The Knowmad 2024 Photo Contest Winners are in! This past year was full of incredible stories and images from our Knowmad travelers. The pictures and comments that were sent in inspire us to keep exploring. Thanks to all who shared their impressive pictures throughout the last year.
To give you a little taste of it all, the winners have been broken down into 7 different categories; adventure, culture, landscape, cityscape, portrait, flora, and fauna. All category winners will receive Knowmad gear, and the overall Knowmad Adventures Grand Prize Winner gets a 2-night/ 3-day stay at Hacienda Zuleta in Ecuador. Scroll down to see inspiring Knowmad traveler stories, from connecting with locals to jaw-dropping wildlife encounters, and find inspiration for your next South American adventure below.
Adventure
THIRD PLACE
“Easter Island is a “must see/experience” with all the history and a beautiful island. It is definitely not just the Moai, though they were amazing.”
—Deb & Bill, Mahtomedi, MN | Custom Chile Trip
Second Place
“We had an amazing time and appreciate all your team did for us. Favorite for sure was Patagonia Camp. So glad we were able to get in and spend so much time there. Staff and ambience was above and beyond.”
—Judy, Trabuco Canyon, CA | Custom Chile & Argentina Trip
First Place
“My husband decided to take a deep dive to get a better look at the bottom of the ocean. I was not capable of this so I just took his picture. He was inspired by the beauty of the flora and fauna in the ocean.”
—Suzette, South Pasadena CA | Custom Ecuador Trip
Culture
Third Place
“Thank you for creating a memorable experience for my whole family.”
—Megan, Oakland, CA | Custom Chile Trip
Second Place
“Among the children’s favorite travel activities: giving sports equipment to their new friends!”
— Andrea, Washington D.C. | Custom Peru Trip
First Place
“Local weaving, Cusco”
— Anne & Jeff, Bellevue Hill, NSW | Custom Chile & Peru Trip
LANDSCAPE
Third Place
“We had an incredible family adventure that was truly unforgettable… (This picture) encaptures our experience and admiration for one of the wonders of the world!”
— Vishal, Carmel, IN | Custom Peru Trip
Second Place
“Our thanks to everyone at Knowmad for crafting another bucket list adventure. We will return to South America again.”
—Dave, Raleigh, NC | Custom Peru Trip
First Place
“The Perito Moreno Glacier was amazing – reaching more than 240 feet – this view from the boat (top image) felt like we were right at the base, when we were really several hundred yards away.
And seeing the glacier from this view (bottom image) you really get the feel of the massive size – going back 19 miles…. Incredible…”
—John, Minnetonka, MN | Custom Argentina & Chile Trip
CITYSCAPE
Third Place
“My husband and I stayed in the Hotel Plaza Grande in Old Town Quito. While taking a stroll in the evening during sunset the lights turned before it was completely dark. I took a picture of the crowds in the park as people were enjoying their evening.”
—Suzette, South Pasadena, CA | Custom Ecuador Trip
Second Place
“This trip was absolutely incredible and I cannot say enough good things about it.”
—Photo from Megan and caption from Emily, Oakland & Pacifica, CA | Custom Chile Trip
First Place
“Our 10 year old daughter admiring one of the many beautiful murals in the colorful old town of Valparaiso, Chile.”
—Francesca, Tustin, CA | Custom Chile Trip
Portrait
Honorable Mention
“Three of us happy to be starting our trip…Sad to leave”
—Leslie, Seattle, WA | Custom Chile Trip
Third Place
“The day in Torres del Paine was unusually still, with little wind – giving us the beautiful reflection of the mountains and glaciers in the lake. Breathtaking.”
—Barbara, Charlottesville, VA | Custom Argentina & Chile Trip
Second Place
“It was the best birthday gift our little girl could ask for, to go horseback riding on a horse named Barbie, with the gauchos of Estancia Cerro Guido in Patagonia.”
—Francesca, Tustin, CA | Custom Chile Trip
First Place
“As we were walking to dinner in Valparaíso, I saw an “heladero” struggling to push his cart up the hill. I asked him if he needed help using what limited Spanish I had, and sprung into action immediately when he told me he did. After enlisting my dad to help push, we finally managed to get him up to a less-steep part of the hill, where we said goodbye for the night. Though I expected that would be the only part of that memory, we saw him the following morning during our tour of the city, where I captured this picture of us. While he was walking away, he told me to stay in his life, and I believe that in having this picture, I have.”
