PATAGONIA/PUMALAND PHOTO TOUR

Guanacos & Torres Del Paine


June 26 - July 3, 2021


**See itinerary below

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

* Patagonia in winter is a photographer’s dream, with snow packed peaks making for spectacular reflections in the surrounding lakes.
* Photograph Torres del Paine National Park ~ a world famous collection of granite spires, glaciers and lakes.
* Lodge is located on Lake Pehoe with views of the Torres del Paine peaks, not far from where the Puma’s roam.
* Seven days with acclaimed tour guides and professional photographers Cathy & Gordon Illg.
*
Extend your stay in South America and travel to Brazil and the Pantanal with Cathy & Gordon Illg.

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TOUR ITINERARY

View from Pehoe Lodge
JUNE 26: DEPART HOME FOR PUNTA ARENAS, CHILE
Depart Home for Punta Arenas, Chile (PUQ), landing June 27. You will likely connect with a flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas. The group will travel together from the Punta Arenas airport to begin your adventure. The flight arrival time will be announced in your first packet of pre-departure materials.
If you would like to spend time in Santiago to rest, relax, or recover from jet lag, hotel options can be provided. In doing so you would have to depart home prior to June 26.
PLEASE NOTE: Those attending the Pantanal Photo Tour to Brazil can overnight with Illg’s in Santiago Chile &/ or Cuiaba Brazil, in order to rest prior to the program beginning. If you are attending both tours you will need to issue international flights multi-city, Home/PUQ; CGB/Home. Strabo will send suggestions for flying PUQ/CGB and booking airport hotels.
Torres Del Paine NP sunrise
JUNE 27: PUNTA ARENAS
Your guide will meet you at the Punta Arenas airport, time to be announced. Enjoy the day on your own to rest and relax before an early start tomorrow morning. This is Chile’s most southerly city and gateway for your explorations in Patagonia.
From the air you will appreciate how long and narrow this country is, enjoy great views of the Andes. At some point, you will see how the topography drastically changes and the country transforms into a mosaic of fjords, islands, and glaciers. This is Patagonia, the scenario for your photography outings during the following week. Overnight HOTEL PUNTA ARENAS
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JUNE 28-JUL 2: PUMALAND - TORRES DEL PAINE
Depart after an early breakfast with your local guide to your lodge for the week. After lunch at the lodge you will begin your first Puma search. Enjoy another four full days photographing the wildlife and amazing landscapes. After breakfast each day depart on a 4-5 hour program, returning to the hotel for lunch followed by a second photo session each day.
Large herds of camel-like Guanaco will be a common sight along the entire drive towards Punta Arenas and other mammals potentially include Southern Grey Fox, Patagonian Hairy Armadillo and Patagonian Hog-nosed Skunk. Chilean Flamingo, Upland and Ash-headed geese, Coscoroba and Black-necked swans and Silver Teal are all possible sightings along with thousands of waders such as Baird’s and White-rumped sandpipers and Wilson’s Phalarope at the roadside wetlands.
The experience of “Walking with Pumas” is extremely exciting. The Pumas are the only large cats in the world one can walk with, often for hours on end. The itinerary includes days searching and watching Pumas, along with photographing them in their natural habitat and surrounding landscape. This remote region offers unbelievable landscape photo opportunities, with vast mountains, and natural beauty.
The Andean Condor, is one of the world’s largest flying birds, with an impressive wingspan of more than 10 feet (nearly 3 meters); these magnificent birds soar over the summits of the Andes, all the way from Venezuela down to Tierra del Fuego. It is quite an amazing experience to see these colossal birds flying low, very close to the sea level. Overnight TORRES DEL PAINE HOTEL (B, L, D each day)
JULY 3: PUNTA ARENAS - SANTIAGO - CONNECT HOME OR ONWARD
Depart early this morning for Punta Arenas, flying to Santiago, and connect with your flight home* (flight time from Punta Arenas to be announced). The majority of flights to North America will land home the next day July 4. (B) *Depending on flight departures you may need to overnight in Santiago before proceeding home, if so we can recommend the Hotel Diego de Almagro Santiago Airport which provides a free shuttle service, rooms estimated at $180.


$7,495

Deposit: $750

Run in conjunction with Strabo Tours.
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Strabo Photo Tours/Paatagonia/PumaLand