2 Pro My Recent trip to Chile

[Dale D]

I am starting to work on my next video, a very tedious project sorting through many images and videos. The first part of our trip to Chile was to the northern end of the country, the site of the Atacama Desert. This is the highest and driest desert in the world. Evidence suggests that the Atacama may not have had any significant rainfall from 1570 to 1971, and the average is about 1/2 inch a year. Many lunar landings have been practiced here. The skies are some of the darkest in the world, with virtually no light pollution, allowing for amazing views of the heavens and the use of large telescopes as well as astrophotography. Here are a few images in the Cordillera de la Sal (salt flats), all shot with Mavic 2 Pro. The mountains are all volcanos. We spent the day hiking here.All images edited in Adobe Photoshop with heavy use of the new Masking Tool.

Click on each image for enlargement.

Dale
Miami

 

[Skywatcher2001]

Dale D I am soooo jealous . . . the Atacama Desert is #2 on my list of places to visit. As soon as this world opens up fully (with no restrictions) I'll plan that trip. Did you go as an individual just exploring or did you buy a guided tour?

Those images are spectacular . . . the M2P still showing its worth. An absolute workhorse

 

[Dale D]

Dale D I am soooo jealous . . . the Atacama Desert is #2 on my list of places to visit. As soon as this world opens up fully (with no restrictions) I'll plan that trip. Did you go as an individual just exploring or did you buy a guided tour?

Those images are spectacular . . . the M2P still showing its worth. An absolute workhorse

James:
First of all, thank you! The M2P performs just fine, and even more with the editing of Photoshop and the masking tool.
Secondly, I too, have been wanting to go to the Atacama for years. We loved the Explora Lodge in Patagonia when we were there in 2006 and 2007 so we naturally wanted to go to Explora Lodge for this too. It is the best and you would love it. My video (coming in about a month) will really feature it. Go to their web site (www.explora.com) to see all of their properties. They have the complete package, with board, great food, beautiful lodge, and daily excursions, Bothe half and full days. I booked through a great travel agent in California who I have used often and can recommend her. But you can actually do your own booking directly with Explora. It is not cheap. But the alternatives in this area are far worse. Explora has great guides. You can also look into the Tierra chain.

We also went down to Southern Chile to the Tierra Chiloe, and I highly recommend that too . It will all be in my video.

As far as flying legally in Chile, you can forget about it. After months of trying to get a permit, I gave up. The authorities there are really ridiculously stupid. I just packed my drone and went, and nobody ever bothered me, including all of the guides and people at the lodges. I flew to my heart's content. You will see tons of drone images and videos in my video. I also spent 3 to 4 nights do astrophotography. I'd recommend scheduling your trip for around the new moon (e.g.: No moon. The skies are pitch black with billions of star like you have never seen them before.
Here are two more images, one from the front of our room of Explora Lodge.

So to answer your question, Carol and I went as a couple, booking through our travel agent in California. We could have booked all of the places ourselves, but she got a commission and did a lot of work for me. Most importantly, Chile is absolutely nuts when it comes to Covid and we nearly did not go until I got a last second (virtually) approval of my proof of covid vaccine status from their pathetic system. It is a real PIA. The travel arrangements (flights were made by me with American miles-Miami/Santiago) but the local flight arrangements were made by the travel agent (Latam Airways) inside the country. We made flights as follows;
Santiago/Calama (45 road minutes from San Pedro de Atacama), Calama/Santiago. Then for 2nd part of trip- Santiago/Castro for Chiloe Island ( a very special place and a very special lodge- Tierra Chiloe). Finally, Castro/Santiago.

We also did a rental car and day trips to the wine country (Casablanca) for a great meal and wine tour, and the 2nd day, drove Santiago/Valpariaso where the droning is fabulous. Colorful homes all over the hills and a wonderful harbor. The travel agent rented the car, and I made private restaurant and wine tour arrangements on my own, and a guide in Valparaiso on my own (great guide).

Dale
Miami

 

[Skywatcher2001]

Dale D . . . thank you for this. I was prepared to ask every single question you've answered. The main reason for the trip IS the astrophotography so you are dead on there.

I've watched a billion videos on visits there and it seems tourism is their biggest draw so they are going to make you pay for it. I'm prepared to. Also, flying was (pretty much) squashed by the local regulations. No problems at the Chile airport with your bird?

Any best (or worse) time to go? With 1/2" rain a year I can't imagine a bad time. Definitely during new moon though.

Looking forward to your video. I've seen ALL the Atacama videos on YouTube . . .

 

[Dale D]

Dale D . . . thank you for this. I was prepared to ask every single question you've answered. The main reason for the trip IS the astrophotography so you are dead on there.

