Patagonia is one of the most beautiful regions on Earth. Its massive glaciers, towering peaks, turquoise lakes, and pristine Patagonian forests make for some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes to photograph. Additionally, it’s home to stunning wildlife like pumas, guanacos, condors, the Magellanic woodpecker, and more!
Join us to photograph all of these highlights while we explore Chile and Argentina together. If you’ve ever wanted to photograph the wonders of Patagonia without having to do strenuous hikes, this photography tour will be right down your alley.
We are running this Chilean and Argentine Patagonia photo tour in April 2025, during the best time of year to photograph the spectacular Patagonia forests’ fall colors and when the parks are less crowded.
April 1-10 & April 11-20, 25
10 days and 9 nights
(Double ocuppancy)
During this 10-day Patagonia photo adventure, we will visit the most photogenic locations around the picturesque village of El Chaltén in Argentina’s Glariares National Park, as well as the most iconic spots in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, including one full day at the famous Perito Moreno Glacier.
This Patagonia photo tour is mainly focused on enjoying and capturing the best moments of light that the Southern Andean range has to offer, from epic sunrises over Mount Fitz Roy to dramatic lenticular clouds and unforgettable photography sessions at Los Cuernos in Torres del Paine. We will stay in some of the best hotels in the area and close to the best locations so we can eat and sleep comfortably while being able to shoot the main photography locations in Patagonia.
We will personally help you capture the best possible images and show you the best techniques to shoot any subject in different light conditions: sunrise, sunset, midday, twilight, night, etc.
If you’ve ever dreamed of visiting Patagonia, but were set back because of the challenging hikes and camping in the cold, we created this trip to give you the best experience without compromising on the beauty. Patagonia is a common bucket list destination for most photographers because of it’s breathtaking landscapes. In the past, visiting this area meant hiking and camping; and while some iconic spots are only accessible through hikes, there are plenty more that have become accessible by car or short walks.
However, we’ll be visiting and photographing many locations, some of which require walking on uneven paths; we’ve also scheduled some short optional hikes to reach a couple of incredible viewpoints. Additionally, we’ll also spend a significant amount of time driving from one location to another, which can also be exhausting. Even without the camping and long hikes, being in good physical shape is fundamental so that you can enjoy the experience.
The itinerary for our Patagonia photo tour can be flexible. Here, the weather is very changeable and we can experience all four seasons in one day. However, the weather is also one of the best things about Patagonia, since it creates the most dramatic conditions you’ll ever see in the wilderness.
As we know the area very well, our goal will be to photograph the Patagonian landscapes in the best possible conditions, depending on the weather forecast.
We will try to make the most of the light, especially during the sunrises, when the light creates a feast for the eyes by turning the peaks red and orange.
This Patagonia photo tour will begin at El Calafate in Argentina, where we’ll meet with the rest of the group.
During this first day, we’ll do the welcome speech and briefing. We’ll also do a gear review to make sure we are familiar with our cameras and have the right settings. You’ll then have time to rest from the trip, before going out for our first group dinner.
It’s important to be well-rested because the remaining days will be filled with activities!
On the second day of our Patagonia photography tour, after breakfast, we will leave El Calafate and drive to our first photography spot: Perito Moreno Glacier!
This spectacular mass of ice spreads along 121 square miles and it’s one of the few glaciers in the world in an equilibrium state, with no major changes in its size during the past centuries.
This massive glacier towers above the turquoise waters of an enormous lagoon in Los Glaciares National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it’s one of the most impressive glaciers in the world. We will spend the morning shooting this gigantic sharp ice field under the fall colors from different viewpoints.
After our Perito Moreno photo excursion, we will then drive to El Chalten to begin the next part of our journey.
The drive takes about 4.5 hours to the world-famous village of El Chaltén. Just an hour before we arrive in El Chaltén, we’ll be able to catch a glimpse of the iconic peaks of Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre in the distance; these two peaks will be our main photography backgrounds for the next three days.
On the third day of our Patagonia photography tour, we will wake up early to capture the sunrise at a location near the village. After a short 5-minute walk, we’ll reach our photography spot, from where we’ll be able to see the iconic Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre with the beautiful morning light.
