Photo tour Astro Portugal
An 8-day photography tour through the Portuguese inland will treat you to enchantingly beautiful astrophotography locations! Startrails and the Milky Way… a true photographic spectacle!
What highlights are you going to see in eight days?
- Starting and ending point Lisbon, with the famous Vasco da Gama bridge
- The inland of Portugal with its typical menhir 'Megalithic' stones, olive groves, and vineyards.
- Various ruins and dolmens that provide a perfect backdrop for astrophotography
- A visit to the Lago Alqueva Observatory
- An optional boat trip on the beautiful lake, located near Monsaraz
- Bonus: we continuously focus on the right conditions for the Milky Way and star circles, which are incredibly beautiful to photograph in Portugal!
Participants:
- There is a minimum of 3 participants and a maximum of 6 participants.
Date:
- Datum: 1 juli t/m 8 juli 2027
Price:
- Costs: 2395 euro p.p.
- Extra cost for single cabin: upon request. Send me a message and I’ll get back to you.
Heavyness of the trip
- ***** this trip is suitable for everyone with normal health
Extra personal cost:
- Depending on your spending pattern, you can count on 40 euros a day
Included:
- Transportation during the tour in a van
- Parking fee and petrol
- All nights, based on a shared room
- Swimming pool at the accommodation
- Various landscape, astro & night photography workshops
- Rating and feedback on your best photos
- Demonstration and reference in video and ebook, about post-processing in Lightroom & Photoshop
- Milky Way photography with a startracker
Excluded:
- Transport or (international) flight to Lissabon
- Meals, drinks and personal expenses
- Optional boat trip Monsaraz
- Travel insurances
Throughout the journey, you can capture photos at your own pace and relish in all the beauty Portugal has to offer. There's no time pressure, and our professional guidance is readily available. In case of less favorable lighting conditions for photography, we'll visit locations that are less dependent on it. This round trip is an experience you won't soon forget!
If you’re interested in another workshop, please have a look here. Or maybe you’re more into photography tours? Then check out our photo trips and tours. Or read about various news items and Photography tips.
Travelmarks photography.. your experience! Till clicks!
Day to day shedule
A carefully curated route through Portugal awaits you. A welcome change from the inland and the hunt for the Milky Way, and a welcome respite during the day. Be amazed by the natural beauty, the historic ruins, and the spectacular menhirs inland! A filled memory card guaranteed.
Day 1
Arrival day in Lisbon. After checking in at our accommodation, we'll get acquainted and walk through the photography tour. In the evening, we'll head out to photograph Lisbon's iconic landmark: the Vasco da Gama Bridge!
Day 2& 3
Na een stevig ontbijt zetten we koers naar het binnenland van Portugal. Dit is een heel andere wereld, eentje die zich zonder meer loont voor astrofotografie. We bezoeken Praia Fluvial, Ancoradouro, Campinho, welke als decor dienen voor de Melkweg en sterrencirkels.
During the day, we'll provide inspiring explanations about astrophotography and show you how to take photos with a Startracker. There's also plenty of room to cool off in our on-site pool.
Day 4& 5
We bezoeken de Menir do Barrocal en doen tevens een bezoek aan het Observatório do Lago Alqueva om een goede indruk te krijgen van de indrukwekkende en eindeloze astro wereld boven ons.
Inland, there are numerous olive groves and vineyards whose interplay of lines makes them challenging to photograph. The same goes for the "lonely trees," which are spectacularly beautiful at sunset. On the fifth day, you have the opportunity to take a relaxing boat trip on the beautiful lake at Monsaraz.
Dag 6 & 7
We hebben nog zoveel moois voor de boeg, dat beloofd nog wat. We hebben twee hunebedden voor je die een gewillig onderwerp zijn voor de voorgrond. Vanzelfsprekend gaan we deze met de beste astro omstandigheden vastleggen. De Castelo de Valongo en Menir do Barrocal en Menir do Outeiro zijn uitermate geschikt hiervoor.
Ook op onze laatste dagen geven we voldoende rust voor eigen vrije tijd of een verfrissende duik in het zwembad. En vanzelfsprekend staat de begeleiding voor je klaar om al je vragen te beantwoorden en je wegwijs te maken in de nabewerking van de Melkweg en het samenvoegen van de sterrencirkels.
Day 8
All good things come to an end. After an exciting week packed with photography and impressions, our return trip is scheduled for today. Depending on our flight schedule, we'll naturally use the time available to capture the last few images. We'll pamper ourselves one last time before saying goodbye for our return flight.
Practical information
Guidance:
Joost Smeets photography guide at Travelmarks-photography
“Photography is capturing the beauty of life.”
Joost Smeets is a 41-year-old passionate semi-professional landscape photographer from the Netherlands, currently based in Nazaré, Portugal. After a long creative break, he rekindled his love for photography in 2021 — and hasn’t looked back since.
For Joost, photography is more than just taking a picture. It’s about the entire journey: preparing the gear, traveling, finding the perfect moment and location, immersing himself in nature, and finally seeing the result displayed on someone’s wall. Every photograph tells its own story. Beyond the artistic aspect, photography also serves a therapeutic purpose. Nature brings peace, calms the mind, and relieves stress — a quiet power that’s reflected in his work.
Practical information:
- We will meet in Lisbon at a time and location to be determined.
- If you have any food allergies or diets, please inform me about this.
- Non-photographing partners are more than welcome to join.
- During this diverse program, you’ll also have a lot of free time.
- Together we decide which workshops to do.
- Portugal uses the Euro and no visa is required.
- This trip includes the land package, but we are of course happy to advise and assist you with booking flight tickets.
Climate
The time of year means that temperatures are pleasant and the sky is often clear, which is welcome for spectacular photos. On Climate information contains useful information
Accommodations
We stay in neat hotels that are booked upon confirmation based on availability.
Guarantee & Sustainability
- STO Garant
This booking is covered by the STO Garant guarantee. You can find the conditions for this guarantee scheme at www.sto-garant.nl/en/downloads. You will receive an email from STO Garant (info@sto-garant.nl) containing information about how you can pay for this booking. You will receive a confirmation email from STO Garant for each payment received. You can find all information relating to STO Garant at www.sto-garant.nl/en.
- VvKR
We are member of the association of small-scale travel organizations (VvKR). VvKR defends the interests of small, often specialist, travel organizations. Via VvKR we combine our strengths and share our expertise in order to achieve the reatest possible certainty and satisfaction for both consumers and the travel organization.
- Travelife
Travelmarks Photography meets more than 100 criteria related to the office management of a travel company, product offering, international business partners and customer information. The Travelife standard covers the ISO 26000 themes for corporate social responsibility, including environment, biodiversity, human rights and labour relations; and is formally recognised as being in full conformity with the UN-supported Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria.
- Trees for all
We invest in sustainable forest projects in the Netherlands and abroad. In this way we not only contribute to a better climate and more biodiversity, but also to better living conditions and a future perspective. Especially for the people most affected by the effects of climate change.
