Part One, Unknown Patagonia:
April 11 – April 19, 2008
  
Part Two, Torres del Paine:
April 19 – April 26, 2008

Day 1  (Friday, April 11)
Arrive at Coyhaique's airport (in the nearby town of Balmaceda) by air from  Santiago. Transfer to Coyhaique, the capital of Chilean Patagonia, and our hotel. Evening orientation and welcome dinner.

Day 2  (Saturday, April 12)
A warm-up day, in the form of a day-trip photo excursion from Coyhaique to one of several remarkable nearby locations — the choice depending in large measure on the intensity of the region's fall colors.

Day 3  (Sunday, April 13)
Early morning departure for Cerro Castillo and Rio Tranquilo. Cerro Castillo (or Castle Mountain) is one of the most photogenic and spectacular peaks in all of Patagonia. We continue along an impressive river valley, past reminders of a volcanic eruption, and over a mountain pass surrounded by glacier-clad peaks. In the afternoon we drive along the western shore of Lago General Carrera, the second largest lake in South America, to the little village of Puerto Tanquilo.

Day 4  (Monday, April 14)
From our lodge in Puerto Tranquilo, we visit the Cavernas de Mármol (or Marble Caves) and then continue around Lago Carrera, photographing the glaciers above the delta of the Rio Leones beneath Patagoina's highest summit, Cerro San Valentin. After a full day we arrive at the Patagonia Baker Lodge on the banks of the Rio Baker.

Day 5  (Tuesday, April 15)
Today we photograph along the Rio Baker as we drive slowly on toward the town of Cochrane. The Baker river is known to anglers for its world-class trout fishing, but is irresistible to photographers for its otherworldly blue color. Along the way, we visit the spectacular confluence (waterfall and rapids) of the Baker and Nef rivers. Lodging in Cochrane.

Day 6  (Wednesday, April 16)
This morning we head east from Cochrane into the Chacabuco valley. This valley, part of the last great private ranch or estancia in Patagonia, has recently been purchased by the Patagonia Land Trust and is the core area of a large conservation/park project. The landscape changes dramatically into a series of pampas, grasslands and wetland ponds or mallines. Here we almost always encounter herds of wild guanaco. In the evening we return to Lago General Carrera, and check into Terra Luna, a lovely lakeside lodge near the little town of Puerto Guadal.

Day 7   (Thursday, April 17)
After pre-dawn and dawn photography of the high icefield peaks across the lake, we head off to explore the southern shoreline of Lago Carrera: plunging cliffs, transparent turquoise water, enchanting fundos (farms) tributary rivers and deep red autumn trees provide constantly varying photographic stimulation. We spend a second night at Terra Luna.

Day 8 (Friday, April 18)
Return by road to Coyhaique, photographing the Rio Murta valley, the beautiful Rio Cajon or Box River, a valley of dead trees smothered by ash and lava from Volcán Hudson, and final evening photo opportunities around Cerro Castillo before reaching Coyhaique for a gala farewell dinner.

Day 9  (Saturday, April 19)
Departure from Coyhaique for home. Or, for those continuing on with Part Two of our Patagonian Safari...

Day 10 (Sunday, April 20)
From Punta Arenas we drive north by van, pausing for a fresh seafood lunch in Puerto Natales, to arrive at the Torres del Paine in the afternoon.. Check into the Hosteria Pehoe, a classic hotel on a small island (reached by a footbridge) in Lago Pehoe, directly beneath the famous Cuernos or "Horns" of Paine

Day 11 (Monday, April 21)
Our day begins with a dawn shoot of the Horns or Cuernos, directly across the lake from our hotel. After breakfast, we head off by van to explore the center of the national park. We will spend a second night at the Hosteria Pehoe.

Day 12 (Tuesday, April 22)
Another day devoted to the spectacular peaks and lakes near Lago Pehoe. In the evening we drive to a new inn, the Hosteria Grey on the shores of Lago Grey.

Day 13 (Wednesday, April 23)
We focus on the floating icebergs or "témpanos" in Lago Grey; a boat excursion to the face of the giant glacier feeding this lake takes us right beneath the blue cliffs of thousand-year-old ice. We spend a second night at the Hosteria Grey.

