Overview
Wild, powerful, beautifully desolate and unforgettable. Filled with wonderful people, eerie and unearthly landscapes, incredible night skies and dancing light. Sandstorms, nomads, camels, steppes, dunes, canyons and endless surprises. Lowest density of population in the world, the highest density of horses. And, for the photographer, an absolute paradise.
Join us for 11 days of adventure and discovery in one of the most unique and exotic locations on the planet. This trip is all about the Gobi Desert. Its vastness and emptiness are haunting. And in between dusty stretches of road are geological gems that offer countless photo opportunities. There are no iconic shots here, so get ready to head off the beaten track.
What Mongolia lacks in luxury it rewards in photo opportunities you won’t find elsewhere. We have worked hard to put together an itinerary we are truly proud of and excited to share with you. After working with locals to overhaul some of the existing journeys, we created what we feel is the perfect itinerary for photographers.
Location: Mongolia - Gobi Desert
Dates: June 8-18, 2021
Tour Leaders: Paul Zizka & Dave Brosha
Assistant: Curtis Jones
Itinerary (Full itinerary to be provided to participants upon arrival.)
Mongolia is a big country and, for that reason, we decided to focus on what we feel is its most unique area: the Gobi Desert. Other than our time in the capital, we will spend the rest of our stay exploring this unique and exotic part of the country.
The finer details:
Included:
What’s Not Included:
Price/Payment Schedule:
Full Cost: CAD $6950
Payment options: Full payment or non-refundable deposit to secure a space with equal installment payments.
Non-Refundable Deposit: CAD $1500 (due upon booking)
Note: Failure to pay by due dates means forfeiting deposit and spot
will be freed up and potentially sold to another interested participant
(see more in cancellation policy below).
If unforeseen circumstances arise, participants are welcome to transfer/sell their space to another interested participant. In such case, participants are responsible for handling payment for the transfer.
Participants:
8 minimum
16 maximum
We require a minimum of 8 participants in order to run this workshop. If the minimum numbers are not reached by June 30, 2020 the workshop may be cancelled and deposits will be refunded to participants. See our cancellation policy below for more details.
Accommodations
Note: workshop price is based on shared room occupancy. For those participating in the workshop that are not traveling with a friend, partner, or spouse, we will ensure all participants are partnered with a roommate of the same sex.
What to expect
The workshop will
include several short 2-3 kilometre hikes over uneven terrain such as
uneven terrain, hills, and dunes. There is nothing technical involved,
but participants should be comfortable and prepared to walk and/or
climb areas in warmer temperatures with a backpack for periods of up to
an hour at a time.
LEAVE NO TRACE
We encourage and live the ethics of "leave no trace" photography, which means that the utmost care is given, while hiking and photographing, to leaving zero impact on the natural environment. Participants are expected to approach this tour with the same ethics at all times.
What to Bring
Please come prepared for a variety of weather conditions as the more
comfortable you are, the more enjoyable your experience will be.
As well, we optionally recommend:
INSURANCE: It is not only advised but required that workshop participants have trip cancellation/interruption insurance, as well as emergency medical/illness insurance and rescue coverage (proof required within 4 months of departure).
Weather and other unforeseen factors can cause delays in travel, particularly from some of our more remote locations. It is the participant’s responsibility to cover any costs in the case of a travel delay of any length. Please ensure your trip cancellation/interruption insurance accommodates this possibility.
By purchasing a spot you are acknowledging that you accept these conditions.
OFFBEAT TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Please take the time to review OFFBEAT’s Terms and Conditions, including our Cancellation Policies. You are required to agree to these in order to confirm your registration. Effective June 16, 2020.
Travel Visa
It is the participant's responsibility to ensure they have a valid Travel Visa (if applicable/required) for the duration of the workshop.
About Dave Brosha
"Critically acclaimed....spectacular photos." - The Globe and Mail
Holding a passion for the world and an eye for the beauty it contains, northern commercial, personal, and landscape photographer Dave Brosha is on a continual journey to seek out and capture the beauty of this world – whether it’s the beauty of some of the most extreme and pristine environments in the world, or the beauty of some of a person’s most personal moments. In addition to living throughout northern Canada for much of his life, Dave – along with his wife and children – have also lived in Asia and have traveled extensively through both the many provinces and territories of their native country and numerous countries abroad.
Dave’s personal affiliations and representations include the First Light agency, Aurora Images, Offset, Getty Images (stock), National Geographic (stock), and the Canadian Press, for which Dave is a freelance photographer.
About Paul Zizka
Specializing in photographing in difficult conditions and hard-to-reach places, Paul has a passion for shooting alpine sports and backcountry experiences, capturing the spirit of adventurers and finding unusual angles of common mountain subjects. As a landscape photographer, he particularly enjoys the challenge of capturing nature’s beauty at night and the unique features that come with a dark sky – stars, Northern Lights and dramatic silhouettes.
Paul’s award-winning photos have been featured in a variety of publications, includingIMPACT, Alpinist, Canadian Geographic, Islands, PhotoLife, Fodors.com and explore magazine. In addition to his work for a number of clients, over the past few years Paul has created a signature collection of images for Banff Lake Louise Tourism, which are used to promote Banff National Park throughout the world.
In the Canadian Rockies, Paul has hiked extensively in the backcountry and photographed from the summits of countless peaks. His adventures abroad include a 1400-km unsupported double-crossing of Iceland on foot (2004), which is believed to be the first of its kind, and a 1488-km solo crossing of the South Island of New Zealand (2007). Recent travels have taken him backpacking in the Caribbean, exploring tiny insular nations of the Pacific, trekking in remote corners of Scandinavia and Nepal, and ski touring on Baffin Island.
For any additional questions, please contact us at erin@offbeatphoto.ca
BANYANGOL HOTEL, MONGOLIA