I've watched a billion videos on visits there and it seems tourism is their biggest draw so they are going to make you pay for it. I'm prepared to. Also, flying was (pretty much) squashed by the local regulations. No problems at the Chile airport with your bird?

Any best (or worse) time to go? With 1/2" rain a year I can't imagine a bad time. Definitely during new moon though.

Looking forward to your video. I've seen ALL the Atacama videos on YouTube . . .

Chile has reverse seasons as the US, so their summer is in the Nov-Dec or time. Just Google "what is the weather in Chile (or you selected area of travel) in xxx month. The desert is about 70-80 day and 40-50 at night now. In Chiloe (south) it is always rainy like London, and cold and in the 40's or 50's. Bring rain gear and camera protection.

 

[Chrislaf]

I am starting to work on my next video, a very tedious project sorting through many images and videos. The first part of our trip to Chile was to the northern end of the country, the site of the Atacama Desert. This is the highest and driest desert in the world. Evidence suggests that the Atacama may not have had any significant rainfall from 1570 to 1971, and the average is about 1/2 inch a year. Many lunar landings have been practiced here. The skies are some of the darkest in the world, with virtually no light pollution, allowing for amazing views of the heavens and the use of large telescopes as well as astrophotography. Here are a few images in the Cordillera de la Sal (salt flats), all shot with Mavic 2 Pro. The mountains are all volcanos. We spent the day hiking here.All images edited in Adobe Photoshop with heavy use of the new Masking Tool.

Click on each image for enlargement.

Dale
Miami
View attachment 146889View attachment 146890View attachment 146891View attachment 146893View attachment 146894

Nice shots! Curious, why didn’t you shoot on your recently acquired Mavic 3?

Chris

 

[Dale D]

Nice shots! Curious, why didn’t you shoot on your recently acquired Mavic 3?

Chris

Great question Chris:

As mentioned, I tried for 6 months ahead of my trip to get a permit from the government agency. We went back and forth for months. I got nowheres. All applications were long (60 pages) of Spanish. They would not listen to me. I got their telephone number and spent about $30 USD calling them. Just 30 seconds before your mail came in, I got another message which I will attach for fun. They are impossible. So I figured, if I get my drone confiscated, either in customs or on the trip, I will lose $3000 or more. So I took the M2P. I NEVER had a single complaint, comment, etc. All lodges and all guides helped me in flying wherever I wanted.

This re-confirms my stealth flying policy- never ask permission, keep hidden, fly fast, up, down, and back into the bag as quickly as possible. I feel like a criminal all the time until the drone is back into my bag.

Here is the e-mail I just got for an example, and I am already back home!

"Mr. Dale XXXXX
Along with greeting, I inform you that to operate a RPAS, in Chile, you must have an Operator Credential which is granted by the Licenses Subdepartment, the RPAS must be registered in the airworthiness Subdepartment, both of the Chilean General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics, and have a in Surface Third Party Damage Civil Liability Insurance.
To operate in easter Island it is necessary the authorization of the CODEIPA (Indigenous Development Corporation of easter Island), the same happens in Atacama, where you must have the authorization of the local Indigenous community.
For any background referred to the RPAS’s flight you can go to the following link: VOLANDO UN RPAS/DRON EN CHILE – DGAC | Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil.
I am at your disposal if you have questions.

Sincerely.

I am going to hide the writer's name to protect myself.

 

[Chrislaf]

Great question Chris:

As mentioned, I tried for 6 months ahead of my trip to get a permit from the government agency. We went back and forth for months. I got nowheres. All applications were long (60 pages) of Spanish. They would not listen to me. I got their telephone number and spent about $30 USD calling them. Just 30 seconds before your mail came in, I got another message which I will attach for fun. They are impossible. So I figured, if I get my drone confiscated, either in customs or on the trip, I will lose $3000 or more. So I took the M2P. I NEVER had a single complaint, comment, etc. All lodges and all guides helped me in flying wherever I wanted.

This re-confirms my stealth flying policy- never ask permission, keep hidden, fly fast, up, down, and back into the bag as quickly as possible. I feel like a criminal all the time until the drone is back into my bag.

Here is the e-mail I just got for an example, and I am already back home!

"Mr. Dale XXXXX
Along with greeting, I inform you that to operate a RPAS, in Chile, you must have an Operator Credential which is granted by the Licenses Subdepartment, the RPAS must be registered in the airworthiness Subdepartment, both of the Chilean General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics, and have a in Surface Third Party Damage Civil Liability Insurance.
To operate in easter Island it is necessary the authorization of the CODEIPA (Indigenous Development Corporation of easter Island), the same happens in Atacama, where you must have the authorization of the local Indigenous community.
For any background referred to the RPAS’s flight you can go to the following link: VOLANDO UN RPAS/DRON EN CHILE – DGAC | Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil.
I am at your disposal if you have questions.