Day 14 (Thursday, April 24)
Today, we once more change our base of operations, moving to the other side of the park, an area well known for its wildlife, especially guanacos and foxes that often seem to want to pose just beneath the most dramatic peaks. We spend the night at the Hosteria Los Torres.

Day 15 (Friday, April 25)
After a final dawn shoot, we pack up and head for Punta Arenas. An all-day trip to be sure, with more opportunities to photograph on the shores of Bitter Lake (Lago Amargo) as well as abundant wildlife, birds and dramatic beech forests en route to Punta Arenas

Day 16 (Saturday, April 26)
Departure by air from Punta Arenas

Trip Costs:
Unknown Patagonia $3,750
Torres del Paine $4,050
Cost includes all expenses (ground transportation, lodging, and meals) in Patagonia. This price is based on double-occcupancy rooms, To guarantee you a private room, we will need to charge a low-season, single-room-supplement of $400 for the Unknown Patagonia trip, and $500 for the Torres del Paine segment/

Reservations: A deposit of $500 is needed to reserve your place in this limited-participant trip, with the balance due 60 days before the trip starts. Please pay by check. If you would like to charge this photo safari to your credit card we'll need to add the 3 % that our bank will charge us. Please send your check for the trip deposit to Diane Hoffman, who runs the Western Eye office in Sedona Arizona. Her address is:

Western Eye
Patagonia Photo Safaris
Box 1008, Sedona AZ 86339

Cancellation Policy: We can refund your deposit if you have to change your plans, up to two months before the trip. However, local Chilean business practices require a payment in full of all lodging reservations, at least 30 days ahead of one's stay, therefore we won't be able to refund your deposit, or your trip payment if you need to cancel within 6 weeks of the trip date. For this reason, we strongly advise purchasing "trip insurance" from your travel agent.
To arrange your flight to and from Chile and Patagonia, we can recommend our own travel agent, Marcelo Diaz of America's Travel in San Francisco. He specializes in trips to South America and has always been able to get us great connections and great prices. Marcelo's toll free phone is 1 888 703 9955

These Patagonia photo safaris are limited to a maximum of six photographer participants. (Other photo tours to this part of the world typically set their group size at 14 or more) But the downside of limiting the size of our group is that we will need at least four participants for each segment to cover our expenses. In the past, we have always had enough signups; but in the unlikely event that these photo safaris don't "make" we will gladly refund your deposit.

Six photographers is an ideal number. And with such a small group, this year's photographer-leader, Bill Ellzey, can work individually with each photographer, basing his instruction and feedback on each participant's individual needs, desires and level of technical skill.

The fact that more and more serious photographers are shooting digitally and using laptop computers to download and archive their images has made real image critiquing and iediting instruction an exciting option even far from photo labs, and Patagonia is as far as one can get.

Participants will be responsible for arranging their own flights from the US to Santiago Chile, as well as their on-going Chilean air reservations, continuing south to Patagonia, and also the connecting leg from Balmaceda to Punta Arenas for part two of our trip. LAN Chile is the leading local Chilean airline, and offers an extensive schedule of in-Chile flights. (In this age of escalating fuel prices it may make sense to purchase your air fares well in advance to avoid fuel-related travel costs increases.)

Once in Patagonia, all your expenses on the ground are included. As mentioned above, the price of this Photo Safari is based on double-occupancy rooms; To guarantee a single room, we need to charge an off-season, single-room supplement of $400 for Part One (Central Patagonia or the Aisén region) and $500 for Part Two (the Torres del Paine).

Please Note: since our trips are planned more than a year in advance of the depature, we reserve the right to change land costs due to dramatic changes in currency exchange rates. But this is highly unlikely.

Because this Patagonia Photo Safari is such a major commitment, I'd like to encourage any interested photographers to contact me, Bill Ellzey, directly, either by email or by phone, for more detailed information. You can reach me at 719 256 4565, or via email at bill@billellzey.com.
Linde Waidhofer who originally created this Photo Safari with Cado Avenali and his wife Ruth Cohen, and who led it for 6 years, is also available to answer your questions. You can contact her by email, in Patagonia, at photos@westerneye.com. And to answer general travel and logistical questions, don't hesitate to email Cado or Ruth at info@salvajecorazon.com.