 Fully flexible and all-inclusive nature trip and photo workshop in Patagonia, guided by leading nature photography guides Enrique Couve and Claudio F. Vidal. Southern Fall & Winter weekly departures (every Monday) from Punta Arenas, Chile. From US$ 907 p.p. 3, 4 and 5 days trips; July - August 2009 & May - August 2010 (except June). 
This is a dedicated nature photo workshop in Patagonia, designed and led by local nature photography experts Claudio F. Vidal and Enrique Couve. This photo expedition comprises a comprehensive program of field lessons as well as evening workshop discussions on digital photography, including topics such as field techniques for landscape and wildlife photography, file management and digital processing. Visiting Torres del Paine during this time of the year, will allow you to enjoy of splendid opportunities to photograph sunrises and sunsets with the dramatic and striking mountain Paine Massif formations as well as to document the array of resident wildlife which include guanacos, condors, Andean deer, flamingos, swans and pumas! Departures are guaranteed with two participants.
Trip Highlights • A comprehensive 3- to 5-day visit to UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, Torres del Paine National Park. • Superb accommodation located in the eastern side of the park, where most of the wildlife concentrates at this time of the year. • Boat trip to Grey Glacier, one of the most outstanding ice formations in the Patagonian Andes. • Photo field excursions to special locations for sunrise and sunset shots. • Fascinating wildlife including Andean condors, guanacos and pumas, Chilean flamingoes, foxes and rheas. • Trip led by leading local nature photography guides Enrique Couve & Claudio F. Vidal. The Difference of Traveling with Fantástico Sur Expeditions: • Fully flexible, hotel-based, all-inclusive trip with private transportation and nature photography guide. • Great hotel-based accommodation, superb dinning cuisine and memorable picnic lunches. • Maximum group size of up to 8 participants for one leader. • Spacious private vehicle that ensure a window seat to each trip participant. • Each vehicle and driver we use has been authorized by the Chilean Transportation Authority. • The service and expertise of a professional local naturalist leader, who will look after every logistical aspect of “your” holiday. • Top-class spotting scopes will be available for the use of our guests for a better observation and study of the wildlife and landscapes.
• You will receive a free, signed copy of one of our great natural history books for Torres del Paine and Patagonia. • …plus an useful pre-departure information package (maps, wildlife checklists and more). Torres del Paine Winter Photo Workshop can be combined with one of the following optional extensions: • Atacama Desert (5 days | 4 nights), exploring the world's driest desert amidst impressive salt lakes and snow-capped volcanoes; • Easter Island (8 days / 7 nights), Unveiling the Mysteries of Rapa Nui.
Day 1 • Punta Arenas, Chile | Drive to Torres del Paine National Park After meeting your guide at your hotel or at the airport (before 12pm*), you will be transferred in a private vehicle to Torres del Paine. During our journey to the park, we will observe how the strong southerly winds have sculpted the vegetation of the Patagonian steppes. On route we will try to spot guanacos, southern grey foxes, and Patagonian skunks while enjoying our first contact with southern beech (Nothofagus) forests. We will make several stops for photography and wildlife observation along the way. Colourful Chilean Flamingos groups can be seen on the alkaline pools and we will have delightful views of Black-necked and Coscoroba Swans on the shores of Ultima Esperanza Fjord, in Puerto Natales. Distance from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales: approximately 250 kilometers | 155 miles (between 3 to 4 hours, including stops). On route towards the park we will have splendid vistas of the hilly terrain and if is clear, of the Paine Massif at the distance. While visiting the valleys we will be given a geological interpretation of the origins of the dramatic backdrop of Torres del Paine, one of the finest natural spectacles in Patagonia. This evening we can do a nice nature walk or a sunset photo session (before or after dinner). Distance from Puerto Natales to Hotel Las Torres (eastern side of the park): approximately 120 kilometers | 75 miles (approximately 2.5 hours, including the many scenic and wildlife stops). Hotel Las Torres, Torres del Paine (4*). (Picnic lunch, Dinner)(Guide). * We recommend to arrive to Punta Arenas a day before the trip, in order to have an earlier start towards the park. Day 2 • Torres del Paine National Park (western