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March / April: This photography tour is not currently in the
schedule, but can be added by request
6 nights/7 inclusive days | Maximum of
8 participants, and a minimum of
3 participants
$2,986 USD per person | Single Supplement: 14% of the base cost of the trip
The
deposit for this photography tour is $300. Make a deposit, or pay your tour balance
here
Explore our
discounts for client loyalty, early enrollment, 2 trips in 12 months, referrals and more
Do you have a question? Ask us via email: Click
here
Arrival and departure airport: San Antonio, Texas [SAT]
Arrival window: For a variety of travel related reasons, arriving one day early is recommended
Search fares at Kayak, Skyscanner, Orbitz, Google Flights or your favorite airline
Big Bend photo gallery
Map
of overnight locations
Client responses to our photo tours
For the single supplement, cancellation policy and enrollment guidance see below
8 places are available at this time
Updated: Saturday the 27th of May, 2023
 Indicates that we have sufficient enrollments and the trip is a 'go'
Indicates that this trip requires the minimum number of participants as indicated on line two above
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Photography Tour Overview: Big Bend National Park is desert, Rio Grande canyon and river, Chisos mountain range, mammal, bird and flora. Also included are San Antonio side-bars such as the Riverwalk and
the infamous Alamo. Starting and finishing our Texas sojourn in San Antonio, you will find that Big Bend National Park offers plenty for the photographer. This is peak wildflower and bird visibility time in the park, and you'll be kept busy with the contrasting fusion's of mountain, river, desert and colorful cacti. Big Bend is the least visited of America’s National Parks due its remote location, and is one of the last remaining wild corners of the United States with unmatched sights, and a peaceful solitude. Native American folklore records that, "After making Earth, the Creator simply 'dumped' all the remaining rock at Big Bend". That all sounds photogenic, but photograph the place for yourself in the slanting March light.
As with all of our photography tours, early and late shooting is scheduled for each day.
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Our itinerary . . .
But first things first! We suggest that you set your camera's clock to the local time, as your images will then synchronize with the times in our included photo tour
field notes.
Day 1 |
The Alamo, San Antonio
Our Big Bend national park tour starts at our
downtown San Antonio
hotel at 12 noon with today's included lunch.
We'll then head over to the Alamo which was established in 1718 as a
Franciscan
Mission, but fell in 1836. The Alamo will be followed by an amble about San Antonio's
photogenic spots in the downtown area. Dinner will be taken on San Antonio's Riverwalk which is photogenic in its own right,
and that will be followed with twilight shots of the Alamo.
San Antonio, 1 Night
Day 2 | To Big
Bend National Park
Dawn at the Alamo if a poignant silhouette is of interest to you, then following breakfast we'll go west throughout the day. Bandera is the 'Cowboy capital of the world', and the surrounding countryside is usually dotted with 'outbreaks' of Bluebonnets and other wildflowers, and be worthy of several stops. Via Uvalde and Del Rio - Mexico now just a big stones throw away - to the
Pecos River, and a few 'water-scapes' there before continuing on via Marathon to Big Bend National Park in time for the late light.
Near Big Bend National Park, 4 nights
Days 3, 4 + 5 | Big
Bend National Park
We'll have three whole days plus a little of day
6 to explore the arid but contrasting terrain. Loop trips each day will see us photographing at
multiple points around the park at locations including the Chisos Mountains; the Rio Grande; the Grapevine Hills; Santa Elena canyon et cetera. Both from our minibus and easy walks, we shall be on the look-out for Coyote, Jackrabbit, Roadrunner, Javelina and Golden Eagle, plus flora including Rainbow, Pricklypear, Claretcup, Button and Strawberry Pitaya Cacti et cetera. Throw in the early and late light excursions and you will return home with many memorable images.
Day 6 | To San
Antonio
We'll finish our 'photo business' in Big Bend National Park this morning, and then return eastwards shooting wildflowers and serendipitous subjects as we go. There will be ample stops as always, and we shall return to San Antonio
for hotel check-in followed by additional downtown photography, dinner and the
floodlit Alamo.
The included dinner on the last night of our photography tour will feature an
'It's You!' presentation of clients in action on this tour by John.
San Antonio, 1 Night
Day 7 | Departure day
As there isn't any photography scheduled for the day of departure on this trip, your flight home can be arranged for any time today. Transport to the airport is included unless you’re staying on for a day or more.
Photo Tour Photographer/Leader: John Baker, Travel Images Photography Tours
The preceding itinerary is a copyrighted work by John Baker Photographer LLC, and Travel Images Photography Tours
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Enhancing Your Photography Skills
Describing the assistance you'll receive on one of our photography tours takes more than a few words, so for greater detail please go here.
Exertion level: This photography tour is classified as 'mildly strenuous' to 'strenuous'
We take some simple trails in Big Bend National
Park, which really only become strenuous if the
temperature on the day is above 75 degrees
Fahrenheit
The Grapevine Hills trail is mildly strenuous until
the approach to Balanced Rock. At that point the
trail is rugged and strenuous.
In every other respect this photography tour is considered non-strenuous to moderately strenuous
Do you need a Visa for travel to the United States?
Travelers from all countries can do a quick check of visa requirements
here or
here
Our international clients may need to contact the embassy of their intended destination in their own country for a visa. Go
here or
here
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Photography Tour Cost, Deposit, Cancellation Policy and Enrollment Guidance
Trip Cost:
$2,986 USD per person not including airfare. A 5% discount is applied to all double occupancies. A single room supplement is required for single occupancy
Single Supplement: 14% of the base cost of the trip
The
deposit for this photography tour is $300. Make a deposit, or pay your tour balance
here
Cancellation policy: Go
here
Enrollment guidance: Go here
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 Included in the Trip Cost: The following items are included in the trip cost . . .
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Photography instruction throughout the trip by John
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All accommodations with private facilities [en-suite]
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All breakfasts
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Lunch on day one of the trip
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Dinner on the last night of the trip
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On-vehicle snacks and bottled water
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All ground transportation
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Airport pick-up on day 1, and drop-off on departure day. Arrival prior to day 1 is not included
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Entrance fees for sites and activities listed below under ‘Admissions Included’
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Following the trip you'll receive detailed field notes describing the time, place and subject of each photo stop, plus image uploads to a private web page of clients 'in action' on the trip
 Not Included in the Trip Cost: The costs for these items are the responsibility of each participant . . .
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Airfare
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Travel costs between your home and the gateway airport and return
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Any transportation or travel costs incurred prior to or after the tour’s inclusive dates
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Pre-tour and/or post-tour accommodation
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Lunches and dinners except for lunch on day one of the trip, and dinner on the last night of the trip
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Alcoholic beverages
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Entrance fees or costs related to optional sites or activities not included in the itinerary
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Baggage fees
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Medical expenses
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Personal items such as the hotel mini-bar, laundry et cetera
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Incidental charges incurred at our accommodations such as movie rentals, internet and phone
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Travel insurance
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Passport or visa expenses
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Airport departure taxes, if applicable
Admissions Included in the Trip Cost:
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Admission to Big Bend National Park is included in our Commercial Organization, Commercial Tour Fees, and/or a Commercial Use Authorization [CUA] permit
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Any other admissions such as The Alamo and a Riverboat ride, if taken, are optional and not included
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You will of course have free reign to photograph the exterior of any locations not included in the admissions list
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