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Cultures, ruins, landscapes, and elusive wildlife. Our itineraries are distinctive and diverse. Months of planning go into each tour...and it shows! Small groups. Unforgettable journeys. Exquisite photographic opportunities.
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2008 TRIPS: FACES of PANAMA: EMBERA & KUNA CULTURES July 30-August 6, 2008 Just a 4 hour flight from Miami, but a world away...Travel by dugout canoe through a dense rainforest to reach a thatched community where native Embera Indians adorn their bodies with loin-cloths and jagua juice tattoos. Then fly to the Caribbean to stay in Kuna Yala, an archipelago of 365 palm-fringed islands owned by the colorful Kuna Indians. Explore ruins of the original Panama City, the Spanish Colonial architecture of Casco Viejo, and photograph Spanish gals wearing expensive polleras, Panama's national dress, on a model shoot. Booking deadline: May 25 full YUCATAN: MAYAN RUINS & VILLAGES DURING DAYS of the DEAD October 25-Nov 4, 2008 Beyond Cancun lies another world...one steeped in history, mystique and intrigue. Step into tiny villages where Mayan ladies embroider huipiles and grind corn for fresh tortillas while men harvest crops with machetes. Wander around ghostly plantations with ruined haciendas, and Spanish monasteries built atop pagan pyramid temples. Descend limestone labyrinths to reach dramatic lit cenotes and explore a myriad of magnificent, intricate Mayan ruins! Witness processions, private altars and traditions performed only during the annual Days of the Dead festival. One special opportunity is photographing Mayan locals inside their compound--girls dressed in fancy ternos decorating altars, ladies preparing piib, a curandero healer in his herb garden, festival tastings, and a private dinner. This is a special place during a special time. Don't miss it! Booking deadline: September 20 UPCOMING TRIPS 2009 NEW ZEALAND: JOURNEY THRU MIDDLE EARTH March 20-31, 2009 Photograph stunning landscapes ranging from mossy rainforests and icy glaciers to alpine meadows, fjords and windswept coasts. Get close to endangered yellow-eyed penguins, fur seals and royal albatross observed from hides. Tramp through Middle Earth past giant ferns, waterfalls, bogs, tarns and tussock grasses. Photograph bungy jumpers leaping from the original bridge, a barrel-lined winery, and the historic gold-mining Arrowtown. Cross high suspension swingbridges on foot or by wire, boat to an unusual lake-studded island to see even stranger flightless birds, and heli-hike a glacier. Gain private permits to photograph the country's most picturesque vineyard set on the edge of a mountain-rimmed lake. Stay in B&B's, contemporary hotels, and even a Scottish castle. NEW ZEALAND: MAORI CULTURE & GEOTHERMAL WONDERLANDS March 31-April 5, 2009 This freakishly fantastic region has plopping mud, steaming vents, encrusted ponds, geysers, silica terraces, mineral-tinted lakes, craters and volcanoes sacred to the Maori. Learn about the traditions, tattoos, protocols and lifestyle of these Polynesian settlers who first inhabited NZ. Watch weavers, dancers, & carvers and attend a hangi feast. Hike the Tongariro Crossing, the famed 17km tramp through volcanic terrain. Visit ancestral Maori sites on private property. See evidence of an 1886 eruption as we wander through a Maori village buried under ash. Soar above volcanoes on a scenic flight to photograph alpine lakes, craters and milky-emerald mineral lakes. NAMIBIA OVERLAND: DESERT LANDSCAPES June 3-16, 2009 This Overland Safari will concentrate on the changing colors and forms of the various desert landscapes in southern Namiba. Gigantic crimson dunes, gnarled camelthorns, and crackled pans in the world's oldest desert are a photographer's dream! Quiver trees, grassy Kalahari dunes, and rocky canyons are some of the other sights. A special permit allows us to photograph a diamond-mining ghost town from sunrise to sunset in the far south, where mansions are disappearing under shifting sands...In other dunes, capture creatures that lurk underneath the sand as our guide reveals scorpions, dancing spiders & snouted lizards. But a trip to Africa wouldn't be complete without big game or interactions with its people. See desert loving game such as oryx, zebra, kudu, cheetahs & wild horses, and along the coast flamingos and even penguins! And get briefly acquainted with some of Namibia's ethnic groups. filling fast! NAMIBIA FLY-IN SAFARI: WILDLIFE & TRIBAL VILLAGES June 16 - 29, 2009 Photograph wild African game and thriving indigenous cultures on this exclusive fly-in safari. Soar over desert landscapes in a private high-winged charter and stay in remote bush camps. Search for Namibia’s rare desert elephants in Kaokoland where we'll visit Herero people and the proud Himba, nomadic herders who coat their bodies with ocher-mud. Stay on an island oasis in the swampy wetlands of the Caprivi and meet Lozi fishermen drifting along in their mokoros. Capture close-ups of big game that come to drink at the Chobe River. Watch dramas unfold on Etosha game drives as animals hunt prey in their natural world. Go tracking with !Kung Bushmen across the Kalahari & later that night watch villagers engage in rhythmic singing and clapping that may turn into a trance dance. See their petrogyphs etched in the earth. On a private photo shoot, watch the world's fastest animal--the elusive cheetah--run at full speed. Feel the thundering pulse of Africa at every turn. filling fast! BHUTAN: KINGDOM IN THE CLOUDS October-November 2009 Hidden high in the Himalayas, between northern India and Tibet, is a peaceful, idyllic country whose mantra is gross national happiness. Cliffside monasteries, medieval fortresses, lavish temples and Swiss Tudor farmhouses dot rural landscapes of terraced rice fields, mossy forests and snowy peaks. Isolated from the world by choice, Bhutan curbs modernization and mass tourism to protect its sacred heritage and preserve its culture. Only approved groups are permitted in. Join us this fall as we travel through this intriguing land where red-robed monks and villagers alike embrace ancient traditions, mythology, astrology and Buddism in their daily lives. Witness ceremonial rituals & masked monks dancing at religious festivals. Photograph architecture, migrating cranes and pastoral scenes. Explore tiny villages on foot and visit gracious locals inside their homes. |