sector) – Lake Grey – Boat trip to Grey Glacier (c. 3 hours) We will have an early start in order to be at location to photograph the Paine Massif at dawn. If you have choose to stay in the eastern side of the park, at Hotel Las Torres, we will concentrate on photographying the three Towers, while if you have selected Hotel Río Serrano, we will be at one of the viewpoints of Pehoe Lake to photograph the Horns and Paine Grande, located in the southern face of the Massif. Today we will explore the southern and western regions of this huge national park, which comprises in total an extent of 600,000 acres. (242,242 hectares). The landscape is dominated by the omnipresent Paine Massif, a magnificent set of rugged peaks, formed out of granite and sedimentary rock. The long-gone Indians of Patagonia gave the name Paine, meaning “blue”, presumably referring to its remarkable colouration when observed at a distance. We will have the opportunity to explore the Nothofagus or southern Beech forests and its diversity of plants and animals; we will try to see Magellanic Woodpecker, Austral Parakeet and the shy Andean Deer or Huemul, if we are lucky. We will be marveled by seen the contrasting mosaic of towering mountains, glaciers, wetlands, steppes and forests. Lago Grey is certainly one of the highlights of the day. Colosal icebergs are stranded on the southern shore of the lake after a long and slow transit from the glacier front. From this shore we will board our boat (the M/V Grey II) for a 3-hour excursion through the icy waters of the lake towards the impressive and actively calving front of the Grey Glacier. Grey is one of the nearly 50 outlet glaciers which originate from the massive Southern Patagonian Ice Field, world's third largest after Antarctica and Greenland, and is one of the most beautiful and colourful in all Patagonia. The front is full of crevasses and the solid glacial ice colours vary from whitish to deep indigo. The glacier is flanked towards the east by impressive granite walls which are part of the Paine Massif, and towards the west by the eroded and low summits of the older Andes. The photography is great at this particular spot; we will be treated with a glass of pisco sour or scotch containing glacier ice of hundreds, possibly thousand years old! This evening we will have again an optional photo outing for sunset and the dramatic cloud formations. Hotel Las Torres, Torres del Paine (4*). (Breakfast; Picnic-lunch; Dinner)(Guide). Day 3 • Torres del Paine National Park (eastern sector) - Drive to Punta Arenas This morning we will have again an early start in order to be ready to photograph the Towers or the Horns with the first light. With the right lighting, the mountain base turns in orange colors and the scene become very dramatic with peculiar lenticular clouds moving fast over the peaks. At the eastern corner of Sarmiento Lake, we will reach a location that commands the most incredible views of the towering peaks of Las Torres, the pinnacles from which the park takes its name. As we move around the park, you shall observe confiding herds of Guanaco, most southerly camelid, the curious-looking Lesser Rhea and impressive Andean Condors soaring along the road. During the morning we will visit the eastern side of the park to enjoy the views of one of the impressive waterfalls of Paine river and if is clear, of the fabulous granite columns of the Paine massif from Laguna Amarga. After our picnic, we will head back to Punta Arenas where our trips ends, approximately at 6pm (Breakfast, Picnic-lunch)(Guide) . If you have chosen the 4-day option, we will keep exploring the alkaline ponds and reed-fringed lagoons located of the eastern part of the park. There are approximately 120 species of birds in the park and we will see a considerable number of them, with the help of binoculars and the spotting scope. Also the flora is a very interesting subject for observation and photography. The park holds probably nearly 500 species of plants; the southern spring and early summer (mid-October through late January) are great to see the myriad of flowers that bloom in these magnificent landscapes. See the photo gallery. After our return to the hotel and enjoy our delicious dinner, we will have another chance to photograph the mountains and clouds at sunset. Hotel Las Torres, Torres del Paine (4*). (Breakfast; Picnic-lunch; Dinner)(Guide). 4 and 5-day Options Day 4 • Torres del Paine Leisure morning in the park to explore and photograph in the hotel surroundings or to have an enjoyable hike seeing the mountains with the first light. After our picnic, we will head back to Punta Arenas where our trips ends, approximately at 6pm (Breakfast, Picnic-lunch)(Guide) . Codes: B=Breakfast; L=Lunch/Box-lunch; D=Dinner; G=Guide; *=Hotel Category.
