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Patagonia Classic

with Justin Black, Michael Clark
April 2 - 17, 2024 Expedition
Limited to 10 Participants. From $13,995  
Register Now
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  • Overview
  • Itinerary
  • Instructors
  • Gallery
  • Pricing
  • Highlights
  • Accommodations
  • Travel
  • Expectations

Overview

Patagonia: the word is synonymous with awe-inspiring landscape, and Torres del Paine National Park, Perito Moreno Glacier, and the peaks of the Fitz Roy region are the crown jewels. This hybrid program – part expedition, part workshop, led by acclaimed adventure photographer Michael Clark and Justin Black of Visionary Wild is designed to maximize opportunities to execute well-crafted and compelling photographs that capture the spirit of this incredible place. Participants will have ample time to get to know this sublime region during its colorful autumn splendor, and your photography there will benefit from the opportunity to revisit fruitful situations to apply lessons learned and to take advantage of changing weather and light. Assuming the weather cooperates, moonless nights during our itinerary will mean excellent opportunities to incorporate the Milky Way in nocturnal landscapes. The goal is for each participant to come away from this trip with a strong body of work, a new body of knowledge, new friendships, rejuvenation, and priceless memories.

Torres del Paine National Park and Biosphere Reserve is the centerpiece of Patagonia – the ultimate distillation of the region’s most inspiring qualities. It’s one of those rare places that routinely exceeds the grandest dreams of even the most experienced photographers. Peaks and spires thrust abruptly upward above turquoise lakes, forcing moisture-laden winds off the ocean to form soaring lenticular clouds that catch the fiery sunrise and sunset alpenglow. Glaciers spill down from the Patagonian icecap, depositing cobalt blue icebergs on the shores of Lago Grey. Endemic lenga tree forests glow in hues of gold and copper in the southern autumn. Rivers tumble over cascading waterfalls as condors ride thermals on the flanks of the Cordillera del Paine mountains. Guanacos and foxes range over the golden pampas, and flamingoes wade the lagoons. At this time of year, the days are a manageable length with extended periods of dawn and dusk, and the sun never rises more than 35 degrees above the horizon. The quality of light is spectacular.

Our trip begins in Punta Arenas, Chile, where our local guide team and driver – good friends of ours who are regarded as some of the very best in Patagonia – we will meet you at the airport and transfer you to Hotel Cabo de Hornos, a recently remodeled boutique hotel on the town’s main square. We’ll all gather there and go out as a group for a welcome dinner at one of our favorite restaurants nearby to get to know everyone. The next day we proceed to Torres del Paine National Park (with lunch at a restaurant along the way) where we’ll check into Hotel Lago Grey, the first of three excellent lodges in the park that will serve as our base camps for the next seven days and nights – the others are the spectacularly located Hostería Pehoe, and recently upgraded Hotel Las Torres.

After Torres, we cross the border into Argentina, for a four-hour drive to El Calafate on the shores of Lago Argentino (a.k.a. Lago General Carrera on the Chilean side of the border). Our “basecamp” for two nights will be the beautiful four-star Alto Calafate Hotel, from which we will make excursions by van to the expansive Perito Moreno Glacier framed in autumn color, as well as other scenic highlights.

Then it’s on to El Chalten in Los Glaciares National Park, the gateway to the spectacularly soaring granite spires of the peaks Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre, renowned among alpinists as world-class climbs (Justin’s mentor Galen Rowell made an ascent of Fitz Roy in 1985). For four nights, we will stay at Posada Lunajuim Hotel, an excellent three-star accommodation. We will make use of this towering sublime mountain backdrop by making excursions to various vista points, rivers, lakeshores, autumn forests, and more to find compelling foregrounds for our compositions. As our trip draws to a close, we will return to Calafate for another night at Alto Calafate Hotel before catching departing flights to Buenos Aires and home.

Michael Clark and Justin Black will lead the small group on field sessions adapted to make the most of the prevailing conditions each day. Emphasis will be on photography and hands-on mentoring in the field. We’ll photograph when the conditions are good, and we’ll gather in the lodge for presentations on light, composition, visualization, technique, and digital workflow at times when light or weather aren’t as conducive for photography (during harsh mid-day light, if a rain storm passes through, etc.). We will also hold constructive critiques of participant photographs, and then head back out into the field to apply what we’ve learned.

