Travel photography is an essential element of any travel experience, whether it be to tell an epic adventure in a faraway place for your Instagram photos or simply a snapshot of a single moment with the help of the best professional cameras for travel.
We understand the true importance of taking that perfect picture, irrespective of your chosen tool—whether it be the latest iPhone 16 (images stored for years to come) or a mirrorless Nikon for an ambitious entry into Photographer of the Year. Whatever your motivation to get behind the lens, we only encourage it.
For those who can’t travel to such remote destinations, or those who simply cannot comprehend those magical moments existing—frolicking mountain gorilla cubs, playful pink Amazonian dolphins, or skyrise ice floes passing by—nobody wishes to hear those words, ‘Did that really happen?’ Not only does your camera device prove it wasn’t a figment of your imagination, but it savours a meaningful moment in time for decades to come.
With that, we appreciate the synergies between travel and photography, which leads us into specialist-led expeditions that combine those two worlds.
Luxury Photography Expeditions: Merging Travel and Photography
Whatever your skill set or interest in travel photography, most of us would welcome photography support from a pro, especially on-location—after all, attempting to refine the polar whites of Antarctica, dense Amazonian forests, or the red dunes of the Namib Desert from your hometown doesn’t quite work in the same way. With our passion for photography, below you will find some of the most spellbinding photographic tours in remote locations across the globe.
Top 5 Luxury Photography Tours in Remote Locations
Whether landscapes, wildlife, cultures, or food be your muse of choice, there is an abundance of expeditions specially designed to support and develop photographers’ skills in the field. Here are our recommended top 5 Luxury Photography Tours in Remote Locations:
Aurora Northern Lights Photography Expedition, Canada
In partnership with WWF, Natural Habitat Adventures (NatHab) offers a series of immersive small-group expeditions that focus on exclusivity, leadership, and conservation. Operating in February & March and limited to just 12 photographers, this luxury photography tour will guide you through remote parts of Arctic Canada for 7 days.
Your Arctic Guide and Expert Photographer will support your camera skills to successfully capture the magic of the northern lights.
This intimate and personal expedition will offer an open forum of Q&A learnings, fast-tracking your abilities into an immersive and worthwhile tour. The expedition leads you to exclusive Aurora viewing spots, including a custom-made Aurora Pod® with 360° views of the sky specifically designed for northern lights viewing.
They also showcase the warm and cosy Aurora Sphere and Aurora Domes offering epic views through the plexiglass roofs, plus the Aurora Yurt and Aurora Lodge opening in 2025.
Wildlife Photography & Volunteering Tour, South Africa
If you have some time on your hands, why not consider a longer photographic tour such as this immersive experience over a constructive and purposeful 30 days? The Wildlife Photography & Volunteering Tour in South Africa offers just that—a structured 4-week plan supporting photographers on-location, deep-diving into personal development, community conservation, and photographic support.
This trip is less about opulent luxury and more about getting involved—perfect for those who harness a passion for wildlife and conservation. With the Big 5 literally on your doorstep, the first week focuses on progressing your photographic skills in a supportive setting, before the practical application begins—game drives into the Greater Kruger area.
An abundance of opportunity will support your personal portfolio of photography, getting up close to the wildlife and its local conservationists on the ground.
Post-image editing workshops will equally support you back at HQ with the use of Lightroom, and guests will be offered an important opportunity to image-share with local non-profit organisations to further support their knowledge of the region’s dynamic reserve. The final part of this epic tour will be conservation-focused, connecting with local communities and supporting practical projects on the ground.
This might be laborious in-the-field work such as invasive plant clearance or data collection or tapping into the Conservation Education community programme—both equally fundamental toward the survival of local wildlife and community conservation.
Norway Orca & Humpback Diving with Patrick Dykstra
If you have a passion for the underwater world, then look no further than the adrenaline-filled ocean-focused photographic tour, diving with Killer Whales & Humpbacks in Norway. Described as “a trip of a lifetime,” small groups will be led by BAFTA award-winning Patrick Dykstra to the icy fjords of Norway, with the opportunity to witness one of nature’s most impressive phenomena—the Orca aggregation (November).
Supporting active ocean research, this tour might have you believe you are starring in your own National Geographic documentary, seeking out these underwater giants from the comfort of your own private yacht with your underwater camera housing in tow.
With ultimate flexibility on this remote expedition, the exact locations of your journey will solely be determined by the patterned behaviours of the migrating whales.
Easily adaptable to the where and when, once located, you and your onboard comrades will have the opportunity to submerge into the glacial waters close to the Tromso coastline, surrounding yourself with Orcas, Humpbacks, and an abundance of herring shoals.
Through the expert guidance of specialist leader and photographer Patrick Dykstra, you will learn how to capture underwater imagery of Orcas in the Wild by day and hope for a Northern Light glimmer by night.
Ultimate Madagascar Photography Tour
Lead by Explorers Club member, Environmentalist, and award-winning photographer Dan Cox, this expedition departs in September 2025 for 14 nights. Remote expeditions are desirable, especially to a unique African island with 80% of its flora and fauna being endemic to the region, so it goes without saying that Madagascar’s ‘megadiversity’ makes fantastic photography.
Despite its poverty, this exotic island boasts one of the richest ecosystems on the planet, and this photographic tour delivers the opportunity to capture it without crowds or concern. Over 110 species of lemur can be found on the island, alongside chameleons, flying fox, reptile, and amphibian species, most of which have been undisturbed by humans, due to the volume of land, and ecosystem that supports it.
The diverse landscapes range from lush rainforest to arid plateaus, deserts, and idyllic beaches, with over 3,000 miles of coastline and 250 islands. The off-land photographic opportunities are plentiful, with one of the world’s largest coral reef systems and mangrove networks, baobab avenues, and dramatic ‘Tsingy’ stone forests.
COMOJourney: Into the Arctic
A world-first expedition ‘Into the Arctic’ as luxury hotel brand COMO Hotels merges a health and wellness focus with a wilderness photographic leader, onboard the 8-suite expedition yacht M/S Polarfront. During this summer sail between 30 July and 09 August 2025, expect COMO’s healthy cuisine, Shambhala wellness treatments, and, of course, a specialist photographic leader to guide you calmly through the Arctic wilderness and into the Svalbard Archipelago.
Led by Emmy-nominated director and National Geographic photographer Andy Mann, his environmental storytelling capabilities driven from a career in marine conservation not only skilfully guides guests around their DSLR, but also inspires a new wave of ocean guardians.
This 11-day / 10-night itinerary harnesses the natural environment, with the panoramic backdrop of snow-capped mountains and epic ice floes making for a suitable canvas whilst seeking out the surviving wild—polar bears on the prowl, scavenging arctic foxes, roaming reindeer, seals, and walrus.
With photographic workshops in the down-time, navigation onboard will be led by activity on the fjords, photographic opportunity, weather, and nature’s beauty.