—Laura, Edina, MN | Custom Chile & Argentina Trip
Flora
Honorable Mention
“A 3.5 hour drive ended at Estancia Los Platanos. After a delicious lunch, we took a 3 mile walk through the pastures. We saw numerous birds, cattle and sheep. This is a working cattle farm that has 3 rooms for guests. It is super quiet, except for birds chirping, cattle mooing, sheep bahhing, dogs barking, and horses chewing (I kid you not). Enjoy the scenery.”
—Linda, Harrisburg, PA | Custom Argentina & Uruguay Trip
Third Place
“The juxtaposition of fall color with snow and glaciers made us so happy to be in Patagonia in the fall.”
—Susan, Fort Worth, TX | Custom Chile & Argentina Trip
Second Place
“This is one of my favorite pictures, a kind of silly one, a sea lion relaxing under a prickly pear cactus tree on a cliff by the sea. It was such an interesting juxtaposition. I associate sea lions with lots of salt water and prickly pear cactus with arid areas. Seeing that made me shake my head and look again just to make sure I was seeing right.”
—Lucia, Austin, TX | Custom Peru & Ecuador Trip
First Place
“After a long but beautiful walk up the trail, we were met with thousands of butterflies in the air, on the ground, and in the trees. I like this one because of the single monarch in the air and all the others on the branches. They stand out much better against a blue sky than they do against a forest of dark green.”
—Peter, Saint Paul, MN | Custom Mexico Trip
Fauna
Honorable Mention
“They really do exist! A blue footed boobie on Española, Galapagos.” & “Photobombed in Floreana, Galapagos!”
—Anna, Atlanta, GA | Custom Ecuador Trip
Third Place
“Couldn’t wait to tell you how wonderful the entire trip was!”
—Deb & Bill, Mahtomedi, MN | Custom Chile Trip
Second Place
“I wanted to share one of my favorite photos from our bike ride in the Sacred Valley. Kirvi was such a fantastic guide for our first mountain biking adventure and we encountered these beautiful creatures on our ride right after we met a group of local kids who wanted to race me. It was such a wonderful day with breathtaking scenery and a warm and friendly welcome from everyone we met.”
—Danielle, Forest Hills, NY | Custom Peru Trip
First Place
“A puma out for a stroll in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile. It was a beautiful day with fresh fallen snow. We were out on the road looking for wildlife photo opportunities when this beautiful puma appeared. We all stayed in our vehicle so as not to disturb her. We were too excited to do much more than just observe, however I was able to take a few pictures.”
—Eric, Beaufort, SC | Custom Chile Trip
Grand Prize Winner
“WOW, while in Antarctica we went on zodiac excursions twice a day, sometimes to an island to see penguins or seals or old research cabins/houses or sometimes we cruised around to look at icebergs, whales, volcanos. One afternoon we happened to be in a zodiac with a marine biologist as our guide. Lots of “ologists” on staff – geologists, ornithologist, volcanologist….Not only did we see amazing landscapes and animals we learned so so much from the staff. That truly enriched our experience.”
—Bob & Linda, Prior Lake, MN | Custom Antarctica & Chile Trip
Bob and Linda enjoyed a three week exploration of Antarctica, Torres del Paine, The Chilean Lakes District, and they even squeezed in some time to visit the capital city of Santiago. Despite an unexpected weather delay while returning to the mainland, they viewed the entire trip as an expedition and framed this hiccup as gaining a “bonus day” in Antarctica. Their thirst for adventure, along with their stunning photos inspire us to keep traveling and learning. Congratulations Bob and Linda on your Grand Prize Win!
Congratulations to all of our winners and thank you to everyone who shared photos and stories from your South American trips in 2024. Keep adventuring!
Interested in a South American adventure of your own? Here at Knowmad Adventures we pride ourselves in building custom trips that are a perfect fit for our travelers. If you’re interested in crafting an adventure, don’t hesitate to reach out to our Trip Specialists at 612-315-2894 or [email protected] to begin planning your trip today!
Shannon is an Operations Specialist at Knowmad Adventures, a company dedicated to crafting specialized custom, private trips to South America. Born and raised in Michigan, she’s always had a desire to experience other cultures and languages, but none have quite captured her heart like the breathtaking beauty of South America. Shannon currently calls Puerto Montt, Chile her home and loves exploring the beautiful landscapes and culture at her doorstep.