After breakfast at the hotel, we will embark on another adventure to Lago del Desierto. This beautiful lake is located right outside the national park and offers a unique view of the Fitz Roy massif. We’ll take a boat tour to explore the lake and enjoy its views.
On the way to the lake, we’ll make multiple stops to take photos. Once we exit the national park, we’ll be able to fly drones as this area is outside the National Park. The aerial views from this area are just stunning.
To end the day, we’ll make a final stop at a couple of little waterfalls to shoot the last light of the day before returning to our hotel.
On the fourth day of our Patagonia non-hiking photo tour, we’ll photograph the sunrise at the beautiful Mirador de los Cóndores, very close to town. After a moderate optional walk, we’ll reach this beautiful spot overlooking the town of El Chalten with the breathtaking peaks in the background.
After the morning session, we’ll drive to Puerto Bahía del Túnel to take some daytime images with little icebergs coming from Viedma glacier, with Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre in the background. We’ll also take this time to scout for some night photos in case the sky is clear. This spot is one of the best for night photography in the area, thanks to the hills that block the light pollution coming from the town.
After returning to the hotel and getting some rest, we’ll head to the next photo location, where we’ll photograph the last lights of the day: Chorrillo del Salto. This beautiful waterfall close to El Chalten can be reached after a 10 minute walk on flat terrain. Here we’ll use the foliage to frame this stunning subject.
If the sky is clear, we’ll do a short astrophotography session back in Puerto Bahía del Túnel to end the day.
On the fifth day of our Patagonia photo tour, we’ll say goodbye to the charming town of El Chalten and start to make our way to the Chilean part of this trip.
Before we leave Argentina, we’ll make one final stop at the Cañón del Río de las Vueltas to take in the last view of the majestic peaks of Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy, which have been part of our backgrounds for the last few days.
On the way to Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, we’ll see wildlife such as guanacos and rheas. The drive will be long, and it includes a border crossing, but we’ll make a couple of stops for lunch and to use the bathroom.
The closer we get to our final destination, the more impressive the scenery will become. We will stay at one of the best hotels in Torres del Paine, with stunning views of the incredible Los Cuernos mountains. We can even take amazing pictures from the hotel’s doorstep!
A few minutes before arriving at the hotel, we’ll stop at the Mirador de Río Serrano to take the first images of this area’s stunning mountains.
During the next three days, we’ll have the flexibility to shoot in different locations across Torres del Paine National Park during the best light according to the weather forecast, which we will check daily. We’ll access our photo spots via small drives and short walks.
There are endless possibilities to shoot here: beautiful reflections of Los Cuernos, Laguna Amarga, Laguna Azul, the Dead Forest, turquoise lakes, waterfalls, many panoramic views of the mountains, colorful autumn foliage, and even seascapes.
During this trip, we will try to capture some blue hour and night images if conditions allow. We’ll always keep an eye on the conditions for any possible night photography session.
Also, we’ll spend one of the days doing a Patagonia Puma tracking Photo Tour. Pumas are elusive animals and it’s not guaranteed that we’ll see them, but with the help of our professional puma tracker who knows their habitat and understand their behavior, we’ll have higher chances of seeing them. This area in the Patagonia is the best place in the world to witness this beautiful feline. In addition, we’ll probably see other animals, such as guanacos, condors, rheas, armadillos, foxes, and many species of birds.
On our 9th day of the trip, after our last sunrise at Mirador de Los Cuernos, we’ll head back to El Calafate in Argentina, where we’ll spend our last night.
After breakfast, we will pack up and drive you to El Calafate Airport, where we will wrap up this photo adventure across Patagonia. We’ll do one drop-off in the morning and another one in the afternoon, but you can also take a private taxi to the airport if you need to catch your flight earlier or later.
Deposit: $2,000 USD
A $2,000 USD deposit is required to reserve your spot for this workshop. You can also pay in full at any time. The remaining balance is due 120 days before the start of the photo tour. If the remaining balance is not paid in full by the due date, you will lose your spot.
Drop-off at El Calafate Airport (FTE).
Transportation included in a bus with 2 seats guaranteed per person.
Fuel and parking fees.
Border crossing fees.
Accommodation in hotels in shared rooms with private bathrooms.
Entrance ticket to Torres del Paine National Park.
