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Naturalist
guide service in Chile's Lauca National Park and Atacama Desert
Focus
on birds, wildflowers, mammals, natural history, pre-Hispanic & Aymara culture.
For those who have their own rental cars, Alto Andino provides guide service by
the day or multiple days. Barb joins your group in Arica,
Putre, or Iquique. Guide service is conducted
in English or Spanish.
If a full tour including
transportation, food, and lodging
is preferred, please refer to our natural history
or birding itineraries.
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 About
your guide:
Barb Knapton
grew up in Hoquiam, Washington, near Olympic
National Park.
For many years she lived in Kodiak, Alaska, and fished
commercially for salmon, herring, halibut,
and crab. Seasonal fishing alternated with winters living
in cabins and barges located on remote islands of the Kodiak
archipelago. Barb earned a BS in Biological
Sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and
has lived in Putre, Chile, for more than 14 years.
In 1994, Barb opened the first Chile-based birding agency,
thus became the pioneer of this type of tourism here. Before
1994, birding tours to Chile were organized in other countries and
contributed little to the local economy.
Digiscoping
birds and flower photography are Barb's main hobbies, in
addition to collecting books which deal with the natural
history of the Andes and the history of the Atacama Desert
Nitrate Barons. She maintains an extensive database of bird
observations for the extreme north which spans more than a
decade. Her other 2 long-term projects are compiling a photographic atlas
of the wildflowers and vegetation for the Chile's 2 most northerly
desert regions, and recording the vocalizations of the birds of the
family Furnariidae in the region.
Barb thanks her Dad, Ken Knapton, for fostering her life-long love of nature.
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Activities, Articles, and Honors
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Affiliations
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August 04 - 07
BK, along with other members of
the Chile Birding & Nature Network, has a stand at the British
Birdwatching Fair in Rutland, UK.
Feb 05
National Geographic Adventure Magazine
suggests Barb's tours in northern Chile.
Oct 04
Pájaros para turistas, El Mercurio, Santiago de
Chile, jueves, 28 de Octubre 2004. Starts on the front page, BK is
described as one of the pioneers of birdwatching
tourism in Chile.
Oct 04
BK
chosen to be one of the judges of Arica's first Science Fair, sponsored by
Chile's National Commision of Scientific Investigation and Technology of Chile
CONICYT-EXPLORA
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Neotropical Bird Club
Sociedad Peruana de Cactus & Succulents, (QUEPO)
Neotropical
Ornithological Society
Cámara de
Tour Operadores de Arica/Parinacota
Cámara de Turismo de Arica
Cámara de
Turismo Andina Aymara de Parinacota
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June 04
Defensora
de Patrimonio Natural Alto Andino honored by the Minister of
Culture and the Council of National Monuments of Chile.
May 04
Gringa
Migratoria Tourism 123 on-line interview. The reporter
got a few things mixed up, but basically a decent interview.
April 04
Alto Andino workshop to encourage birding and conservation in Arica
March 04
Alto Andino Nature Tours in the news: Aves en la mira
Feb 04
Northern Chile's first course in Ornithology (30 hour course, spread over 2
weeks) is designed and taught by BK for Putre's young people. Surprise guest was
Alvaro
Jaramillo (Birds of Chile author) who just happened to be in the
village. Sponsored by FOSIS and the Cámara
de Turismo Andina Aymara de Parinacota. Alto Andino donates 15
copies of "Birds of Chile" to students and interested local
people.
Oct 03
VII Neotropical Ornithological Congress and VII Congreso Chileno de
Ornitología. BK attends this 6 day conference at the Termas de
Puyehue, Chile. Alto Andino Nature Tours is a supporter, and donates
USD 300 to allow a young Chilean student to attend the congress.
Sept 03
“Recuperación del Picaflor de Arica”
desarrollado por la Unión de Ornitólogos de Chile, el Servicio Agrícola
y Ganadero con el apoyo de la Municipalidad de Arica. BK volunteers
6 days of field work and donates the use of a 4X4 pickup for this first-ever census of the endangered
Chilean Woodstar, Eulidia yarrellii, a hummingbird that is not
endemic to Chile, however most of the small population is located in the
transverse valleys of the Region of Tarapaca, with a few being registered
in nearby southern Peru.
May 03
A Slice
of the Andes at 18° S Latitude: Birds of northern Chile and
Lauca Presentation given by BK at the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival in Alaska.
Aug 02
Range
extension: the Rufous-webbed Tyrant is found by BK in Chile's scarce Polylepis
tarapacana, first six sightings within Chile.
Knapton, B. E. 2002. A new bird for Chile: the Rufous-webbed Tyrant Polyoxolmis
rufipennis, potentially breeding within the province of Parinacota,
Tarapaca Region. Boletin Chileno de Ornitología 9:37-41.
July 02
BK takes course at the Universidad
de La Serena, Chile,
over Atacama Desert flowers, or "Flora
del Desierto Florido".
Sept 00
In a public ceremony on world tourism day, or
"Dia Mundial del Turismo" the
Municipality of Putre recognizes Alto Andino Nature Tours for BK's contributions to rural tourism in northern
Chile.
July 00
I Congreso Internacional de Ecología y Conservación de Bosques de
Polylepis, BK attends this 5 day conference in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Jan 00
Mostly
factual article about BK published in the Revista del Domingo, Santiago
"El Mercurio",
Chile's largest newspaper. "Hija del Sol Luminoso"
Nov 99
VI Congreso Chileno de Ornitologia. BK attends
this 3 day conference organized by Unión de Ornitológos de Chile and the
Facultad de Recursos del Mar, Universidad de Antofagasta.
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