Latin America is, to say the least, a photogenic pair of continents. Its otherworldly nature and colourful towns make it a photographerโs paradise, and with how many excellent-quality photos modern cameras can hold, itโs never been easier to fill up a photo album, more on that at the end of this email. But first, let us share some inspiration for your next trip with our top six destinations for photographers in Latin America.
It should be said that it was no easy task!
TOP SIX PLACES FOR PHOTOGRAPHY IN LATIN AMERICA
GALรPAGOS ISLANDS
Famous for their fearless wildlife, the Galรกpagos Islands are the perfect place for beginner wildlife photographers โ practice getting down low and playing about with your camera settings.
Best time to visit: The Galรกpagos Islands can be visited at practically any time, though you should visit in May and June if youโd like to see the nesting albatrosses.
BRAZILIAN PANTANAL
Iconic wildlife such as jaguars and hyacinth macaws plus gatherings of caiman and waterbirds are often seen in the Pantanal’s open plains, and safari jeeps and boats bring you close to them.
Best time to visit: May to October is the dry season. Los Llanos (Colombia’s version of the Pantanal) is the inverse, making it a good out-of-season destination.
TORRES DEL PAINE
Thereโs more to Torres del Paine than the granite towers, with viewpoints along the roads, a scenic ferry crossing over an azure lake and a glacier which can be viewed from above.
Best time to visit: October to March for good weather, and April for stunning autumn colours.
COLCA CANYON
Peru as a whole is a photographerโs paradise, but the Colca Canyon stands out with its colourfully dressed people, llamas and condors that can be viewed up close. And the canyon itself of course!
Best time to visit: April to October is Peru’s dry season and when you’re most likely to have blue skies.
SALAR DE UYUNI
Uyuniโs salt flats are renowned for their perspective photography and their reflections during the rainy season, and the flat ground makes it a great place for astronomy photography too.
Best time to visit: November-March is best for reflective shots while the dry season is best for night sky shots โ though you may be lucky enough to have a clear night in the rainy season!
SOUTH GEORGIA
A king penguinโs idea of a metropolis sits under the shadow of snowcapped peaks, their fluffy brown chicks milling about as their amber-eared parents come ashore and waddle past small groups of elephant and fur seals.
Best time to visit: Cruise season runs from November to March to coincide with the Austral summer and the penguin’s breeding season.
TOP HOLIDAYS FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS
| ANTARCTICA WILDLIFE | |
| Sample cosmopolitan Buenos Aires, end-of-the-world Ushuaia, the Hebridean-esque Falkland Islands and wildlife-filled South Georgia and Antarctica on this 23-day cruise. This cruise provides an in-depth experience of not only the snow-drenched mountains and icebergs of the Antarctic Peninsula but also the bleakly beautiful landscapes of South Georgia and the Falkland Islands. These windswept sub-Antarctic islands are brought to life by the chattering and wheeling of birdlife: beaches are choked with penguins in their hundreds of thousands, and the vestiges of a human history of struggle and endeavour are everywhere to be seen. PLACES VISITED South Georgia Antarctic Peninsula | |
| 23 days from ยฃ16,900pp (based on two people sharing & excluding flights) |
| PATO ANDINO ARGENTINA / CHILE / BOLIVIA / LAKE TITICACA / PERU | |
| Snap Latin America’s most ethereal landscapes and its cultural diversity on this 20-day cross-continent group tour to Argentina, the Bolivian Highlands and Peru. This adventurous Andean group journey traverses South Americaโs wilderness landscapes from Argentina through Chile and Bolivia to Peru. Explore the Atacama Desert, travel across the Uyuni salt flats and on to Lake Titicaca, Cusco and Machu Picchu. A true wilderness adventure, this journey explores one of the worldโs most dramatic and ethereally beautiful mountain ranges: the Andes. Setting off from cosmopolitan Buenos Aires, you head northwest to the cultured colonial city of Salta below the foothills of the Andes. Ascend a lonely, precipitous and sinuous cactus-dotted road which crosses the icy range into Chile. Traverse the Atacama desert, the driest on earth, past snow-capped volcanoes and across shimmering salt flats into Bolivia.ย Skirting the sapphire waters of Lake Titicaca, you cross the chilly plains of the altiplano before descending into the fertile valleys surrounding the ancient Inca capital of Cusco, visiting traditional adobe villages and open air markets. The climax to this epic journey is the sight of the spectacular Inca ruins of Machu Picchu, crouching on an Andean mountain saddle. PLACES VISITED Buenos Aires Salta and the northwest Andes Atacama Desert Uyuni salt flats La Paz and the altiplano Cusco Sacred Valley of the Incas Machu Picchu | |
| 20 days from ยฃ4,860pp (based on two people sharing & excluding flights) |
| PERU BY RAIL | |
| Traverse the Peruvian mountains and altiplano via its network of luxury trains and enjoy its three most beguiling attractions (the floating islands, Machu Picchu and Colca Canyon). This first class rail service, where you sleep on board in luxury cabins, is complemented by some of the countryโs best hotels. Travel through the landscapes of Peru among the snow-draped Andean peaks at a relaxing pace, in tune with the environment. Enhance the magic that is Peru on this sumptuous short holiday where you travel between the highlights by luxury train. Youโll get a different perspective on this country of such great variety, as you glide through countryside of fields bulging with fruit and vegetables and along wind-buffeted prairies rimmed by ice-jacketed Andean mountains. Travel by train to and from Machu Picchu, perched on a saddle where the mountains descend to the Amazon jungle. Then from the Sacred Valley you board another luxury rail service. This is a train with a difference: you spend two nights actually sleeping on the train โ not in a couchette, but a luxury fully furnished stateroom. The train will be halted at remote, utterly peaceful locations, where you can enjoy blissful, uninterrupted sleep. PLACES VISITED Lima Sacred Valley of the Incas Machu Picchu Cusco Arequipa and Colca Canyon | |
| 11 days from ยฃ9,640pp (based on two people sharing & excluding flights) |