Entrance ticket to Glaciar Perito Moreno.
Local guides in Los Glaciares NP and Torres del Paine NP.
Patagonia Puma tracking tour.
This trip is focused on landscape & wildlife photography, mainly shooting mountains, forests, and waterfalls. We’ll also do some blue hour/night photography when conditions align.
What you learn during the workshop will vary according to your goals and skills. Your instructors are professional photographers with extensive experience who will help you take your photography to the next level.
During the tour you’ll have the opportunity to learn:
Some of the post-processing techniques that you can learn with the included tutorials are:
Prince Berkoh will be the tour leader, and he’ll ensure that you capture the best possible images during the trip.
Prince is a landscape and night photographer based in Northern Spain. His passion for photography has taken him to some of the most spectacular landscape photography destinations in Europe and South America, where he has gained experience and knowledge about Patagonia.
He loves educating and teaching others about photography, and he’s given presentations on night photography over the years. He also has extensive experience, having led numerous tours in Patagonia and many Nordic countries such as Iceland, the Faroe Islands, the Lofoten Islands, and more. In addition, he leads other photo tours in Europe and South America.
Prince will show you the best methods for capturing the landscapes of Patagonia, from the basics to advanced techniques like bracketing, focus stacking, panoramas, and other photography tips.
Unai Larraya will be the co-leader on this Patagonia photo tour. He is an expert landscape photographer who will make sure you end up with the best possible images.
Unai is an experienced landscape and wildlife photographer based in Northern Spain. He has refined his photography skills while traveling around the world over the past few years and has taught many other photographers along the way. He runs tours for Capture the Atlas in other destinations such as Iceland, the Dolomites, the Alps, Finland, etc.
Since Unai started his photography journey, he has won multiple awards in recognition of his outstanding photography and editing skills.
With Unai, you’ll learn about composition, shaping light, color theory, focus stacking, and more. He will also show you how to implement all these techniques into your workflow to take your photography to the next level!
We will send you a complete list of everything we recommend bringing on this tour before the trip. Below is a summary of things you might need:
The average temperature in Patagonia in April is between 50ºF to 23°F (10° C to -5ºC), and it’s especially cold in the mornings. You should come prepared for all kinds of weather and bring warm clothing. Rain and strong winds are very common in Patagonia. Some of the things that we recommend bringing on this fall Patagonia photo tour are:
Some optional items that are recommended are:
You will find more items and details on the official list of recommendations that we provide upon registration.
The currency in Argentina is the Argentine peso (ARS), and in Chile, it’s the Chilean peso (CLP). We highly recommend getting Chilean pesos in your home country. Credit and debit cards are accepted in most places in Patagonia, but there are still many businesses that only take cash.
For Argentina, most business take credit cards. We still recommend having a small amount like $100-200 in cash. Local banks in foreign countries don’t usually offer ARS, so we recommend exchaning this amount once you are in El Calafate (our hotel offers ARS in exchange of USD and EUR).
People from most countries, including the Americas, Europe, Eastern Asia, Israel, Australia, and New Zealand, don’t need a tourist visa to visit Argentina and Chile for trips that are shorter than 90 days.
Please check if you need a visa to visit Argentina and Chile if you live outside those areas. We can help you with this process.
The accommodation on this Patagonia Photo Tour is double occupancy in shared bedrooms with two individual beds and a private bathroom. We also offer single occupancy rooms in all hotels on the trip for an extra $1,200. If you are interested in this, please let us know on the signup form below, since the single occupancy rooms are subject to availability.
In Argentina, we are staying in top-rated hotels close to the best locations, where you can see marvelous views of the Patagonian Mountains.
This is not a hiking photo tour; however, most of the locations require short walks on uneven terrain to reach the best views.
There are only two locations that require a short hike. Mirador de los Cóndores in El Chaltén is 1.5 miles in distance (round trip) and around a 300-ft elevation gain, and Mirador de los Cuernos in Chile which is a 3.5 mile hike and 200 ft elevation gain. Both of these hikes are optional.
Days can be long depending on the weather conditions. On good days, we might spend most of the day out photographing different locations.
Being in good physical shape is fundamental to enjoying this experience to the fullest. Consider bringing hiking poles to help with your balance.
