Explore the Amazon with Joe McNally & Ari Espay
THE AMAZON!
The very name awakens my inner Indiana Jones and peaks my sense of adventure. Come join us deep in the jungle at the newly renovated La Selva Eco Lodge & Retreat. Located within Ecuador’s Yasuní Biosphere Reserve and on the borders of the famous Yasuní National Park — one of the most biodiverse areas of the planet — La Selva Amazon Eco Lodge & Retreat was among the first Amazon rainforest lodges in Ecuador and today is still regarded as the premier eco lodge in the area. La Selva Amazon Eco Lodge & Retreat is also pioneer in sustainable travel and we are thrilled to announce that we have booked the entire lodge just for us! This will enable us to slow down and find the rhythm of the jungle and all of her inhabitants and we’ll spend 5 nights sleeping to the soundtrack of the forest. We will encounter exotic wildlife on our early morning hikes and sunset shoots with trained guides and naturalists. Our daily trips on the waterways will take us to parrot clay licks, visits to the local Kitchwa community, and sanctuaries filled with the calls of wild birds.
We’ll start our adventure in Quito, the first city to be named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With her cobblestoned streets and Spanish-style architecture, she remains the crown jewel of Ecuador’s colonial legacy. We’ll also explore the colorful markets of Otavalo, overflowing with beautiful wares created by master artisans. A huge exporter of roses, we’ll visit one of the largest and most beautiful gardens in Ecuador. Dinners at the finest restaurants in town, voyages 13,000 feet up on the Teleferico, and an opportunity to straddle the equator will make this a workshop not to be missed.
Photography Workshop
- DATES | 10 DAYS
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January 31 - February 9, 2025 2 SPOTS LEFT
- PRICE
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Participate Rate: $9945 - There is no (dreaded) single supplement for solo travelers
Companion Fee: $6975 (staying in the same room)
*Companions are welcome (and encouraged!)
- WHAT'S INCLUDED?
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- All accommodations in 5 star hotels
- On location classes, demos, and assistance in the field
- There is a 6 to 1 ratio for participants to instructor
- 5 Classes/edit & critique sessions
- 7 Dinners
- 6 Lunches
- 9 Breakfasts
- Roundtrip airfare from Quito to Coca
- Internal transportation to and from locations
- Travel, landscape, architecture, and people photography
- WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED?
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- Round trip airfare to and from Quito, Ecuador
- Transportation to and from airports
- Additional nights before or after the start and finish of the Workshop
- Travel Insurance
- OUR LOCATIONS
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- The Amazon Jungle
- Guided walks through the forest
- Daily canoe and boat rides up the river and the Garza Cocha
- The Parrot Claylicks
- A Day with the Kitchwa community
- The Otavalo Market, one of the largest in South America
- Quito, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Quitsato, Museo Solar, marks the actual 0'0 Latitude on the equator
- The Old Town of Quito
- Casa Museo Guayasamin
- HOTELS
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While in the Amazon, we will be staying at the newly renovated and beautifully appointed, La Selva Eco-Lodge & Spa. We have rented out the entire lodge and will have exclusive access to the grounds and many of the surrounding areas. The lodge is located deep in the Amazon on the north bank of the Napo River, which eventually flows eastward and joins the mighty Amazon on its way to the Atlantic Ocean. It takes about five hours to travel from our hotel in Quito to our jungle suites at La Selva, by plane, motorized canoe, by foot, and arriving in a silent paddle canoe.
In Quito, we will be staying in luxury at the 5 Star The JW Marriott Boasting modern accommodations, an on-site spa, resort-style pool, city views, ideal location and 5 restaurants, the JW Marriott is the premier hotel to celebrate the vibrant city center.
- WHO IS THIS WORKSHOP RIGHT FOR?
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- Beginning, amateur and semi-pro photographers
- Photographers with an interest in learning in landscape, wildlife and cultural photography
- DSLR, mirrorless, compact camera users
- TRAVEL INSURANCE
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We strongly suggest you purchase travel insurance for your trip.Aside from medical care, travel insurance can protect you in the case of lost or stolen luggage, equipment, and personal effects, trip cancellation, personal liability, funeral expenses (we don't mean to sound morbid, but dying overseas can be very, very expensive), emergency dental treatment and evacuation back to your country of residence. All that being said, please read the policy carefully (especially the exclusions) to make sure that it covers what you will need, especially trip cancellation.
- HOW DO I REGISTER?
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We provide personalized service and you can sign up for a workshop by emailing us directly at liza@lizapoliti.com
The Team
Additional Information
- WEATHER | SUNRISE/SUNSET
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February in the Amazon - Temps 85/75 and very humid
February in Quito – Temps 49/66 F
Sunrise 6:00am | Sunset 6:30pm
- AIRPORT & TRAVEL INFO
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Airport: Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO)
Transfer time is about an hour to downtown Quito, depending on traffic
- FUN FACTS
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The Amazon is the world’s largest tropical rainforest. Covering over 2.5 million square miles, it spans across 9 countries including; spanning across Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.
The Amazon has an incredibly rich ecosystem – there are around 40,000 plant species, 1,300 bird species, 3,000 types of fish, 430 mammals and a whopping 2.5 million different insects.
Some 21 million people call the Amazon home, including an estimated 50 remote tribes who have not yet made contact with modern civilization.
Sadly, a depressing 1.5 acres of the Amazon vanishes every single second and with it an average of 137 species become extinct each day. Deforestation in the Amazon alone accounts for 30% of global carbon emission, and if things continue the way they are, there won’t be anything left in 40 years. Most of the destruction is to make room for pastures to raise cattle.
Quito, a UNECSO World Heritage Site since 1978, is the closest capital city to the equator. The central square of Quito is located about 16 miles south of the equator. At an elevation of 9,350 ft above sea level, it is the second-highest official capital city in the world, after La Paz.