Sincerely.

I am going to hide the writer's name to protect myself.

Do they have similar laws regarding sub 250g drones like in Canada and the US where you don't need a licence to fly a drone as long as you are flying sensibly and following the rules? In that case a Mini 2 or SE would be a solution.

Chris

 

[Dale D]

Do they have similar laws regarding sub 250g drones like in Canada and the US where you don't need a licence to fly a drone as long as you are flying sensibly and following the rules? In that case a Mini 2 or SE would be a solution.

Chris

I have no clue- communicating with the Chilean Aeronautic Agency is like communicating with a wall. Ef-em.

 

[Bsnyder]

Thanks for sharing great photos!

 

[Dale D]

Thanks for sharing great photos!

Thank you. I am working diligently on many more, plus drone videos.

 

[Sky Wombat]

Great pics Dale & can't wait for video.
The Atacama Desert is on my visit list but by the time things sort themselves out we'll probably need wheelchair access by then.
Like the comments about the admin difficulties and expect they are pretty universal.

 

[Dale D]

Great pics Dale & can't wait for video.
The Atacama Desert is on my visit list but by the time things sort themselves out we'll probably need wheelchair access by then.
Like the comments about the admin difficulties and expect they are pretty universal.

The decision of whether or not to take a drone really depends on your gut feeling. For example, I planned a very costly trip to Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Oman which had to be canceled due to Covid. The penalties for using a drone in those countries was $10,000 USD and one year in jail. I spent months before the cancellation trying to get a permit, to no avail. Obviously, you have to pick your risks carefully. I felt that I was fairly safe taking it to Chile.

 

[Skywatcher2001]

Great question Chris:

As mentioned, I tried for 6 months ahead of my trip to get a permit from the government agency. We went back and forth for months. I got nowheres. All applications were long (60 pages) of Spanish. They would not listen to me. I got their telephone number and spent about $30 USD calling them. Just 30 seconds before your mail came in, I got another message which I will attach for fun. They are impossible. So I figured, if I get my drone confiscated, either in customs or on the trip, I will lose $3000 or more. So I took the M2P. I NEVER had a single complaint, comment, etc. All lodges and all guides helped me in flying wherever I wanted.

This re-confirms my stealth flying policy- never ask permission, keep hidden, fly fast, up, down, and back into the bag as quickly as possible. I feel like a criminal all the time until the drone is back into my bag.

Here is the e-mail I just got for an example, and I am already back home!

"Mr. Dale XXXXX
Along with greeting, I inform you that to operate a RPAS, in Chile, you must have an Operator Credential which is granted by the Licenses Subdepartment, the RPAS must be registered in the airworthiness Subdepartment, both of the Chilean General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics, and have a in Surface Third Party Damage Civil Liability Insurance.
To operate in easter Island it is necessary the authorization of the CODEIPA (Indigenous Development Corporation of easter Island), the same happens in Atacama, where you must have the authorization of the local Indigenous community.
For any background referred to the RPAS’s flight you can go to the following link: VOLANDO UN RPAS/DRON EN CHILE – DGAC | Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil.
I am at your disposal if you have questions.

Sincerely.

I am going to hide the writer's name to protect myself.

Agreed. Some places I'd just risk the M2P (like Chile) because it's a very capable bird and can get the shots I prefer. Dale, did you go to the new observatory (ELT) the Europeans built up there?

 

[Dale D]

Agreed. Some places I'd just risk the M2P (like Chile) because it's a very capable bird and can get the shots I prefer. Dale, did you go to the new observatory (ELT) the Europeans built up there?

Hi Skywatcher 23001:

No I did not. I simply did not have the time although it was available to me. I once took an Astro Photography workshop with Matt Dieterich, and he specializes in astro photography and actually did work on their telescopes. You should check out his website.

Photography Workshops | Matt Dieterich Photography

Matt Dieterich Photography workshops are guaranteed to improve your photography skills while exploring beautiful travel destinations!

www.mattdieterich.com

I forgot to mention my settings and set up
Nikon D750 body
Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 set at 14mm and f/2.8
Really Right Stuff and cable release
10 seconds
ISO 1250

Dale
Miami

ISO

 

[Skywatcher2001]

Hi Skywatcher 23001:

You should check out his website.

Photography Workshops | Matt Dieterich Photography

Matt Dieterich Photography workshops are guaranteed to improve your photography skills while exploring beautiful travel destinations!

www.mattdieterich.com

I did . . . I'm subscribed to his YT channel . . . thank you Dale!!