Multi-day birding expeditions: Cairns, Daintree, Atherton Tablelands
Two guides in the field on every expedition. Four guests maximum - two per row, everyone gets a window.
AU$988 per person per day twin share, accommodation and meals included - first-season rate through 2027.
Two guides in the field on every expedition. Four guests maximum - two per row, everyone gets a window.
AU$988 per person per day twin share, accommodation and meals included - first-season rate through 2027.
One rate, everything in.
Charter, both guides, comfortable accommodation, meals while touring, and transfers from Cairns. Fancy somewhere more premium along the way? Upgrade in your portal and pay only the difference.
AU$988
per person per day
AU$6,916
per person for a week, all in
First-season rate: AU$988 per person per day, for charters departing by the end of 2027. From 2028, the rate is AU$1,250. Same trip, same two guides - you're just early.
A week: AU$6,916 per person twin share, all in. Maximum four guests.
Prefer a room of your own? The single-room supplement is AU$200 per night, per room. Travelling solo? Ask us - we'll find the arrangement that suits you.
Check your dates
We run a small number of charters a season because there are two of us on every trip. When a week's gone, it's gone.
When to come
Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher: November to April
Dry-season comfort and the year-round endemics: May to October
Migratory shorebirds on the Cairns Esplanade: September to March
The last set-date expedition of 2026
Wet Tropics End of Season
30 October – 6 November 2026
Eight days through the region as the wet season builds and the Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher returns to breed. After this, every expedition runs on your dates.
Plan your expeditionWhat you'll see
Half of Australia's bird species live in our region, including the 15 Wet Tropics endemics. Expeditions run from 2 to 8 days, built entirely around your dates and the birding you're hoping for - rainforest, tablelands, savannah, and coast, shaped to your pace.
There is no fixed timetable, because a good day in the field never goes exactly to plan. We read the weather, the heat, and the conditions on the morning, and shape the day around what will give you the best birding. Clayton draws on decades of local knowledge to make the call hour to hour, and with four guests at most we can stay flexible and follow the birds.
- Out early when the birds are most active, with the day shaped around the conditions.
- We follow recent activity and movement rather than a set route.
- Time to linger when something special shows itself, and patience when it does not.
- Optional night spotting for nocturnal wildlife when conditions suit.
The habitats we cover
Hidden Savannahs
Transitional dry-tropical woodlands and savannah grasslands supporting species typical of open habitats, including Red-winged Parrot, Squatter Pigeon, and Apostlebird.
Atherton Tablelands
Mid-elevation upland rainforests (600–1,000m) characterised by cooler, wetter microclimates. Core habitat for Chowchilla, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, and other Wet Tropics endemics.
Coastal Rainforest
Low-elevation coastal and riparian rainforest systems. Principal range of the Southern Cassowary, supporting coastal specialists such as the Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher and Victoria’s Riflebird.
Specialist Habitats
Access across a range of habitats and elevation gradients - including areas that standard tours don’t reach.
No van, no middle seat
Two guides on every multi-day charter.
No van, no middle seat. Birding tours mostly run in minibuses. We don't. You travel in a late model hybrid - three rows, two of us up front, a row per couple behind. Nobody shares a row, everyone gets a window. Quiet on the approach, which matters when the bird you're after is listening too.
The gear travels in the trailer, not on your lap. Scopes set up and ready at every stop - no queueing behind strangers for a look. Bring what you like; there's room for it.
Your guides
Two of us, every trip
Clayton Smith. Lead guide. 20+ years birding the region, and one of the best field guides in it.
David Lyons. Guide and host. Plans the trip, drives the country, and looks after everyone in it.
English and German spoken.
Local Knowledge
Expeditions planned around real-time conditions, seasonal patterns, and decades of local habitat knowledge.
Four Guests, Two Guides
Maximum four guests, always two guides. Personalised attention throughout.
The Vehicle
Late model hybrid, top of the range
World Heritage
Recognised Wet Tropics Defender guide
Conservation
Supporting responsible tourism
What Our Guests Say
Real reviews from guided experiences with Clayton and David.
“Clayton was our guide and he was brilliant. His knowledge of the rainforest, flora and fauna and surrounding areas was top notch.”
Jaav
“Clayton is an amazingly knowledgeable guide and just loves showing his guests all of his favorite local spots.”
Grant
“We receive quite a bit of feedback about Clayton. He is an amazingly knowledgeable guide.”
Australian Luxury Escapes Management
“David is a fantastic tour guide - knowledgeable about history, agriculture and, in my case, nature. He knows great spots for birdwatching, and I had a few truly breathtaking "David Attenborough" moments.”
Thomas Berset
How It Works
Step 1
Check and enquire
Check the calendar and send an enquiry.
Step 2
We talk
Dates, birds, pace.
Step 3
Hold your dates
AU$500, fully refundable until your deposit falls due.
Step 4
Your portal opens
Full itinerary, accommodation options and upgrades, payment schedule.
We protect both our guests and the ecosystems we work in. We do not publish where guests stay or the specific sites we visit, to protect sensitive locations and species, and because your trip is your own.
Questions
How do deposits and payments work?
An AU$500 date hold secures your dates and is fully refundable until your 20% deposit falls due, six months before departure. Once the deposit is paid, the AU$500 is applied to it.
From there: 20% deposit six months out, 50% of the total at 90 days, and the balance at 60 days before departure.
What if I need to cancel?
Before your 20% deposit is due, the AU$500 date hold is refunded in full.
90 or more days before departure: full refund less an AU$200 admin fee. 60 to 89 days: 50% refund. 30 to 59 days: 25% refund. Within 30 days: no refund.
If we have to cancel, you receive a full refund.
How does the first-season rate work?
The AU$988 per person per day twin-share rate applies to charters departing by 31 December 2027. From 2028, the rate is AU$1,250 per person per day.
The first-season rate is not combinable with trade rates - the best rate applies.
How many guests on an expedition?
Expeditions are for two to four guests, always with both guides. Book as a pair and we may pair you with one other couple on the same dates - that's how the per-person rate works. If nobody else joins your dates, your expedition runs anyway, just you. Want that guaranteed from the start? Take the third place as well and the expedition is exclusively yours - ask us when you enquire. Travelling solo? Ask us - solo birders are very welcome, and we'll find the arrangement that suits you.
What is the accommodation like?
Comfortable lodging is included, twin share. Prefer a room of your own? The single-room supplement is AU$200 per night, per room.
Premium upgrades are shown in your portal when we build the itinerary - you pay only the difference.
Full booking terms, including the cancellation and refund schedule, are on our terms page.
Field reports
Sightings and stories from the Wet Tropics, straight to your inbox.