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October 21 - November 3, 2026 - Accepting Applications
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Ethiopia!
Exotic Tribes of the Omo River Valley
Close your eyes and imagine an Africa, before Western Colonialism… Back before the times of Livingston and Stanley… A time when tribal peoples had their own languages and customs… A time when one was defined by tribe and lineage… Where wealth was not measured in currency…
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What do you imagine? The sounds of chants around a smokey fire in the darkness… Dancers leaping unbelievable distances into the air… Faces painted… Carefully created patterns of scars… Ear lobes or lips stretched out to incorporate disks made of clay… Hair exotically fashioned, sometimes with ochre…
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Africa was changed forever by colonial domination. Modern cities reign. Industry and agriculture drive economies. Untouched nature is harder to find. Many Africans wear modern western clothing and speak languages that came from the north.
But… there are remote corners… places where tradition dominates… where people still dress the dress, speak their own languages, follow their own customs and rules, stick to the beliefs of their ancestors, and make their living much as their peoples did centuries ago.
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One such place is the Omo River Valley in southern Ethiopia. Here, for the most part, time has not taken away the important aspects of life. Villagers still live close to the land, tilling soil in traditional ways and keeping livestock. Some still hunt and fish, as they have “forever”. Dawn finds shepherds driving livestock in search of water and forage.
You can still find villagers gathered around a smokey fire, in the darkness, making music, singing, dancing and chanting. Great care is taken in appearances – in ways that are intriguing, but hard to comprehend.
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This is a place to come, open to learning. Leave behind our homogenized, digitalized, monetized world and slip, as unobtrusively as possible, into theirs. Not to change them. Not to judge them. Nor to completely understand them. But to observe and learn. And to reflect, afterwards, on this great human family that we are part of… and on what is important in life.
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But, also, with our cameras, and permissions, to make art from what we witness, exotic to us and everyday to them. To share our images to promote understanding and awe.
And to understand, that, by being there, we are bringing about small changes in order to prevent major changes. Ethiopia, and peoples we visit, are using tourism to fuel the efforts to protect and preserve cultural heritage – and to invite younger generations to learn the languages and the ways that have held nearly constant for centuries.
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We’ll also spend some time, while in Ethiopia, among its natural treasures, finding ecosystems, birds, reptiles and mammals to observe and photograph. Part of that will be in the Rift Valley and much of it will be around where we lodge and on our way to remote tribal encounters.
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Join us in the Omo Valley for a cultural experience that will change who you are and yield a bigger understanding of who we all are. You will be among the very few who have been able to almost literally step back in time in search of the meaning of human life. Your images will fascinate, intrigue, and challenge viewers to look beyond their own boxes.
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This photography adventure will come with some challenges. Some lodgings will not be “as luxurious” as we sometimes find on safari in Africa. We’ll see things that we’re not used to. And eat dishes prepared in ways we’re not accustomed to. Those are the costs of obtaining the experiences we seek.
Our group will be limited in size – and we’ll ask questions before we accept your application – as we want to ensure the group is compatible with each other and that everyone is prepared to visit these special people with respect.
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2026 Wild Ethiopia Omo Valley Tribes Photography Adventure
October 21 - November 3, 2026
This adventure begins and ends Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. All lodging, internal transportation (including domestic flights, vehicle transport, and transfers), English guide services, entrances, preparation materials, and photography guides are included. Almost all meals are included.
