Kodak & Michael Turek | Argentina

SMALL GROUP JOURNEY

Kodak & Michael Turek

Led by documentary photographer Michael Turek, this 10-day small group photography tour through the Argentine Northwest traverses the desert plateaus and Andean mountains of Catamarca and Salta. Expert photographers and aspiring amateurs alike will have no shortage of photo opportunities. Using Kodak analogue cameras, they’ll capture the drama of the region, snapping frame after frame of striking rock formations, turquoise lagoons, and horizon-bending salt flats. As well as technical advice, Turek teaches guests to engage with their surroundings, as if on an editorial assignment.

Each traveller on this small group journey comes away with a thoughtful and intimate body of work documenting their travels.

DATES

1st-10th August 2024

PRICE

From $13,401 per person

GROUP SIZE

5 people

HIGHLIGHTS

Experience the vast diversity of the northwest Argentine landscape through the lens of expert photographer Michael Turek as your guide.
Follow a comprehensive map of diverse destinations within the northwest Argentine region, including remote villages, spellbinding rock formations, high desert lagoons, gaping gorges, volcanic cones, cactus forests, and pre-Inca archaeological sites.
Document your individual perspective of the sprawling and everchanging scenery with your own analogue camera.
Relax after long days of exploring at a curated collection of quaint hotels, historic inns, restored estates, and wine stays.

DAY BY DAY:

DAY 1:

Arrive to Buenos Aires, Argentina’s buzzing capital city, for a one-night stay. Enjoy all the city has to offer before spending the next eight nights in remote desert locations. Get a good night’s rest at the charming Casa Lucia located in the city’s stylish Recoleta neighbourhood.

DAY 2:

Fly from Buenos Aires to Salta, where you’ll be bet by your guide, Michael Turek. Begin your photographic journey with a walking tour of Salta’s historic centre and a visit to the nearby village of San Lorenzo. Stay the night in the House of Jasmines, a beautifully restored 19^th century farmhouse in the Andean foothills.

DAY 3:

Wake up and hit the ground running in 4×4 vehicles, visiting the winding rust red landscapes of National Route 51. Have cameras at the ready with stops at the extraordinary Quebrada del Toro and the remote towns of El Alfarcito and Santa Rosa de Tastil. Check-in for a one-night stay at the cosy Hostería las Nubes in San Antonio de los Cobres, just a ten-minute walk from the Train to the Clouds.

DAY 4:

Rise early for a journey into the Puna de Atacama region. Photograph the shimmering lagoons of the Salar Pocitos and the red rock formations of Devils Desert. Arrive to the village of Tolar Grande for lunch and marvel at the kaleidoscopic waters of Ojos del Mar, whose lagoons change colour with the sunlight. Rest at Tolar Grande’s simple but comfortable Casa Andina for a single night stay.

DAY 5:

After breakfast, travel to the Salar de Arizaro, to encounter the spectacular conical sandstone formation of Cono de Arita. Stop for lunch in the isolated village of Antofalla, home to no more than eight families on the edge of the salt flat. Next, make way to Antofagasta de la Sierra where the group settles into their home for the next three nights: the quaint adobe inn of Pueblo del Sol.

DAY 6:

Visit the Cerro Galán crater, one of the largest exposed calderas in the world that cradles a range of photo-worthy landscapes, like glassy lagoons populated by flamingos and steam-spouting geysers.

DAY 7:

Travel 1 hour to Campo de Piedra Pómez, known for its labyrinth of immense rocks. Next, traverse barren black lava fields surrounding the Carachipampa Volcano before heading to capture photos of the desolate Antofagasta Volcano and its colourful lagoons.

DAY 8:

Head 2.5 hours south to arrive at the magnificent Castillo de Villa Vil, an eroded mountainside resembling a multi-hued cathedral. Stop for a traditional lunch in the village of Hualfín before continuing to the pre-Incan Ruins of Quilmes. End the day at Patios de Cafayate, an elegant winery hotel and your home for the night.

DAY 9:

On this final day of exploring, the group visits Quebrada de la Conchas to photograph its bright red rocks embedded with marine fossils, as well as a ghost village once home to German railway workers. Cross into the Lerma Valley before arriving at the Salta airport for a flight back to Buenos Aires for one final night at Casa Lucia.

DAY 10:

After one last morning soaking up the street life of Buenos Aires, a private transfer takes the group to the airport where they board international flights home.

WHERE YOU’LL STAY

Each lodging is handpicked to keep your experience intimate. Due to the remote nature of the trip, accommodations will vary from earthy and simple to a bit more luxurious and chic. Your group will start and end their journey in Buenos Aires at the tasteful Casa Lucia. In Salta, you’ll stay at the lovingly restored 19th century farmhouse, House of Jasmines, which was once home to actor Robert Duvall. Next, enjoy the cosy interiors of Hosteria de los Nubes, whose restaurant serves up local dishes. Your most rustic stay will be at the comfortable Casa Andina in Tolar Grande, whose lack of phone signal and internet will allow you to truly disconnect. Spend three nights at the adobe inn of Pueblo del Sol, where each bedroom has its own bathroom and there is WiFi. The group will end their time in northwest Argentina with a deluxe one-night stay at Patios de Cafayate, a wine hotel that sits amidst the Andes and trestled vines. Toast the near end of your adventure together by the pool or in the cool shade of its cloisters.