del Paine

We continue exploring and photographing the park, combining landscapes and wildlife when possible. We’ll enjoy some short hikes, one or more waterfall sessions and a trip to Lago Grey with its icebergs and forest of Southern Beech. Magellanic Woodpeckers are found in these gnarled woods, and if lucky, a roosting owl. An endangered deer, the Huemul, is possible in this area. Night: Torres del Paine

After our final morning session in the park we head south to Puerto Natales. Anywhere along the way we can get out for some scenic landscapes—and if conditions cooperate, we may spot soaring condors along the cliffs. We will visit the Cueva del Mylodón, an impressive cave where these ground sloths were once found. Night: Puerto Natales

Today we’ve scheduled a boat trip to a very scenic, less-accessible destination west of Puerto Natales in the Chilean Fiords region. Aboard a large boat serving coffee, tea and snacks, we’ll traverse near the base of cascading waterfalls with nesting condors before arriving at a short hike that takes us to the base of a tumbling glacier. We enjoy lunch at an estancia, or farm, with kingfishers and geese as photo subjects. Night: Puerto Natales

We keep moving through the far south, where terrestrial wildlife abounds on the steppe. This is guanaco country, where large herds roam freely. We will explore the steppe and volcanic landscape with scenic pull-offs for rheas under big skies, as we make our way to Cerro Sombrero. We will cross the Straight of Magellan on a ferry where it’s possible to see penguins, terns, and Commerson’s Dolphin. Night: Cerro Sombrero

From Cerro Sombrero, we’ll visit South America’s only mainland colony of King Penguins, where adults and juveniles do their thing on the other side of a handy viewing blind. We’ll also stop at roadside salt lakes to find Chilean Flamingos. In the afternoon we take the ferry crossing from Porvenir to Punta Arenas—an exciting opportunity to view seabirds such as Black-browed Albatross and Southern Giant Petrel and marine mammals including Dusky Dolphin. In Punta Arenas we know a place to find Lesser Horned Owl. Night: Punta Arenas

Our Patagonia Photography tour ends this morning in Punta Arenas. You can depart anytime. There are usually several flights to Santiago where you can connect to flights home.