Current Photo Tours 2013 Schedule

  - Joshua Tree National Park & Majove Desert Photo Tour April 17th to 26th, 2013  

        - Washington DC Photo Tour May 16th to 20th, 2013

          - Iceland Photo Tour - July 5th to 13th, 2013

                - Ireland Photo Tour - August 17th to September 1st, 2013

                    - Namibia Photo Tour - October 23rd to November 7th, 2013

 Joshua Tree & Majove Desert Photo Tour - "Landscapes of the desert"

Joshua Tree National Park and Majove Desert Photo Tour - "Landscapes of the desert ... always changing always beautiful the photographic backdrops of the south west"

  Joshua Tree National Park offers photographers endless opportunities for exploration, discovery and beautiful landscapes.  The park has ten mountains greater than 1,524 m or 5,000 feet in elevation.  The desert itself holds much more than meets the eye and as we explore the terrain, many photo opportunities will present itself.  The Joshua tree which is a type of Yucca brevifolia, was given it’s name by a group of Mormon settlers who crossed the Majove Desert in the mid 19th century.  They stand as a landmark and create the beauty of this unique landscape.

     The transition from the hot Sonoran Desert and higher Great Basin is a location called the Mojave Desert.  This arid region of southeastern California and portions of Nevada occupies more than 25,000 square miles.  The Mojave, is what they call a rain shadow desert, and is defined by its unique landscapes and foliage.

     Our group size will be limited to 15 guests on this tour, thus making it easy to visit some of the more remote locations as we travel.   I’m looking forward to sharing this photo adventure with you. 

    On this tour we will be departing from Detriot International Airport.  We will be offering departures from Woodstock, London, Komoka and Sarnia.

Day One:  Wed April 17th, 4:30 p.m. we will depart London traveling to Detroit via Sarnia.  We will spend our first evening at the Carlton Hotel, located just outside Detroit airport.  We will be stopping for supper as we pass through Port Huron. (For our guests joining us from other gateways you will meet the group at the McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas making your departure April 18th.)

Day Two:  Thur April 18th, after breakfast we will transfer to the Detroit airport and board our flight to Las Vegas.  Once we arrive in Las Vegas we will meet our motor coach which we will have with us for the balance of the tour.  From Las Vegas we will travel to Prim Valley.  This will be our base for the next four nights.  Arriving mid afternoon we will have time to check-in to our hotel, have something to eat and then head out to the desert rim to catch our first sunset.

Day Three: Fri April 19th, we will have sunrise opportunities then after breakfast we will board our motor coach and head to the cinder cone and lava rock bed formations. We will spend the morning photographing in this region. In the afternoon we will explore and photograph at soda dry lake. Then this evening we will be attending our group welcome dinner.

Day Four:  Sat April 20th, early morning sunrise opportunities then return to the hotel for breakfast. The balance of our day will be spent photographing and exploring the Kelso Sand Dunes and region. This area offers up unique sand dues and land mass formations. We will have plenty of time for our photography.

Day Five:  Sun April 21st, early morning sunrise opportunities then after breakfast we will begin our exploration of Kelso Station and Kelso Ghost Town.  Trains, old rail lines and buildings of a past era make for todays backdrop.  We will be making several photo stops as we travel out to Kelso Station.  Low lying desert flowers and other foliage can be seen in this region.

Day Six:  Mon April 22nd, early morning sunrise opportunities then after breakfast we will check-out and begin our journey towards Joshua Tree National Park.  We will be taking time to make a couple of photo stops as we travel as some the mountain ranges offer up very interesting backdrops with ever changing terrain. Our final destination will be the Hampton Inn in Palm Desert, California.  After dinner this evening will be some time for leisure.

Day Seven:  Tue April 23rd, early morning sunrise opportunities.  After early morning breakfast we will head into Joshua Tree National Park.  We will be packing a lunch spending the day exploring the park until sunset.  The park boasts some of the most interesting exposed granite monoliths and rugged canyons, due to tectonic and erosional forces.  The mixed landscape of alluvial fans, bajadas, desert varnish, and complex rock formations make this a very photographic landscape.  We will finish at the windmill region for sunset photography this evening.

Day Eight:  Wed April 24th early morning sunrise opportunities, then back to the hotel for breakfast.  We will then spend our morning of photography at the Indian Canyons, this region is a spectacular oasis.  This is one of the great photographic spots in western north america.  The combination of Washingtonia filifera (California Fan Palm Trees) and the contrasty rocky gorges and barren desert lands this will be yet another day of totally different landscape photography.  Tonight we will do some night photography.

 Day Nine:  Thu April 25th, After breakfast we will visit the Salton Sea, which is located two hundred and twenty seven feet below sea level.  This is the largest lake in California and saltier than the Pacific Ocean.  We will have a chance to photograph Ruddy Ground Doves, Gull billed Terns, Burrowing Owls, Black Skimmers, Pelicans and Laughing Gulls.  This is also a beautiful area to wind up our adventure with some spectacular sunset photography.  Tonight we will also hold our farewell dinner.

Day Ten:  Fri April 26th, after breakfast we will depart for our journey back to the McCarran Airport for our return flight back to Detroit.  This will be the travel gateway for our other guests returning home to their region. Our motor coach will be at the airport to greet us for our return to London.

** Please note this trip itinerary covers the main stops of our Photo Tour.  We will be visiting many smaller and regional canyons and rivers that are located within each of our regional visits.

Your Tour Includes:

• Round Trip Airfare from Detroit, MI-Las Vegas,NV, Palm Springs,CL- Detroit, MI
• Return coach transportation to Detroit Airport,
• Departures available from Woodstock, London, Komoka and Sarnia,
• One night accommodation at the Carlton Hotel in Detroit, Mi,
• Four nights accommodation at the Primm Valley Resort Mojave Desert
• Four nights accommodation at Joshua Tree National Park Hampton Palm Desert
• Hotel baggage handling fees were applicable,
• Welcome Dinner and Farewell Dinner,
• Breakfast every morning,
• National park fees, admissions, presentations, permits and workshops,
• Tour hosted and escorted by photographer James Cowie
• Guests joining us from other gateways your departure date would be April 18th, 2013

** Guests joining us from other gateways must co-ordinate arrivals one hour earlier than group flight aaarrival and equal to or later that group flight departure.  Details will be finalized at booking.

** Schedule may vary according to weather and traffic conditions

Tour Exclusions: Any item not listed on the itinerary, personal insurance coverage, alcoholic beverages, and laundry.

Non refundable deposit of $450 is required at time of booking, balance due March 12 2013.  We recommend the purchase of travel and health insurance as this tour takes us out of the country. Our full terms and conditions are available on the Photo Tour Trekkers website.

If you have any other questions or require booking assistance please contact:

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