• The sweeping views at Mount Alexandra Lookout provide an excellent selfie opportunity. You’ll see where the Daintree River mouth meets the Great Barrier Reef. Snapper Island and Low Isles are also visible.  
• Untouched by urban development the Daintree Rainforest is home to ancient plants and unique fauna you would otherwise never see. The passion and vast knowledge of your guide will become apparent within the first few minutes of boarding your vehicle, so if we had one tip for you it would be to keep listening to your guide throughout the day.
• The purpose built 4WD trucks on this Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation tour are famous and everyone who sees them wants to book their day tour with us.

Daintree Rainforest tours. A unique high quality Daintree Rainforest tour to Cape Tribulation. Our Bush Safaris are small intimate groups of only 16 guests touring in purpose built deluxe long wheel base Four Wheel Drive vehicles.

What to Expect

Your luxury Daintree Rainforest tour will start early when you are picked up from your Cairns, Cairns Beaches or Port Douglas holiday accommodation.

This rainforest tour is probably the most requested day tour from Cairns purely for the luxury and highly unique four wheel drive vehicles that were purpose built to tackle the rainforest and outback trails of Tropical Far North Queensland. People simply love the look of them. 

Guest enjoy the famous scenic coastal drive along the Great Barrier Reef Drive as your knowledgeable rainforest tour guide introduces you to the history of the early settlers of Far North Queensland. 

Wild Daintree Rainforest River Cruise

After being picked up from your Cairns or Port Douglas holiday accommodation by your naturalist guide, the first stop of the day is at the Daintree River where you will be offered tea, coffee and biscuits before heading off on your hour long wildlife river cruise on the mighty Daintree Rainforest river cruise.

Enjoy some time getting to know and mingleing with all the other passengers on our small intimate luxury four wheel drive rainforest tour that is about to begin bringing your senses to the fore, and filling you with knowledge and a lifelong appreciation of this amazing yet fragile part of Australia.  

During the hour long Daintree River boat cruise learn about the unique rainforest and river ecosystems and all the inhabitants that live here including the ferocious salt water crocodile.

Keep your eyes peeled while on this cruise as you will most likely spot baby crocs, perched on logs along the riverbank, green tree snakes tangled in the branches above, and prehistoric estuarine crocodiles primitively guarding their territory and an amazing array of bird life and butterflies. 

You will return from your Daintree River cruise with fantastic photographs and a wealth of knowledge about the infamous crocodiles that have dominated this wild river for hundreds of years, you will hear about their love lives, and their arguments and learn about their habits.

Just make sure you keep hands and arms well inside the boats as crocodiles can jump!

The next stop along the tour is the Wet Tropics World Heritage-listed rainforest of the Daintree Rainforest region. A brief photo stop is taken at Alexandra Lookout where expansive views of the mouth of the Daintree River, Great Barrier Reef and World Heritage-listed rainforest combine to make a photo-worthy scene.

See all Daintree Rainforest tours and learn more from The Tour Specialists Blog. 

Daintree River Cruise

Start your adventure with a pickup from your accommodation in a custom 4WD vehicle. This full-day tour takes you north along the stunning Great Barrier Reef Drive, leading to the World Heritage-listed Daintree National Park.

Enjoy light refreshments before setting off on a one-hour Daintree River cruise. Here, you’ll discover the region’s unique flora and fauna, including the renowned estuarine crocodile—an apex predator that thrives in one of the world’s most biologically diverse mangrove ecosystems.

Alexandra Range

Back on land, embark on an interpretive drive over the Alexandra Range, delving into the heart of the world’s oldest continuously existing rainforest. Accompanied by your expert local guide, enjoy an informative boardwalk tour while keeping an eye out for the elusive Southern Cassowary and the prehistoric Boyd’s Rainforest Dragon.

As you explore, you'll encounter ancient ferns, towering palms, and massive woody vines. A variety of epiphytes, climbing plants, and orchids cling to the sturdy limbs and trunks of towering rainforest trees. The rainforest floor is rich with shade-loving mosses, invertebrates, and nutrient-recycling fungi, creating a vibrant ecosystem. This intricate web of life, including endemic birds, reptiles, and rainforest macropods, has evolved over an astonishing 180 million years, shaping this captivating environment.

Lunch at Heritage Lodge

Lunch is the next stop of this unique rainforest tour, and you will head to the Heritage Lodge.

Specific dietary requirements can be catered for with advance notice. The set menu offers a choice of grilled fish, grilled steak, chicken wrap, vegan wrap or vegetarian pasta. 

Bring your wallet as you will have a chance to purchase your refreshments from the licensed bar (although water, tea & coffee are provided free of charge.)

