South American Wildlife Photography Holidays & Tours

NaturesLens runs small-group South American wildlife photography holidays, built around the region’s birds rather than general sightseeing. Current departures are Birds of Brazil, Peru’s Ultimate Hummingbirds & Tropical Birds Of Trinidad. Groups are small, single occupancy is included, & every trip is planned around photographic time rather than distance covered. Why South America rewards a photographer Few continents offer such a concentration of colour, diversity & approachable subjects. Hummingbirds hover at feeders at eye level, tanagers & toucans come to fruit stations, & forest edges give clean backgrounds that suit long lenses. The challenge is rarely finding birds. It is finding them in good light, at a distance that suits your lens, with a background that lets the subject stand out. That is where planning & local knowledge matter. Peru: hummingbirds at close range Peru’s Ultimate Hummingbirds combines controlled hummingbird photography with endemic species such as the Marvelous Spatuletail, sword-billed hummingbirds, sunangels, coquettes & antpittas, at Abra Patricia & Huembo among other locations. It runs across the eastern slopes of the Andes in northern Peru, through cloud forest & Amazonian habitats, using both natural & controlled set-ups, including high-altitude feeders at around 2,000 m where royal sunangels gleam electric blue & purple, over 14 nights. Brazil: variety across habitats Birds of Brazil moves between bases so the portfolio does not become repetitive, each offering its own blend of species, light & atmosphere. It is an eight-night, three-base trip in the Atlantic Rainforest, redesigned around photography rather than ground covered, with toucans, toucanets, tanagers & hummingbirds among the subjects. Trinidad: an easy first trip to the tropics Tropical Birds Of Trinidad is a relaxed introduction to tropical bird photography, with hummingbirds, honeycreepers & rainforest species in a compact area. Based at the Asa Wright Nature Centre, it adds private Scarlet Ibis sessions in Caroni Swamp. It runs for seven nights. How we run these trips Our leaders are photographers first. We choose lodges, hides & feeders for the images they produce, then fit the itinerary around the light. Expect early starts, flexible days & hands-on advice in the field, from exposure & autofocus settings to positioning & composition. See what guests say in our reviews, or read how NaturesLens designs its photography holidays. Choosing between the trips Want fast, technical work? Peru’s Ultimate Hummingbirds. Want variety across habitats? Birds of Brazil. Want a relaxed first tropical trip? Tropical Birds Of Trinidad. We currently schedule holidays, tours & safaris in Brazil, Peru, & Trinidad & Tobago. South America offers outstanding opportunities for wildlife photography, with the chance to photograph species such as Andean Condor, Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Puma, Giant Hummingbird, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Marvelous Spatuletail, Plate-billed Mountain-toucan, Red-breasted Toucan, Golden-winged Manakin & Magellanic Woodpecker. These highlighted species represent only a small part of the wildlife found across the area, with many more species present depending on habitat, region & seasonal conditions. Trips in South America are led by our team of photographers, including David Miles, offering experienced guidance throughout.