2026 Rates
$7,300 Each, Double Occupancy
$7,700 Single Occupancy
$1,000 Deposit with Application
$2,500 Due Oct 1, 2025
Balance Due July 15, 2026 to include extra nights, etc. |
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2025 |
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Three days of classroom and field time with migrating waterfowl, bald eagles, and macro opportunities. You'll learn how to take control of your mirrorless camera - and take advantage of new developments in the digital darkroom - to yield images that closely match your intentions in the field! Embrace manual - it's easier that the auto modes - and easier than ever in the mirrorless era. |
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So many birds! Such good photography opportunities. So little physical effort required. Forty percent of the planet's hummingbirds are found in Ecuador. Thirty-seven percent of the tanagers (which don't show up in the Old World at all). Conservation has teamed up with landowners to protect natural cloudforest habitats - and the result is birds sitting on branches predictably in a way you can photograph them. Did we mention Cock-of-the-rock? Or mountain tourcan? Small group so secure your space before it is gone! |
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Borneo! Rainforests. Orangutans. Gibbons. Pygmy elephants. Proboscis monkeys. 420 species of birds, including amazing hornbills and kingfishers, brightly colored little birds. Carnivorous plants. Sun bears. The list goes on and on. We've built an itinerary that takes you into the canopy, on trails by foot, on rivers by boat, and out on night safari. This is not an adventure you want to miss! |
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Join us in Brazil's Pantanal for a wild adventure that features both jaguars and an amazing array of birds, reptiles, and mammals. The Pantanal is the only place in the world where one can reliably find and photograph jaguars - as they are nocturnal hunters everywhere else. The birds here are fantastic - this is one of our favorite places to photograph flying birds (we can help you build your skills). Add in close-up encounters with giant river otters and so much more. Join us for this wild adventure! |
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The Great Migration encounters the Mara River in Tanzania's northern Serengeti. 2-3 million wildebeest and 400-500,00 zebras want to cross the Mara - often high with boiling rapids and hosting giant Nile crocodiles looking to feast! We've design the ultimate photography adventure to put you in a number of right places at the right times - to capture images of the trauma, the terror, the attacks, and the heartening stories of wildebeest succeeding at crossing the river to greener pastures. Are you coming? |
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Turkey sits at a geographical crossroads, which means that, over history, many cultures have passed through Turkey, each leaving a distinct imprint on the culture and the archaeological record. Let's explore some of the great archaeological wonders - while putting ourselves in great positions make exciting art with cameras. Mosques, Fairy Chimneys, Ephasus, Istanbul, Aphrodisia, Pergamum, Assos and so much more. |
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2026 |
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To sit quietly in a bamboo thicket with a gorilla family, interacting with eye contact, observing, and making compelling images is truly a life changing experience. Venture out into the wilds of Rwanda with a small group to experience photographic encounters with wild gorillas, chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, golden monkeys, and much, much more. Fitness level is necessary to accomplish this adventure. Dates are tentative until we secure permits. |
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Timed to meet the great migration in the Serengeti, our safari takes you to some of the great parks and protected areas in northern Tanzania in search of lions, zebras, giraffes, cheetah, hyenas... Of all our itineraries, anywhere in the world, this one has the best reviews - and is a real life-changing experience! If you'll only be making one photography foray into sub-Saharan Africa in your life - this is the trip! |
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Join us in 2026 as we'll explore favorite haunts and add new landings and vistas. Giant tortoises, flightless frigates, 3 kinds of boobies, land and marine iguanas, sea lions and fur seals, flamingos, and the northernmost penguin in the world. The list goes on and on! Exciting landscapes. So much to learn about geology, biology, and evolution.Truly an inspiring experience - ties the Serengeti in client feedback as the "most life-changing" experience of their lives. |
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Join a small group of photographers as we fly in float planes and tundra planes out into the wilderness of the Katmai Peninsula - in search of great bear photography opportunities. We'll go where the bears are actively catching salmon, including Brooks Falls, and other locations drawing off the Bristol Bay watershed which has the largest salmon runs in the world. Plan to be close to bears - to have great vistas from planes - and to marvel at the vast expanse of wilderness. Group size limited - secure your space. |
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Turkey sits at a geographical crossroads, which means that, over history, many cultures have passed through Turkey, each leaving a distinct imprint on the culture and the archaeological record. Let's explore some of the great archaeological wonders - while putting ourselves in great positions make exciting art with cameras. Mosques, Fairy Chimneys, Ephasus, Istanbul, Aphrodisia, Pergamum, Assos and so much more. |
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