DAINTREE HE RITAGE LODGE LUNCH MENU

1 – Grilled Barramundi
Served with potato salad, pasta salad, garden salad & slice of freshly baked bread (GF bread available on request)

2 – Grilled Rib Eye Steak
Served with potato salad, pasta salad, garden salad & slice of freshly baked bread (GF bread available on request)

3 – Chicken Wrap
Served with wombok salad, sweet chilli mayo & side of garden salad

4 - Vegetarian Fettuccini
Tossed with pesto, sun dried tomatoes, parmesan & slice of freshly baked bread (GF bread available on request)

5 – Vegan Wrap
Served with wombok salad, vegan sweet chilli mayo & side garden salad

6 – Gluten Free Vegan Patties
Served with potato salad & garden salad.

Potato Salad – Vegan / Gluten Free
Mayo, seeded mustard, salt and pepper, spring onions, red onion, capsicum

Garden Salad – Vegan / Gluten Free
Lettuce, carrot, tomato, onion, cucumber, capsicum, sprouts – dressing (vinegar, mustard, oil, salt and pepper) 

Pasta Salad - Vegan
Spring onions, red onion, capsicum, salt and pepper, oil

Cape Tribulation Beach

There are two more fascinating stops on the way back, the first one being Cape Tribulation Beach.

Cape Tribulation Beach is the one pictured in many postcards around Cairns and the Tropical North, and the famous place where all the greenies stopped the loggers from destroying this highly important and pristine rainforest from extinction in the early 80's.

This stunning beach features the only spot in Queensland where two World Heritage attractions unite, the Great Barrier Reef and World Heritage-listed rainforest.

Stroll along the chalky sand beach and gaze out to the Coral Sea and Snapper Island on the horizon.

A Tropical Daintree Ice Cream As The Finale

After crossing the Daintree River by ferry, if there is spare time you will stop into the Daintree Ice Cream Factory.

This place will delight ice cream and non ice cream lovers alike with unique flavours such as sapote, wattle seed, soursop, mango, banana, coconut and more.

All the fruits used to make the ice cream have been locally grown on the property and you can taste up to four different flavours at once and it is all natural.

Finally as the day winds down to an end, board the four wheel drive truck and make yourself comfortable, perhaps take a much needed nap, on the leisurely drive back to Port Douglas or Cairns or keep that camera snapping with the fantastic coastal views from this remarkable section of the Captain Cook Highway, also known as the Great Barrier Reef Drive.

Daintree Rainforest - Inclusions & Excursions Summary

• Pick-up at accommodaion in Cairns, Palm Cove or Port Douglas
• A small group tour (max 19 pax) in a custom designed 4WD vehicle
• Knowledgeable and engaging rainforest nature guide
• Travel along the Great Barrier Reef Drive, scenic coastal road
• 1 hour Daintree River Cruise – morning refreshments prior
• Interpretive drive over the rainforest clad Alexandra Range
• Guided rainforest boardwalk tour (easy grade)
• Lunch in a beautiful rainforest setting
• Opportunity for an invigora

Tour Languages Offered

• English

Departs From

Cairns

Departure Time

• Cairns 7.00am to 6.00pm (11 hours)
• Palm Cove / Northern Beaches 7.40am to 5.30pm (10 hours)
• Port Douglas 8.20am to 4.30pm (8 hours)

Pickup Locations

• Cairns
• Cairns Northern Beaches
• Palm Cove
• Port Douglas

• Be ready and waiting at the front of your accommodation at the communicated time. You will not receive a refund if you fail to board the vehicle at the allocated time.

Destinations

• Daintree Rainforest
• Cape Tribulation
• Daintree River

Months of Operation

January - December

Days of Operation

Daily

Excludes Ironman Challenge Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day

Duration

8 to 11 hours depending on your pick up location

Fitness Level Required

Medium

Additional Information

• Carbon Tax and fuel levies may apply.
• Fitness And Medical Conditions: reasonable level of fitness is needed as there are stairs on the boardwalks, on and off the cruise, and uneven ground to walk over. Not suitable for wheelchairs, walkers.

Eco Certifications

• Comfortable walking shoes
• Refillable water bottle
• Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, insect repellent
• Towel, change of clothes if swimming

• Family Fare: 2 Adults and 2 Children (not applicable with other discounts)
• Child Fare 4-16 years inclusive
• Baby seat & booster seats can be supplied, however need to be requested at time of booking

• The operator reserves the right to cancel any tour, change vehicle type or arrange an alternative carrier if the numbers in a group are insufficient.
• The operator reserves the right to alter the tour or itinerary of schedules to another operator if necessary.
• No refund will be given in these circumstances or in the event of any delay, curtailment or alteration of a tour resulting from any cause including severe weather, road conditions or mechanical failure.
• The operator cannot guarantee pick-up or drop-off times and are not liable for passenger failure to connect with other services.
• Whilst the operator will make every effort to safe guard its clients and their belongings the operator cannot be held responsible for personal injury or loss due to events which are beyond the operator’s control.