Come face to face with your wild side . . .

What can I say about the Amazon rain forest that hasn't already been said before? It truly is a remarkable place, full of lush growth and life. In fact, it seems at times as if the forest is pulsating with life, with a constant background buzz of monkeys and birds chattering, and the gentle thump-thump of armies of leaf-cutter ants marching single file along endless tracks. If you dare stop for just a moment, you might be swept away by the endless tide of life in the jungle.

This workshop is more than just a photo experience; it is an overall life experience as well. The sights, the smells, and the sounds of the Amazon are hard to put into words. Why don’t you come along, and let your photos tell the story of this incredible place?

CANCELLED

Where: Tambopata National Reserve, Peru

When: August 18-24, 2013

Tuition: $3495

Deposit: $800 (full tuition is due 90 days before the workshop)

Class Size: 10

Instructors: Ian Plant and Richard Bernabe

The Destination

The Tambopata National Reserve is a 275,000 hectare conservation unit created by the Peruvian government in 1990 to protect the watersheds of the Tambopata and Candamo rivers, part of the Amazon rain forest system. This Connecticut-sized area of pristine forest contains 600 bird species, 32 parrot species (10% of the world’s total), 200 mammal species, 1200 butterfly species and over 10,000 species of vascular plants.

We'll spend a week exploring the rain forest, using two well-appointed jungle lodges as our bases of operation. By boat, we'll travel deep into the heart of the magnificent Tambopata wilderness.

The Experience

Here's just a taste of what you will experience on this photo adventure of a lifetime (click here to listen to the sounds of the Tambopata rain forest; around minute three the howler monkeys start to howl in the distance):  

Come face to face with your wild side: Every morning and afternoon we explore the rain forest looking for interesting wildlife and plants to photograph. The high point of our 2012 tour was when a troop of squirrel monkeys (at least a hundred of them) came crashing through the trees above us, sometimes getting as close as a few feet away. It was a remarkable experience!	Explore the hidden world of the rain forest at night: As alive as the forest is during the day, at night it is buzzing with excitement. Night walks are great for photographing insects (including cicadas, dragonflies, and large grasshoppers) and frogs, and for luring hairy tarantulas our of their ground nests for a few quick shots. (Photo courtesy Vic Kincer).	Journey into the "Heart of Darkness": We travel by boat several hours up the Tambopata River to reach our remote jungle lodge, leaving the final traces of human habitation behind. Within the 700,000 hectare uninhabited nucleus of the reserve, sightings of monkeys, macaws and other large species become more frequent. Jaguars are sometimes seen near the river bank!
Hands-on instruction from world-class photographers. We don't just drag you along with us from place to place: we teach you how to get the shot, so you don't miss any of the action. And we don't just focus on the technical stuff; photography is all about telling a story, and we'll teach you how to do it right and to explore your artistic vision.	See hundreds of parrots and macaws at the world-famous clay lick: On most mornings dozens of large macaws and hundreds of parrots congregate on this large river bank in a raucous and colorful spectacle which inspired a National Geographic cover story. It is an amazing and raucous spectacle, one not to be missed!	A life-changing experience in one of the most amazing ecosystems on Earth. This workshop is more than just a photo experience; it is an overall life experience as well. The sights, the smells, and the sounds of the Amazon are hard to put into words, so watch the short video above prepared by our local logistics manager Jeff Cremer.

Registration

To register, or if you have any questions, please email Ian Plant (ianplantphoto@gmail.com). 

Species We'll Photograph

Tambapota is home to hundreds of rare and exotic species. Although specific species sightings cannot be guaranteed, we can expect to photograph a number of bird, mammal, and insect species, including the following: 

Scarlet Macaw	Leaf-Cutter Ant	Squirrel Monkey
Red Howler Monkey	Brown Capuchin Monkey	Capybara
Tamarin Monkey	Russet-backed Oropendola	Dusky Titi Monkey
Tree Frog (photo courtesy Jeff Cremer)	Harpy Eagle	Hoatzin
Green Parrot	Jaguar (photo courtesy Jeff Cremer)	Pooto Bird (courtesy Jeff Cremer)

About the Facilites

Even our lodging is an adventure! Although each lodge we stay at is well-appointed and comfortable, the design is an "open concept" which allows maximum interaction with the surrounding jungle. One tour participant fondly described it as "camping inside." Each lodge has relaxing common areas, a dining hall, and (most important) a bar. Each is built using a combination of traditional native materials (wood, palm fronds, wild cane and clay) and architecture and modern day eco-lodge technology, decorated with bas-relief wood-carvings representing stories and characters from Ese-eja traditions. Common areas are open and spacious, and offer ample area for resting and socializing. They include a dining room and bar, a reception lounge with souvenir shop, and an interpretation center. Here are some of the amenities you will enjoy:

Modern eco-lodge architecture using traditional materials.	Comfortable rooms with clean beds and mosquito nets.	Wifi internet access several hours each day.
Excellent meals showcasing a mix of local Peruvian and international cuisine.	Electricity several hours each day for charging camera batteries and laptops.	Bar stocked with a variety of beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages.

The walls dividing each room are built using cane, and extend from the floor to about 2.5 meters height making each room private. The side that looks out to the forest does not have a wall or screening of any kind, acting as a large window facing the forest. Doors are replaced with drapes. Rooms are not soundproof. Each room has comfortable and clean beds, mosquito nets, bedside tables and hammocks or lounge chairs.

At Posada Amazonas, each room has private bathrooms, whereas Tambopata has shared bathrooms (consisting of a series of single bathrooms each with a sink, toilet, and shower). Both facilities offer both hot and cold water. None of the facilities have regular electricity. Light is provided by numerous kerosene lamps and candles. A generator is turned on several times a day so that we may recharge camera batteries and power our laptops. When the generator is on, each lodge offers wireless internet (wifi) service. All facilities provide excellent self-serve three course meals consisting of soup or appetizers, salad, main course, and desserts combining Peruvian and international cuisine. All fresh fruits and salads are thoroughly disinfected before serving, and each lodge also provides unlimited amounts of boiled, filtered, cooled drinking water, coffee or tea and we provide fruit juices during the meals. If any visitor has special dietary requirements, we are happy to make individual arrangements. 

Fitness Level