All the local guides in both the Argentine and Chilean parts of this Patagonia photo tour are included.
We have also included the entrance fees for Perito Moreno and Torres del Paine National Park.
You should book your flight to El Calafate International Airport (FTE).
Airline ticket prices will depend on the airport you are flying from, but round-trip flights from the USA cost around $1,400 – $1,800, and from Europe around $1,100 – $1,300.
Meals are not included, except for breakfast at the hotels.
Most days, we will have breakfast at our accommodation and a nice dinner in a local restaurant. In Torres del Paine, we will have dinner in the hotel’s restaurant, and during the day, we’ll order box lunches.
We recommend preparing to spend about $40-$70 USD on food per day.
All transportation and fuel are included during the tour. We’ll be traveling in a private 29-seat bus for the duration of the trip. This will give us ample room to be comfortable during drives and more than enough space for luggage and camera gear. Everybody will have a window seat and an extra seat to keep their camera gear handy.
The bus also has a few amenities, such as USB chargers and a small fridge if you want to store some food.
Our workshops are completely centered on photography: finding the best lighting conditions during the trip and creating an intensive experience that is conducive to learning and taking the best images.
Our workshops are limited to small groups with a ratio of no more than six students per instructor. This is also an important factor for providing the attentive instruction you need during the tour.
During this workshop, we will photograph the famous locations in this destination as well as some hidden gems that we have discovered while exploring in the past that are rarely visited or photographed.
We will discuss your goals before the tour so we can create a dedicated instruction plan for you. It doesn’t matter what your age is or your skills are; we will design your plan and provide you with materials before, during, and after the workshop so the learning process is not limited to just the tour.
We have spent years designing national and international photo tours with successful results, helping photographers with everything from the simple task of getting off Auto to the ambitious goal of capturing complex images.
Beyond the photography, our photography workshops help build strong bonds that last forever. After our trip, you’ll feel like you have been with a group of friends rather than on a standard tour. We are thankful to have plenty of repeat clients who keep traveling and learning with us.
Whether you are experienced or just starting out in photography, you are welcome to join us, and I am convinced that you will progress very fast. Together, we will get you back home with a greater and deeper knowledge of many photography topics.
Once you sign up for the workshop, we will discuss your skills and goals for this tour, and I’ll organize a teaching plan so you can make the most of this experience. You’ll also receive access to Dan’s Capture the Milky Way course so you can start preparing your astrophotography before the trip.
This is not a hiking photo tour; however, most of the locations require short walks on uneven terrain to reach the best views. Additionally, days can be long depending on the weather conditions. On good days we might spend most of the day out photographing different locations.
Being in good physical shape is fundamental to enjoy this experience to the fullest. Consider bringing hiking poles to help with your balance.
There is no age limit to join this Patagonia photo tour.
We do recommend that participants older than 70 years old do a physical examination with a primary care provider (PCP) to make sure that they are physically prepared for this experience.
Non-photographer companions are welcome to join the tour, and they need to book a spot under the same price and conditions as any other participant. (We don’t allow non-participant companions tagging along with the group). We have had plenty of non-photographer companions over the years and all of them enjoyed an amazing experience. As long as they enjoy nature, beautiful landscapes, and are a bit patient with the schedules of a photo tour, joining the trip can be a great experience regardless of the shooting.
Unfortunately, flying drones is not allowed in any of the national parks that we will visit; however, we will also visit some spots outside the national parks which could provide a good opportunity for some aerial photography.
Both of your guides are experienced drone photographers and will assist you with your drone photography; however, we are not responsible for any accidental damage or fines if you fly it in restricted areas.
We have had the opportunity to work with and help countless photographers over the last years:
Patagonia is one of the most spectacular and photogenic mountain regions in the world for good reason; here, you can see everything from towering peaks and enormous glaciers to glittering rivers and waterfalls, and some of the most dramatic light in the Andes.
During the fall, the forests feature a unique display of colors, which adds the perfect touch to any landscape photo. Here, you can also expect to see some of the darkest skies in South America when the wind blows away the clouds.
We have crafted this Patagonia photo tour so you can visit, explore, and photograph all the best locations in this magical region during the best moments of light. All our guides and team will focus on you and your photography during this special trip.
Are you ready for this adventure?!
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