Guides

Below are some of our leaders and guides that will be leading or co-leading our tours.  Please read their bio’s and see their accomplishments and you will see why I chose to work with them.  Having the correct skills for the job is required and it is also essential that their personalities align with the leadership roles they embrace.  I have traveled and worked with all of them many times over the years and would do so again in a hear beat.  I think you will enjoy their company and be in good hands while exploring new worlds for yourself.

Sergio Ballivian

Sergio Ballivian at Perito Moreno glacier in Argentinian Patagonia, Los Glaciares National Park

Sergio Ballivian’s passion for nature, landscapes and photography began in his mind as a native-born son in La Paz, Bolivia.  He marveled at the magnificent, raw, and unique variety of Bolivia’s stunning geography spanning the Altiplano, Andes, Amazon, high-altitude deserts, Chaco lowlands, the Pantanal, and tropical rainforests.  His passion has taken him to all corners of Bolivia on personal and professional expeditions for magazines, TV and documentary film crews, NGO’s, outdoor equipment manufacturers and thrill-seeking adventurers.

His first formal training began at the University of Calgary’s Outdoor Pursuits Program where Sergio added a robust layer of outdoor skills in outdoor leadership, guiding, ice climbing, mountaineering, geology, nature-based learning, and conservation.  In 1991, the journey led him to embark on a professional job in the Photo Department at National Geographic Society (NGS) that lasted 5 years.  There, Sergio performed a liaison role between technicians and photographers that traveled the world doing assignments for National Geographic.  Those experiences added significant technical craftsmanship to his love of capturing the natural world on film and launched his career to developing his expertise as a world-class landscape photographer.

By 1994 Sergio was ready to put theory into business practice and launched his first adventure tourism company, Explore Bolivia.  He quickly developed “firsts” in mountain biking across the Andes, rafting class-4 Amazon rivers and the only one offering sea kayaking on Lake Titicaca.

By 1996 Sergio he launched another tour service, Sergio Photo Tours, specializing in photo tours to all corners of Bolivia.  Between 2015-2017 Sergio Ballivian spotted an opportunity to publish two books about the Bolivian regions close to his heart, leveraging his vast knowledge of the regions, their peoples and culture digging deep into his enormous portfolio of photographs. There was only one challenge, Sergio did not know anything about book publishing, nor did he have the funds to pay the industry to publish for him. In classic Sergio DIY style, he dove into learning about and acquiring all the skills to self-publish two coffee-table hardcover photography books, Altiplano: Where Earth and Sky Embrace and Madidi: An Uncertain Future

His love of adventure and exploration grows further and every time he sees a place he does not know on a map.  He has traveled far and wide in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, and Chile and to Spain, Nepal, and New Zealand.  

In 2019 the Covid pandemic shut down the travel industry and provided Sergio with energy and time to reimagine the photo tour business. Now, Sergio and his team are proud to launch the upgraded offerings of Sergio Photo Tours.  Today with travel doors reopened Sergio is leading as an expert adventure and photo tour designer and is relaunching a tailor-made adventure and photo tour operation concentrating on the regions of the Andean spinal cord and the magnificent Amazon lowlands.

The love he has for South America allows him to travel with clients for photography workshops, shooting documentaries and organizing expeditions to all corners of this gigantic continent.  His work can be seen at:  www.sergiophoto.com, www.sergiophototours.com

Oscar Ebert
Oscar Ebert
Logistics and Adventure Guide
Sergio Zapata
Sergio Zapata
Logistics and Adventure Guide
Javier Tellaeche
Javier Tellaeche
IFMGA Mountain Guide
Jose Camarlinghi
Jose Camarlinghi
UIAGM Mountain Guide
Ivan Albarracin
Ivan Allbarracin
Adventure and Cultural Guide
Marcelo Arce
Marcelo Arce
Photographer and Nature Guide
Tanja Kaczmarczyk
Tanja Kaczmarczyk
Tailor-made Tours and Guide
Walter Schmid
Walter Schmid
Adventure Guide and Chef
Steffen Reichle
Stephen Reichle
Photographer and Nature Guide
Sandro Valdez
Sandro Valdez
Birding and Nature Guide
Ovidio Valdez
Ovidio Valdez
Nature Guide - Amazon
Patricio Crooker
Patricio Crooker
Photographer Guide
Alejandro Sarage
Alejandro Sarage
Photographer Guide
Jonathan Derksen
Jonathan Derksen
Director Art of Adventure
Mauricio Diez de Medina
Mauricio Diez de Medina
Master Coffee Roaster and Chef
Rodrigo Mariaca
Rodrigo Mariaca
Adventure Guide
Jaime Balza
Jaime Balza
Adventure and Cultural Guide
Raymundo Nina
Raymundo Nina
Adventure Guide and Driver

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions, comments or suggestions.