Peru Photo Tour and Workshop

 

A Unique Photo Tour Including the Festival Virgen del Carmen

July 8 - 21, 2012

 

Peru is a fantastic place for photographers. It has an abundance of photogenic people, wildlife and places. You can explore ancient cultures, local villages, mountains and deserts. You will have an opportunity to hike a portion of the Inca Trail, visit a local festival in the Sacred Valley, ride dune buggies in the desert and go paragliding on the coast. And, you will have the pictures to prove it!

 

Peru Photo Tour & Workshop is specifically designed for people that want to have fun experiencing this mystical travel destination while improving their travel photography skills. You will start your journey in Lima, the capital of Peru where you will explore the colonial city on foot. In the late afternoon, when the wind picks up, you can try paragliding off the cliffs along the ocean. This thrilling experience also gives you a unique perch to take aerial photographs of Lima’s beachfront.

 

 

From Lima you will head south down the coast to the desert where you will have an opportunity to fly over and photograph the famous Nazca lines. You will also get to experience sand boarding and ride dune buggies on the giant sand dunes. While you are at the coast, you will take a boat ride out to Ballestas Island to photograph Sea Lions, Penguins and many other birds in their natural habitat.

 

Next you will fly to Juliaca near the border of Bolivia and travel to Puno, the folkloric capital of Peru, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Along the way, you will visit the Sillustani burial site of Inca and Pre-Inca civilizations. You will also visit a small traditional farm to see how they live in this barren landscape. When you arrive in Puno, you will have time to walk around the town and photograph the local people and architecture.

 

The next day you will explore Lake Titicaca. Your private boat will leave Puno early in the morning and head out to Islas Uros and visit Aymara families that live on islands of floating reeds. Next you will visit Isla Taquile where Quechua-speaking families live. You will work off your lunch hiking the mountainous terrain of this island before heading back to Puno.

 

Next you head to Cusco, in the center of the country where you will explore the Sacred Valley and Inca culture. You begin with a visit to Sacsayhuaman, an Inca fortress near town. Then you will visit the main square in Cusco to photograph the people and architecture of this city. The next day you travel to Pisac where you should have the opportunity to witness the arrival of the mayors at the Sunday church service as well as the weekly farmers market that draws villagers from throughout the region. You travel to Paucartambo on your third day in the Sacred Valley to witness the Virgen de Carmen Festival. This small village celebrates their patron saint with reenactments, dancing and merriment on this one day each year.

 

Next you will head to Ollantaytambo stopping at the weaving villages of Willoq and Patacanach along the way to photograph the local people and their houses. You will also explore the streets and Chicherias (houses) of Ollantaytambo, a city that has existed since Inca times but is better preserved than Cusco.

 

 

The next day you will hike a small portion of the Inca Trail visiting Inca sites along the way and arriving at the World Heritage site of Machu Picchu. You will have an opportunity to photograph the entire Machu Picchu complex in the late afternoon sun as well as at sunrise the next morning before touring this magnificent site for more detailed photos. You will leave Machu Picchu by train and return to Ollantaytambo. The next day you will return to Cusco stopping to watch Chicha (local brew) being made. You will also visit the Maras Salt Mines to see how salt is collected

 

The following morning you will fly back to Lima where you will have some free time to shop or see more sights in Miraflores, a suburb of Lima. You will enjoy a farewell dinner at a restaurant on Pier 4 overlooking the Pacific Ocean before being transferred to the airport for your international flight home this evening.

 

Trip Ratings

 

Physical Demands: 3      Comfort: 4      Culture Shock: 2

 

• Tour Cost: $6,300 per person

• Single Supplement Fee: $850 per person

 

For more information, a detailed itinerary and application can be downloaded by clicking on the links below.

 

Peru Photo Tour and Workshop Itinerary - 2012

 

Peru Photo Tour and Workshop Application