Tour Patagonia w/Mike Mezeul II & Thorarinn Jonsson

April 3-14, 2025

Instructors: Mike Mezeul II & Thorarinn Jonsson

Class Size: Sold out!

Tuition: $6450 - Deposit: $1500

How would you feel if you could wear your Patagonia t-shirt IN Patagonia!? Now how would you feel if you could wear that t-shirt while photographing amazing landscapes, lenticular clouds, wild pumas, stunning waterfalls, and deep blue glaciers? Come join Thorarinn Jonsson and myself in April of 2025 as we take you to some of our favorite locations in Los Glaciares National Park, El Chalten and Torres del Paine National Park during the peak of fall colors. Pack your bags, clean the dust off your camera, and brace yourself as you get ready to see two of the most beautiful and untouched places in the world! We will explore both the Chilean and Argentinian sides of Patagonia, some of the most sought after destinations for photographers. The views are breathtaking, the light is amazing, and the weather is ever-changing. All together, these conditions allow for endless photographic opportunities. 

What You Will Need:

• A camera body and assortment of lenses. A wide angle is highly recommended as well as a zoom lens.

• A sturdy tripod

• An intervalometer (a cheap one off of Amazon will work just fine)

• A headlamp or flashlight

• Hiking boots

• Rain jacket and rain bag for your camera

• Multiple batteries

• A 10 or 6 stop neutral density filter for your wide angle lens

• An up-to-date passport (*note: depending on your country of residence, a visa may be required)

• A desire to learn, have fun, be flexible, and explore nature!

What's Included:

• Accommodations from April 3rd-14th based upon double occupancy.

• Transportation throughout the tour.

• Breakfast

• All entrance fees to the parks we will be visiting.

• Glacier and iceberg boat tour.

Where are we staying?

We will be lodging at a variety of hotels throughout our stay in both El Calafate, El Chalten and Torres del Paine National Park. These accommodations are beautiful and conveniently located for our shooting locations.

Physical Requirements:

We will be doing a few small hikes, most hikes in Torres Del Paine (Chile) will be up to two to three miles round trip. These hikes will take place on mostly flat ground with small inclines and declines, nothing too exhausting. We will take our hikes at a slow and comfortable pace. The hikes in El Chalten (Argentina) are little more challenging (5-10 km / 3-6 miles) with some elevation gain.  We'll leave early morning and allowing ample of time to do the hikes in order to get everyone in place before sunrise. These hikes are not easy but at the same time they are not super difficult either, these hikes are optional, you can decide to do only one morning or both. Please consult with your physician if you have any health worries.

Getting to Patagonia:

You will want to fly into the town of El Calafate in Argentina. From the airport, you will then take a taxi to our host hotel. We recommend you fly in at least one day prior to the start of our workshop to allow for any travel delays that may occur and to recover from jet lag. You will be responsible for your own accommodations if you fly in early, but we will gladly help you find a hotel to stay at.

When does the workshop start and wrap?

The workshop will begin with our meet and greet at 12PM on the 3rd and wrap on the morning of the 14th. The 14th will be your day to travel back home or to another destination. 

How do I sign up and pay?

You're almost there! Just keep scrolling down and click the register icon. You will receive an invoice to sign up and that is when your $1500 non-refundable deposit is due. Your remaining balance will not be due until January 3rd, 2025.

What Is Our Itinerary Like?

Day 1 and 2: Arrival Day - start of the workshop ( 3rd/4th April) 

We will arrive in the beautiful Argentinian town of El Calafate where we will spend our first two nights.  Arrival day will be 3rd April and no activity planned for this day other then allowing you to deal with jet lag and relaxing. This night is included in the workshop fee. The workshop will then start at noon on the 4th with a meet and greet and lunch. After lunch, we take advantage of the soft afternoon light at the beautiful Perito Moreno Glacier.

Day 3-5:

After breakfas,t we will check out and depart for the small town on El Chalten. This is where we'll take on a few hikes (5-10km/3-6 miles each way).
We plan to do early morning sunrise shoots (weather permitting and optional) from lookouts over Mt. Fitz Roy and/or Cerro Torre. 
This part of the trip is the most physically challenging, but if you are in a good physical shape, you should be able to do this no problem.  We will allow ample of time for the hikes and give the group a good amount of time to get to the shooting location. 

Days 6-10: Torres del Paine National Park

After breakfast, we will check out of our hotel in El Calten and begin our journey across Argentina and into Chile. This will be a 6 hour drive, so make yourself comfortable on our bus during the ride as we drive towards this incredible park. Don’t get too comfortable though, as we may encounter the opportunity to photograph wild flamingos along the way. Weather conditions will be in control of this journey, so upon arriving in Torres del Paine, we may either go straight to shooting, or to check in at our hotel. Either way, we will be out and exploring for sunset this evening. As mentioned before, the weather in Patagonia is ever-changing and can be wild. Brace yourselves for conditions you have never been in before. From incredible winds, to wild skies full of lenticular clouds, to blazing sunsets and sunrise, and days full of rainbows... Patagonia has it all.

​With that said, our itinerary revolves around the weather, therefore we ask that you please be flexible. We will follow the light and conditions as we venture out each day to shoot. We will be out for every sunrise and sunset, and if conditions allow, there will be some shooting in the middle of the day and possible at night for the Milky Way and Southern Cross. The weather in this region is completely unpredictable, so be on your toes as we will do our best to take you to the best locations with the best conditions. And remember, some of the “worst” weather conditions make for the best photographs.

We have plenty of great locations in store for you so there will be no shortage of great compositions. We might visit the same location twice in order to get the best light we can. There is also a great chance to encounter and photograph some stunning wildlife in Patagonia, this could include flamingos, pumas, guanaco and various birds such as Crested Caracara, our local guide is an expert in Patagonias wildlife and fauna. 

A few locations will require a small hike (up to 2 miles round trip) but none of the hikes are incredibly physically demanding. These will take place on mostly flat ground. We will make sure to take the hikes at a smooth, relaxing pace. We have hired a local guide while in TDP who is incredibly knowledgeable about the area, the wildlife and the saga of the area and expert when it comes to finding pumas. 

Day 11: Depart Torres del Paine

This will be our last sunrise session in the park before we check out and make our way back to El Calafate in Argentina. Although this will be our last full morning of photography, it won’t be limited. Expect to make a couple of stops on the way out of the park.


Day 12: Departure Day (14th April) 

This is your day to depart back home.

JOIN THE ADVENTURE!

(Click below to register)