Excursions will include a trip by ferry to visit the face of Glacier Grey and, in our comfortable group vehicles, spectacular locations that we have scouted in detail on prior visits. Some locations involve short hikes, but nothing particularly strenuous.

After dusk each day, we will gather for a nice dinner and some good Chilean and Argentine wine. Then it’s off to bed to rest, as most mornings we’ll be out around 6:00am to take advantage of the incredible pre-dawn light. Breakfasts and lunches will be handled in relation to our photographic activities, served either at our lodges or in the field as a gourmet picnic.

Included in the program:

  • Photographic instruction throughout by Michael Clark and Justin Black, a highly effective instructor team who know the region well.
  • Top local guide, plus support by a first-rate team of assistant guides and drivers
  • Lago Grey ferry cruise
  • Ground transportation and transfers
  • Fifteen nights lodging
  • All meals, snacks, and beverages (including beer, wine, cocktails with dinner)

Itinerary

April 2 – Arrival Day. Punta Arenas, Chile. Night at Cabo de Hornos Hotel.
April 3  – Drive to Torres del Paine National Park. Night in Lago Grey Hotel.
April 4 – Lago Grey ferry cruise to Grey Glacier and short hike through autumn forest to iceberg cove. Night at Lago Grey Hotel.
April 5 – Transfer a short distance to Lago Pehoe, featuring an incredible panorama of the Cuernos del Paine mountains over the lake. Night at Hosteria Pehoe.
April 6 – Lago Pehoe and excursions to nearby locations. Night at Hosteria Pehoe.
April 7 – Transfer to Las Torres. Among other highlights, this part of the park offers superb dawn alpenglow on the Torres del Paine themselves. Night at Las Torres Hotel.
April 8 – Las torres – Chile. Night at Las Torres Hotel.
April 9 – Las torres – Chile. Night at Las Torres Hotel.
April 10 – Transfer to El Calafate, Argentina. Night in Alto Calafate Hotel.
April 11 – Excursion to Perito Moreno Glacier. El Calafate, Argentina. Night in Alto Calafate Hotel.
April 12 – Transfer to Los Glaciares National Park, El Chaltén, Argentina, beneath the stunning alpine scenery of the Fitz Roy Region. Night in Lunajuim Hotel.
April 13 – El Chaltén, Argentina. Night at Lunajuim Hotel.
April 14 – El Chaltén, Argentina. Night at Lunajuim Hotel
April 15 – El Chaltén, Argentina. Night at Lunajuim Hotel
April 16 – El Calafate – Argentina. Night at Alto Calafate Hotel
April 17 – Fly to Buenos Aires / Home

Instructors

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    • Justin Black

    • JUSTIN BLACK is a photographer, writer, editor, expedition leader, photo workshops instructor, a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Writers (ILCW), a former executive director of the International ...
    • Michael Clark

    • Michael Clark is an internationally published outdoor photographer specializing in adventure sports, travel, and landscape photography. He produces intense, ...

Gallery

Pricing

Single Occupancy $15,995

Deposit $4,798.50
Full $15,995
Register

Double Occupancy $13,995

Deposit $4,198.50
Full $13,995
Register

PRICING AND OCCUPANCY

All prices are per person.

This workshop is priced for either single-occupancy, or a pro-rated double occupancy rate for participants traveling together. If you are an individual traveler and have not already made arrangements to room with another participant, please select single-occupancy registration. At present, we are not pairing in the same room individuals who are not previously acquainted and traveling together.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

  • 30% deposit is required upon registration
  • 30% installment payment is due on September 2, 2023
  • 40% final payment due January 2, 2024

Click here to review our payment, cancellation and refund policies; as well as terms and conditions for participation.

All other terms and conditions apply. Please review the terms and conditions even if you have particpated in previous Visionary Wild programs so that you are aware of current policies.

