Chile and the Bolivian Altiplano Photography Adventure

The land­scapes of Bolivia and Chile are among the most extra­or­di­nary on Earth. Vast salt flats, min­er­al-rich lagoons, high-alti­tude deserts and vol­canic moun­tains com­bine to cre­ate a land­scape that often feels more like anoth­er plan­et than our own.

This remark­able pho­to­graph­ic jour­ney has been on our wish list for many years and we are delight­ed to final­ly share it with you. Over ten days we will explore the Ata­ca­ma Desert in north­ern Chile before cross­ing into Bolivia to expe­ri­ence the immense scale and tran­quil­li­ty of the Alti­plano and the Uyu­ni salt flats.

This is a tour designed for pho­tog­ra­phers who are drawn to dra­mat­ic land­scapes, chang­ing light and gen­uine­ly unique loca­tions. Trav­el­ling with expe­ri­enced local guides and ded­i­cat­ed 4×4 trans­port, we will have access to some of the most remote and visu­al­ly strik­ing scenery in South America.

Our jour­ney begins in Chile, based in the vibrant desert town of San Pedro de Ata­ca­ma. From here we will explore loca­tions such as the Val­ley of the Moon, Lake Teben­quinche, Rain­bow Val­ley and the strik­ing Monks rock formations.

The Ata­ca­ma is a land­scape of sub­tle detail and extra­or­di­nary colour. Rich min­er­al deposits paint the moun­tains and val­leys with reds, ochres and soft greens, while the low light of sun­rise and sun­set reveals shape, tex­ture and scale in con­stant­ly chang­ing ways. We will work care­ful­ly around the best light each day, while still allow­ing time to relax and absorb the atmos­phere of this remark­able region.

Cross­ing into Bolivia, the land­scape becomes increas­ing­ly remote and sur­re­al. Trav­el­ling by 4×4 with our local guides, we will jour­ney deep into the Alti­plano to pho­to­graph the vast Uyu­ni salt flats and the extra­or­di­nary vol­canic land­scapes beyond.

Loca­tions such as Pesca­do Island, Bell Island and the Pyra­mid Islands offer end­less pho­to­graph­ic pos­si­bil­i­ties, from min­i­mal­ist stud­ies to dra­mat­ic wide vis­tas that empha­sise the sheer scale of the envi­ron­ment. In cer­tain con­di­tions, reflec­tions across the salt flats can cre­ate an almost dream­like sense of space and light.

As we gain alti­tude, we will also vis­it the remark­able coloured lagoons of Lagu­na Verde, Lagu­na Blan­ca and Lagu­na Col­ora­da, where flamin­gos gath­er against vivid min­er­al-rich waters. Along the way we will expe­ri­ence the Siloli and Dalí deserts, includ­ing the famous rock tree and some of the most unusu­al geo­log­i­cal for­ma­tions any­where in the world.

Along­side the land­scapes them­selves, we will also expe­ri­ence aspects of local life and his­to­ry, includ­ing vis­its to remote set­tle­ments and the famous loco­mo­tive grave­yard at Uyuni.

For those inter­est­ed in night pho­tog­ra­phy, the excep­tion­al­ly dark skies of the Alti­plano may also pro­vide oppor­tu­ni­ties to pho­to­graph the Milky Way arch­ing across these vast high-alti­tude landscapes.

Above all, this is a jour­ney through land­scapes of immense scale, silence and atmos­phere, a pho­to­graph­ic expe­ri­ence unlike any­where else we have visited.

You will have Mark Lawrence on hand through­out the tour to help you get the most from your pho­tog­ra­phy in in these incred­i­ble environments.

This is an adven­ture tour of a life­time that is not to be missed!

The tour will start and fin­ish in San Pedro de Ata­ca­ma, com­menc­ing after lunch on day 1 for an afternoon/​sunset shoot. San Pedro de Ata­ca­ma can be reached eas­i­ly from Cala­ma air­port, which has fre­quent flights from San­ti­a­go. Details of air­port trans­fers can be pro­vid­ed after book­ing. We rec­om­mend arriv­ing at least a day before the work­shop starts to accli­ma­tise, rest and enjoy San Pedro de Ata­ca­ma where you can book many local tours.

Weath­er – we have cho­sen this time of year so that sun­rise and sun­set are man­age­able. The weath­er is expect­ed to be large­ly dry with some chance of rain. Tem­per­a­tures will be low at sun­rise, pos­si­bly as low as ‑10 degrees Cel­sius but day­time tem­per­a­tures are pleasant.