2021 Backcountry Journeys Tours We’re Most Excited For: Part I

Even while hopefully awaiting a return to ‘normalcy,’ and a thus a return to our exciting slate of 2020 photography tours, for whatever reason we have got 2021 on our minds today. So, why not indulge these thoughts, if only for a blog post, or two? In doing so, we’ve decided to list the 2021 Backcountry Journeys photography tours we’re most excited for! 

The following is ‘Part I’ of an at least two-part series. And in no particular order, of course. The act of placing our favorite trips in some sort of order would be akin to picking your favorite child. Impossible to do. Right? Anyway, without further adieu, the first three Backcountry Journeys 2021 photo tours we are especially excited for: 

Kauai: The Garden Isle
Our Kauai: The Garden Isle tour stands out for a couple of reasons: One, its Hawaii. ‘Nuff said. Two, it is a brand new itinerary and looks to have seemingly endless photographic adventures just waiting for us! 

Kauai is known as ‘The Garden Isle,’ and is one of the most beautiful islands in the world. It is also the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands, and least populated of all the major Hawaiian islands, one of many reasons Backcountry Journeys has created this exciting landscape photography tour. Kauai is magical in its diversity. Landscape photographers will revel in its dynamic seascapes, sprawling landscapes, signature waterfalls, and more. 

Join us on Kauai January 12th to 18th, 2021. 

Yosemite in Winter
Winter is a magical time to visit Yosemite. While this National Park gem is fantastic in any season, there is something about winter that is even more special, especially for landscape photographers like us. Yosemite is one of the most unique natural wonders on our planet and in winter provides jaw-dropping opportunities for landscape photography (and wildlife)!

The light is beautiful in the winter and the colors are vibrant making for superb snowy landscape photography opportunities. We schedule this trip in late February to potentially take advantage of Yosemite’s famous “Fire Fall” event, but the main purpose of this trip is to photograph the beauty of Yosemite when the entire valley is covered in snow.

Join us in Yosemite National Park February 14th to 19th, or February 21st to 26th, 2021 

Tiger Safari: India
Join Backcountry Journeys in India for one of the world’s most unique photo safari, as we search for the elusive Bengal Tiger. India is home to 70% of the world’s tiger population which at the time of this writing was approximately 2400 of the 3800 remaining wild tigers in the world. If you know where to look – National Parks of India are the premier destination to photograph tigers in the world! Our safari takes place in both Kanha & Bandhavgarh National Parks – both locations having growing tiger populations that are the densest on earth. Along with Tigers, we will have the opportunity to photograph leopards, Sloth bear, Indian wolf, Black-faced langur, wild dogs, jungle cat, Striped hyena, jackal, antelope, Barking deer, Chital and Gaur (Indian Bison) as well as approximately 300 species of birds. As the world’s largest living cats, tigers instill an appreciation and a deep sense of respect and awe – to witness a tiger appear from the brush is an incredible experience! 

Join us in India March 18th to 29th, 2021.

Kenton Krueger

Kenton Krueger grew up and spent the first 33 years of his life in the corn country of Omaha, Nebraska. After studying aviation at the University of Nebraska Omaha’s Aviation Institute, he “conned” his way into the newsroom at the award-winning Omaha World-Herald where for 3+ years he wrote and photographed news articles on a variety of topics such as community events, travel and even mixed martial arts for the sports department. Yet something was missing. While on backpacking trips to Grand Teton and Grand Canyon National Parks in the mid-2000’s he was quick to realize that the wildlands of the western United States stoked a fire in his heart as nothing else could. This realization led to relocation to Flagstaff, Arizona, and he hasn’t looked back. He has spent the past several years guiding backpackers, hikers and photographers into the wild places of the American West such as Havasu Falls, Grand Canyon, and Yellowstone National Parks as well as in the Grand Staircase Escalante in southern Utah. In addition to backpacking and camping, his adventures include rock climbing, exploring the slot canyons of southern Utah, mountain biking, and bagging 14ers in Colorado’s San Juan Mountain Mountain Range. Kenton is a trail runner, former pilot, newspaper photographer, and writer. Kenton looks forward to utilizing his years of guiding experience, combined with his passion and experience behind the lens to provide memorable and unforgettable experiences at the wild places we will visit together.