Join In Groups, The Great Outdoors, Photographic Workshops, All

Frozen Desert Photography Expedition

@Simone Sturla
Join In Groups, The Great Outdoors, Photographic Workshops, All

Frozen Desert Photography Expedition

@Simone Sturla
Join In Groups, The Great Outdoors, Photographic Workshops, All

Frozen Desert Photography Expedition

@Simone Sturla
Join In Groups, The Great Outdoors, Photographic Workshops, All

Frozen Desert Photography Expedition

@Simone Sturla
Join In Groups, The Great Outdoors, Photographic Workshops, All

Frozen Desert Photography Expedition

@Simone Sturla
Join In Groups, The Great Outdoors, Photographic Workshops, All

Frozen Desert Photography Expedition

@Simone Sturla
Join In Groups, The Great Outdoors, Photographic Workshops, All

Frozen Desert Photography Expedition

Simone Sturla
  • Destination

    Inner Mongolia

  • Trip duration

    6 days, 5 nights

  • Price

    From 12800 cny

  • Min/Max travelers

    Min:6, Max 12

  • Transport

    Foot , Jeeps & Camel, bus

  • Accommodation

    local guesthouses and local hotels

Highlight

Imagine an unreal experience hiking in total silence among megadunes covered in snow, in a landscape dotted with frozen lakes and circled by the infinite horizon. Escorted by your camel caravan you will cross this dreamy place, one of world’s remotest.

@Simone Sturla
@Simone Sturla
@Simone Sturla

The Workshop By Francois Nadeau

This photography expedition is a great opportunity to put into practice some important notions of photography. Here are some of the topics we will approach in this expedition:

Preparation for a day of shooting | How to be ready for situations |Landscape photography |Portrait |Best setting to take pictures inside the temples |Shooting some beautiful sunrises and sunsets |Composition |Panoramic Photography |Neutral density filters |Digital Workflow

This photography workshop will adapt to all situations in order for you to take the best pictures. It will help you to photograph subjects and create the best composition. Every day we are gonna have discussions about different subjects, methods, and approach.

Frozen Desert Photography Expedition

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Professional photographer from Montreal, François has been selected and invited 5 times at the "World Photographers focusing on Beijing". He worked in Turkey for the project "Izmir, a legacy for tomorrow" organized by the Arkas Art Center and his photos were exposed at the Arkas Museum in Turkey. He also participated in Izmir photo days. He won the first prize at the international photo contest « 2014 Chinese dream in the Eyes of Foreign Friends ». In 2017, he is invited to Photo Beijing Event to present an important exhibition of his work. His book "China: photographic narrative in the Middle Kingdom" is published with Les Editions Cayennes. His photos were published in National Geographic Magazine and also in many magazines and websites. François Nadeau now lives in Beijing where he works on assignments for different magazines and teaches photography.

All testimonials
@Simone Sturla

Badan Jaran

View itinerary

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Silkroad with Badain Jaran Desert

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Day 1

Departing City/Zhangye/Alashanyouqi

Flight to Zhangye. At arrival, you will be greeted by local staff and transfered by bus to Alashanyouqi, from where the first thing the next day we will enter the desert by jeeps

Food

D

Accommodation

Local 3* hotel

Day 2

Badan desert - 16km

Transfer to Badain Jaran desert (70km, 1hour) by jeeps, your desert adventure begins! While hiking, your luggage will be transferred by our support vehicle. Please note everyday we will wait the sun to be high in the sky before start the hike, due to low temperature.In case you grow tired, you may jump on your camel and enjoy another perspective.

Accommodations are simple but have everything we need, and food is earthly and family-style. Rooms present stoves and beds with warm camel fur blankets.

Food

B, L, D

Accommodation

Local guesthouse

Day 3

Badan desert - 15km

Once the sun has risen high enough, your caravan starts a 15km journey over the mega dunes towards Badain Jaran Temple. For every dune you will climb, a new unearthly view unfolds. From today’s highest dune, you will have a birds’ eye view on Lake Nuretu, the most beautiful lake in the Badain Jaran desert surrounded by date trees and grass.

Every one will have their own camel on this trip so you can switch between hiking and camel riding whenever you want. Hiking the dune ridges gives you one stunning view after the other. After the last dune-crossing , you will run down to the hosts for a hearty dinner, plenty of milk tea and beers.

Food

B, L, D

Accommodation

Local guesthouse

Day 4

Badan desert - 14km

In the morning you will start for a 14-km hike and camel ride to Lake Indertu. The hiking distance is a bit shorter as you are going to climb the third highest dune on the planet (680mt from base to peak). It will be a breathtaking experience - in every sense. Jump or slide your way down from this giant of sand is pure fun.

Later visit the Buddhist temple. This Buddhist Temple was built in 1868 on the lake shore behind a huge dune, more similar to a volcan caldera Due to its location, it was spared from destruction by the wars. The legend says that there is a well close to the temple where water starts pouring out when the monks chant around it. We will have the chance to witness this very unusual phenomenon. Over night the guesthouse near the Temple.

Food

B, L, D

Accommodation

Local guesthouse

Day 5

Badan desert - Zhangye

Today you will hop on the Jeep for half-day sand safari, from the Temple to Badan Lake. After a farewell lunch in the desert, transfer back to Zhangye. If time permits, proceed to visit the Rainbow Mountain, and take some more shots while enjoying the sunset. Farewell lunch in the desert has been included. Dinner in Zhangye on your own.

Food

B, L

Accommodation

Local 5* hotel

Day 6

Zhangye - Flight back

Transfer to the Airport in time for boarding your flight. our adventure terminates here, but the memories of this epic adventure will stay with you forever

Food

B

Accommodation

-

Alashanyouqi

Local 3* hotel

We selected one of the best properties in town to allow you some relaxing time before the departure. Simple but proper arrangements.

Badan Desert

Local guesthouses

The accommodations are simple. We selected solutions able to provide double rooms with private bathroom ( possibilities of SLG rooms with a supplement on request). Every room is heated by a stove.

Zhangye

5* Local hotel

We selected one of the best properties in town to allow you some relaxing time

Frederik Halewyck - Hiking Guide & World Traveler and assistant for lonely planet Gobi Desert exploration 2010.

Badain Jaran desert is probably the most beautiful place I've ever seen. With dunes like mountain ranges and over 150 lakes, this place should be listed in the top 3 of natural wonders of the world.

Carbon Reduction Initiative - Gold Standard

As of 2020 Asian Trails has introduced a voluntary carbon offsetting initiative for our travellers to compensate for unavoidable emissions during their tours with us. Emissions during multi-day package tours (not including international flights to our destinations) are pegged at a cost of $1.50 per traveller per day. This amount is based on average daily emissions of travellers across our eight destinations. Contributions from clients to our carbon offsetting initiative will go into a destination-specific fund to support climate protection projects certified to Gold Standard in that country. Certification to Gold Standard assures that the projects supported through our carbon offsetting initiative not only reduce harmful emissions but also positively contribute to sustainable development. Our contributions to projects in a country will be relative to the CO2 emitted by our travelers in that destination. To know more about this project: https://marketplace.goldstandard.org/collections/projects/products/more-efficient-cooking-and-heating-china

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