Birding, botanizing, and nature tours in Chile: Parque Nacional Lauca, Atacama Desert, all habitats from sea to altiplano.


	In Chile's Atacama Desert: Guiding birders, photographers, wildflower enthusiasts, and naturalists since 1994

Naturalist Guide Service & Tours in Chile

Rosario Bird petroglyph panel, Arica, Chile

Photographed at Rosario, Chile © B Knapton.

Birding in the extreme north: Arica, Putre, Lauca, all the parks and reserves

Botanizing & Wildflowers

Natural History, Wildlife, Culture

Naturalist guide service in the client's vehicle

Day Tours in Arica for cruise ship birders

Agencies: to add birding or naturalist guide service to your existing Lauca Park itineraries, please inquire

Emphasis on guide service

In Parque Nacional Lauca and throughout northern Chile you are guided by naturalist Barbara Knapton. We concentrate on wildlife and habitats from sea to altiplano with the special attractions being the Atacama Desert and altiplano reserves. Choose an itinerary or write for more customized options. Tours are private.

Protected areas we visit:

1) Biosphere Reserve Parque Nacional Lauca
2) Parque Nacional Volcán Isluga
3) Reserva Nacional Las Vicuñas
4) Reserva Nacional Pampa del Tamarugal
5) Ramsar Site 873: Natural Monument Salar de Surire
6) Ramsar Sire 874: Salar de Huasco
7) Reserva Natural Municipal Desembocadura del Río Lluta
8) Monumento Natural Quebrada de Cardones

Plus:
Arica, Putre, Iquique, the Atacama Desert oases,
Atacama fishing villages and seacoasts

Above, near Arica: THE INVERTED BIRDS OF ROSARIO. Rock art in northern Chile includes thousands of geoglyphs, pictographs or "rock paintings", and petroglyphs such as the upside-down condor in the "Rosario Birds" panel, accompanied by a possible shaman. According to archaeologist Maarten van Hoek this large bird, probably a condor, depicted in "inverted imagery", may represent a plea from a shaman to induce the reversal of an extreme weather event, such as an El Niño (ENSO) disaster.

The Andes of northern Chile: why so interesting?

At 18° S latitude, the life zones in this part of the tropics change dramatically as one climbs from sea level at Arica through the Atacama Desert to Biosphere Reserve Lauca and the other altiplano parks. There are few places in the world where it's possible to climb, in the comfort of modern transportation, from sea level to over 15,000' in just a few hours, although we don't advise doing it in just one day.

As the life zones change one sees different birds, mammals, and vegetation in each particular steppe of elevation - from seabirds to flamingos, from cetaceans to camelids, from olive groves to exquisite alpine wildflowers. Of particular interest are the high Andes and desert habitats and the adaptations the wildlife and plants have acquired for living in this zone of low atmospheric pressure, intense solar radiation, and extreme arid climate.

About Guide Service & Tours

Nature Pages

Atacama culture, Altiplano wildlife, Coastal marine mammals: 5 day tour
Slice of the Andes for the Birds: 3 to 5 days for the birds from Arica to Parque Nacional Lauca