Hotel Las Torres, Torres del Paine National Park, Chilean Patagonia This charmingly rustic hotel provides a comfortable base from which to explore the park’s towering mountains, turquoise lakes, glaciers, ice fields and steppes. Las Torres is located 75 miles (120 kilometers) from the town of Puerto Natales and 230 miles (375 kilometers) from the larger city of Punta Arenas. Each of the hotel’s many windows look out over the expansive steppe or snow-capped mountains surrounding it, including the trio of towers that gave the park its name. The hotel features 57 rooms, several sitting areas, two restaurants and a bar. The interpretive center located by the hotel’s reception desk lays out information about the rock formations and wildlife you may encounter on your excursions. In addition, the spa next door offers you the chance to unwind and rejuvenate after you return from your adventures. The rooms of the hotel provide a cozy atmosphere, being the perfect setting to relax and enjoy after a long days excursion. Central heating, box spring beds, telephones and private bathrooms in a rustic yet elegant decoration provide the ideal ambience in our superior rooms for resting and preparing the next days activities. Several services are available in the relaxing environment of your room, with a simple call you have the possibility of enjoying massages, food, wine and drinks. Check out our set of images Hotel Las Torres and its comfortable facilities.
2009 | 2010 Dates: Available July - August 2009 and May - August 2010 (no departures during June 2010). Meet/Depart: Weekly departures from Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales, Chile - every Monday. Optional transfers to/from El Calafate, Argentina (please inquire). Rates for Custom departures (you choose the date): 12% discount for our 2009 and early 2010 trips applies if you book before August 30, 2009! | Trip Length | 3 days | 2 nights | | Number of people | 1 | 2-4
| Single Suppl.
| Price per person
| $1,706 $1,501
| $1,031 $907
| $91 | | Trip Length | 4 days | 3 nights | | Number of people | 1 | 2-4 | Single Suppl. | | Price per person | $2,337 $2,056
| $1,363 $1,200
| $137 | Trip Length
| 5 days | 4 nights
| Number of people
| 1
| 2-4
| Single Suppl.
| Price per person
| $2,934 $2,582 | $1,694 $1,491
| $182
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The above price is per person in US$, based on double occupancy. Do you want us to arrange your stay in Punta Arenas? Book our Torres del Paine Explorer program and you will get a 15% discount on the room rates. Our recommended hotels in Punta Arenas: | Hotel | Diego de Almagro
| Cabo de Hornos | Rey Don Felipe
| Double Room
| $165 | $210 | $200 | -15% discount
| $141 | $179 | $170 | Single Room
| $150 | $190 | $155 | | -15% discount | $128
| $162 | $132
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(Prices includes breakfast and complimentary airport transfers) Do you want us to arrange your flights from Santiago to Punta Arenas? Domestic flights Santiago – Punta Arenas – Santiago (from US$ 150 per person). Duration of the flight: 3 hours (direct) / 4 hours (with a stop-over in Puerto Montt). What the trip includes/excludes Single supplement will be added if single accommodations are requested. The trip price includes: All accommodations, meals and guide services as stated in the itinerary, private ground transportation during the tour, boat trip in Grey Glacier, and park entrance fees. The trip price excludes: Domestic flights, tipping, travel insurance, entrance tax to Chile, excess baggage charges, drinks, à la carte dishes, laundry, telephone calls and anything else of a purely personal nature. Tour Registration: To register for this tour, complete the Fantástico Sur Expeditions registration form and return it (by fax or email) with a deposit of US$ 350 per person. Full payment of the tour fee is due 90 days prior to tour departure. Cancellation Policy: Notice of cancellation can only be accepted IN WRITING from the person who signed the booking form and takes effect on the day such noticed is received by us. Refunds are made according to the following schedule: If cancellation is made 120 days or more before departure date, the deposit less US$ 200 is refundable. If cancellation is made between 120 and 60 days before departure, the deposit is not refundable, but any payments covering the balance of the fee will be refunded. If cancellation is made fewer than 60 days before departure date, no refund is available. This policy and fee schedule also applies to pre-trip and post trip extensions, as well as any transfers from one tour to another. We strongly recommend the purchase of trip cancellation insurance to protect yourself.
Check out our set of images from recent trips to Torres del Paine.
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