INCLUSIONS 

  • Attentive and generous expert photographic instruction throughout by Justin Black and Michael Clark
  • 15-nights lodging at best-available accommodations from the afternoon of April 2 to the morning of April 17, 2024
  • Lago Grey ferry cruise to the face of the Grey Glacier
  • All ground transportation included from arrival in Punta Arenas, Chile, to departure at Calafate, Argentina.
  • All meals and snacks (including our famous Patagonian picnic lunches)
  • All beverages (including excellent Chilean wines and beers with dinner)
  • Services of expert local guides and helpful support staff

EXCLUSIONS

  • All travel expenses necessary to arrive at our starting point at the airport in Punta Arenas, Chile, and all ongoing travel expenses from drop off at the airport in Calafate, Argentina, at the end of our itinerary.
  • Cost of passports, visas, etc.
  • Travel insurance, and travel medical/evacuation insurance (emergency medical and evacuation insurance are required for this expedition)
  • Gratuities for local guides and drivers
  • Personal purchases and gear
  • Alcoholic beverages not served by your hosts at lunch or dinner

Highlights

  • Patagonia’s most spectacular landscapes at the peak of autumn color: Torres del Paine and Los Glaciares National Parks, featuring some of the world’s most striking and iconic peaks, glaciers, turquoise lakes, waterfalls, and magnificent Patagonian light.
  • Wildlife: Andean grey foxes, endangered huemul deer, Andean condors, Darwin’s rhea, black-chested buzzard eagles, flamingos, and guancos (wild ancestors of llamas).
  • Boat excursion to the stunning face of Glacier Grey
  • Group limited to ten participants
  • Attentive and effective instruction and support throughout by Justin Black and Michael Clark
  • Local support by our first-rate team of experienced guides and drivers
  • Creativity and visualization: learn to find new and unexpected compositions
  • Advanced field techniques for landscape, wildlife, and aerial photography
  • Breaking through creative block and making great photographs in visually overwhelming situations
  • All-inclusive from Punta Arenas, Chile, to Calafate, Argentina.

Accommodations

  • April 2: Hotel Cabo de Hornos, Punta Arenas, Chile
  • April 3 & 4: Hotel Lago Grey, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
  • April 5 & 6: Hosteria Pehoe, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
  • April 7, 8, & 9: Hotel Las Torres, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
  • April 10 & 11: Alto Calafate Hotel, Calafate, Argentina
  • April 12, 13, 14, & 15: Lunajuim Hotel, El Chaltén, Argentina
  • April 16: Alto Calafate Hotel, Calafate, Argentina

Travel

airplane icon
Fly into Punta Arenas (PUQ), Chile, to be met for ground transfer to our group's hotel for the first night. (Flights not included). Depart from Calafate (FTE), Argentina
car icon
Very comfortable ground transportation is provided throughout the workshop.
boat icon
We will make an excursion by ferry on Lago Grey in Torres del Paine N.P.
foot icon
Most locations are accessed by short walks from vehicles. Longer hikes are an option, but are not mandatory.
weather icon
Weather is variable, with highs between 45 to 65ºF and lows between 30 to 45ºF at this time of year. We will likely experience a mix of conditions from partly cloudy to overcast, with wind varying by local microclimate. Rain showers and snow flurries are possible from time to time.

Expectations

Going to Patagonia was a dream of mine since I saw a picture of Cerro Torre in the 1972 Chouinard Equipment catalog. So I was thrilled to be finally going, not as a climber as originally planned, but as a photographer. Traveling with Justin and the crew felt like being with old friends. If you’re thinking about going on an expedition with Visionary Wild, stop thinking and do it! –L. Bartlett

The workshop in Patagonia was well planned and extremely well executed. The leaders were constructive, inclusive and always ready to answer questions, no matter what the content. The most important part though, was the positive attitude displayed and the humor which encompassed every situation. I eagerly look forward to my next experience with Visionary Wild. –V. Snyder

Patagonia Classic

with Justin Black, Michael Clark
April 2 - 17, 2024 Expedition
Limited to 10 Participants. From $13,995  
Register Now
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