TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK YEAR ROUND DEPARTURES

JOIN ME FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPERIENCE IN ONE OF THE MOST STUNNING MOUNTAIN RANGES ON EARTH DEEP IN CHILEAN PATAGONIA.

FROM ICEBERGS TO ORCHIDS AND MOUNTAIN LIONS TO EAGLES, TORRES HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE WITH AN INTEREST IN LANDSCAPE AND WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY.

A TRIP WITH FIXED DATES IN DECEMBER 2005 (9TH-18TH) (MAX 6 PERSONS) WILL COINCIDE WITH THE FEMALE GUANACOS GIVING BIRTH AND THE RESULTING HEIGHTENED MOUNTAIN LION ACTIVITY IN THE AREA. TRIPS ARE NOT LIMITED TO JUST THE SPRING AND SUMMER MONTHS. I WILL BE WORKING IN THE PARK FOR MANY MONTHS OF THE YEAR AND AM AVAILABLE TO RUN TRIPS AT VERY SHORT NOTICE, ALLOWING FOR PEOPLE WITH DIFFICULT WORK SCHEDULES AND LAST MINUTE CHANGES IN PLANS TO STILL TRAVEL AND PHOTOGRAPH IN THIS AMAZING NATIONAL PARK.

TORRES IS STUNNING IN ALL ITS SEASONS AND WHILE THE SPRING MONTHS OFFER THE BEST OPPORTUNITIES FOR SEEING AND PHOTOGRAPHING NEW ADDITIONS TO THE FRAY, MUCH IS HERE ALL YEAR ROUND. I PERSONALLY PREFER THE COLD WINTER MONTHS ESPECIALLY IF SNOW IS ON THE GROUND AND TRACKING THE PUMAS REALLY STEPS UP A GEAR.FLAMINGOS SOMETIMES SPEND THE WINTER IN THE REGION, AND IT IS QUITE STRANGE TO SEE AUSTRAL PARAKEETS SCREECHING THEIR HEADS OFF AS THEY ROCKET THROUGH THE SOUTHERN BEECH FORESTS. ONLY FEET AWAY IS LAKE GREY WHICH IS RIDDLED WITH ICEBERGS. THESE CARVE OFF ALL YEAR FROM THE MIGHTY GREY GLACIER, AN ICY ARM OF THE SOUTHERN PATAGONIAN ICECAP. WHATEVER TIME OF THE YEAR YOU DECIDE TO VISIT, IT WILL BE AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIANCE.

USA DEPARTURES ON AMERICAN AILINES FROM DALLAS, MIAMI OR LAX TO SANTIAGO CHILI, ALSO LAN CHILE FROM MIAMI OR LOS ANGELES.

EUROPEAN DEPARTURES ARE EASIEST FROM / FRANKFURT ON LUFTHANSA AND MADRID WITH IBERIA OR LONDON ON BRITISH AIRWAYS. THE FLIGHT INVOLVES A CHANGE OF PLANES IN EITHER ARGENTINA OR BRAZIL WITH BRITISH AIRWAYS AS THEY NO LONGER FIND IT FINANCIALLY VIABLE TO CONTINUE TO SANTIAGO. APPROXIMATE FLIGHT TIME IS 16 HOURS. THE CONNECTING FLIGHT TO PUNTA ARENAS IN THE SOUTH IS 4HRS 15 MINS WITH A STOP IN PUERTO MONTT (30 MINS)

PRICE PER PERSON ALL INCLUSIVE $4,675

ONE TO ONE DEPARTURES ARE POSSIBLE TO ORGANISE FOR THOSE PHOTOGRAPHERS SERIOUS ABOUT CONCENTRATING THE MAJORITY OF THEIR TIME ON CAPTURING IMAGES OF THE MOUNTAIN LIONS IN TORRES.

E.MAIL SIMON WITH YOUR TELEPHONE DETAILS AND HE WILL CALL YOU BACK .

I was always looking for more reasons to return to the region after the bulk of the images for my book were in the can so to speak, so what better way than to start up my own personally guided photographic tours and get to spend another couple of months of the year wandering this wilderness, only this time I am able to share my knowledge with a limited numbers of guests.

This beautiful mountain massif has been attracting hardcore rock climbers and trekkers for years and is a dream location for nature photographers.The landscapes are jaw dropping and although the region lacks the plethora of large mammals species of Africa there is plenty to keep those interested in fauna and flora busy for their duration in the park.

As you can see from the images in the gallery on Chilean mammals, mountain lions are the apex predator in these parts, and I believe this is probably one of the best places in the world to see them, totally wild animals in a totaly wild place.The image on this page is as far as I know, only one of a handful that exists of a totally wild Mountain Lion feeding in the wild. I shot this from 18ft away. I have lost track of the close encounters I have had with cats here, but I have witnessed its midnight dining habits on unfortunate guanacos (ancestor of the domesticated llama) on at least 5 occasions, who needs game farms?. The park is home to a large population of Guanacos (llama guanacoe) numbering approximately 3,500 at the last count.Torres del Paine is a United Nations Biosphere reserve, covering over 500,000 acres in the far south of Chile. It is the jewel in the crown of the National Parks system in Chile which is run by the goverments forestry division CONAF. An amazing experiance awaits those willing to make the journey to this isolated pocket of Patagonia.