NT Bird Specialists | Birdwatching & Photography Tours - Darwin Australia

Luke Paterson of NT Bird Specialists really knows the birds of Australia (and Sri Lanka, Borneo etc). He was such a fun, professional and patient guide who seems to really love his job. We couldn’t have hoped for a better experience on our Kakadu adventure. Would love to join NT Bird specialists again on another adventure in the future. Highly recommend.

In October 2025 we had the privilege of travelling to Borneo with Luke, Harn and our local guides. What an amazing trip. It is hard to think of any negatives – maybe a couple of times being caught out in the rain but then once it stopped, we dried out quickly and were back to our viewing and you can’t have rain forest without some rain, so just go prepared. We were very happy with all the birds. animals, and plants we saw. The accommodation, the food and the guiding was great. 2026 Harn will be leading the trip. He is a real asset- Malaysian, a keen and expert birder, patient, a foodie so helpful with the local food, knowledgeable of the culture, the list goes on… I have no hesitation in recommending going to Borneo with Harn leading the trip.

Adding yet another 5 Star review. This is a 'MUST-DO-KAKADU' activity and worth considering over some of the other trips that appear to promise a lot but don't really deliver. I have just been on two tours in Kakadu with Luke and they were fabulous. Luke has been in the bird watching business for many years so is highly experienced and has a passion and joy that is infectious and makes the experience fascinating a fun. Luke has all the kit, including a high powered scope where you can really see the details of the birds, and he appears to have some bird attracting magic that enabled us to tick off our wish list of seeing Brolgas (dancing too!) and a Bustard! If you are looking for a great taste of Kakadu just go ahead and book a tour, you'll love it.

Luke ran the Kakadu Bird Week 2025 bird tours, which I attended a walk and the Yellow Water cruise. Both were excellent and Luke catered for every member of the group, making sure everyone saw as many birds as possible. Luke is an excellent birder and guide and wouldn't hesitate to do a tour with him again in the future and/or recommend NT Bird Specialists.

I can't really add anything to the totally positive reviews below, except believe them! We have just finished a 17 day tour, which was exceptional. Luke's birding, guiding and people skills are just the best we have encountered and Sarah's organisation and food planning were fantastic. Accommodation was clean and comfortable throughout. We heartily recommend Sarah and Luke's organisation to everyone.

This is a once in life time experience. As a keen birder I was amazed by the knowledge and experience shown by the tour guide in finding and identifying new bird species to our group. Our guide Luke Paterson was only too happy to go the extra yard to ensure the experience was a memorable one. I think we came back with about 40 new species that were photographed and recorded. The highlights of our private tour were the 2 river cruises that gave a great insight into Kakadu and its diverse environment and wildlife. During our tour Luke Paterson was extremely professional giving equal time to the each and every photographer on tour. The purpose built vehicle was excellent for our needs and Luke gave constant information as we traveled along. A real learning experience from a man who is passionate in what he is doing. And for this I would recommend this tour for the young and old.

I have gone on multiple tours with Luke now and he is excellent. His knowledge in birds, wildlife and flora is unfathomable. He is always full of smiles and goes the extra mile to make sure all his guests are happy. I cannot recommend NT Bird Specialists enough!