George Armistead
Founder & Guide
George Armistead, a birder since the age of nine years old, has a long history in connecting people with nature through guided trips and expedition travel. Leading field trips since his teenage years he began guiding tours professionally in 2002. After 20 years of developing and guiding tours to dozens of countries across all seven continents, he formed Hillstar Nature with the goal of bringing together a team who can provide fulfilling and authentic wildlife experiences. George has authored two books on birds including Better Birding: Tips, Tools, and Concepts for the Field (2015, Princeton University Press) and The ABA Field Guide to the Birds of Pennsylvania (2016, Scott & Nix, Inc.). He received a masters degree in environmental studies at the University of Pennsylvania, and is an associate at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, where he spent seven years helping to curate the photographic and specimen collections. Today he lectures on birds, co-hosts Lifelist: A Birding Podcast, and guides tours internationally and in North America. When not traveling George enjoys birding locally in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and along the Delmarva Peninsula. He's an avid fan of Philadelphia sports teams and loves spending time at home there, with his wife Kristin and their dog Sully.
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What you're saying about Hillstar Nature....
The Tigers were amazing! I never thought we'd see them so well and experience them so intimately. Same with the Lions. George made sure that everyone was well taken care-of, and the co-leaders were great...The accommodations were great and the food, delicious."
- Jean P. from California, India 2024
Upcoming tours with George
New Zealand - Birding Down Under: Spectacular Subantarctic Islands - December 2024
Costa Rica - A Birder’s Paradise - March 2025
Tanzania - The Endless Plains & The Crater - March to April 2025
Adak Island, Alaska - May 2025