Tour Highlights
- Amazing bird watching experience around the Tropical Atherton Tablelands just behind Cairns.
- Visit the picturesque Clanys Lagoon, Pandanus Lagoon, Yungaburra and Lake Barine
- Exclusive access to the Shared Earth Reserve, (Mareeba Wetlands) 5,000 acres of lagoons, trails, bird hides and dirt roads with a myriad of bird watching opportunities.
Description & Tour Inclusions
Included In Price
- Naturalist guides
- Small group tour: Up to 6 guests
- Courtesy return transfers from your accommodation in Cairns City, Northern Beaches and Port Douglas
- Picnic style lunch & Morning Tea
- Bird books/apps
- Private access to Shared Earth Reserve
- Exclusive access
- Amazing birdwatching opportunities
- Habitat diversity
- Atherton Tablelands
- Supporting Conservation
- Lake Barrine Crater
- Yungaburra Region
Our Cairns bird watching tour is a unique full day private charter tour taking you to the Tropical Wetlands on the Atherton Tablelands with exclusive access to the Shared Earth Reserve (formerly Mareeba Wetlands) where more than 220 bird species have been recorded.
Cairns Birding Tours - Small Group Private Tours
Your private naturalist guide will take you through this unique location encompassing 5,000 acres of lagoons, trails, dirt roads and bird hides.
Bird watching is best experienced early in the morning so expect your private naturalist guide to pick you up at 6:30am and you return at around 4:30pm back to Cairns.
The Shared Earth Reserve on the Atherton Tablelands behind Cairns is owned by Forever Wild whose work is to protect Earth’s last wilderness for our future generations.
Our Naturalist Guides are highly experienced and very passionate, their passions for birdwatching and photography guarantee you an unforgettable day.
You will reach your first destination around 8:00am; Clancy’s Lagoon is surrounded by walking tracks from where you can observe an array of bird species.
We will then take a short morning tea break before heading towards our second location: Pandanus Lagoon where waders and waterbirds live including a very large colony of Black Sawn.
You will also be able to observe kangaroos, echidnas, dingos, snakes and other reptiles.
This portion of the tour is approximately 12 kilometres amongst the wetlands.
After a well-deserved lunch under a shady billabong we still have a couple more hours of birdwatching; for this portion of the tour we will head to the nearby Atherton Tablelands to locations such as Lake Barrine and Yungaburra.
To maximise your birding experience, we can also combine the Tropical Wetlands with the Daintree Rainforest.
Enjoy the morning at the Shared Earth Reserve then head back to the Daintree Rainforest for a wildlife river cruise.
Our private birding and nature tour is designed for small group, two to six guests but we can cater for up to thirteen guests.
Transportation is a modern 7 seat capacity fully air-conditioned Imax or a 13 seat Hi-Ace for larger group.
Itinerary
Cairns Birding Tour Highlights
- Exclusive access to the Shared Earth Reserve, (Mareeba Wetlands) 5,000 acres of lagoons, trails, bird hides and dirt roads with a myriad of bird watching opportunities.
- Highest bird count in a single day was an impressive 98 species on our birding tour.
- Highly experienced and passionate naturalist guides.
- Wide variety of bird watching habitats: lakes, swamps, billabong, creeks and savanna woodland
Cairns Birding Tour Opportunities
You will observe many bird species on your Tropical Wetlands Birdwatching private tour such as 6 different Quail species, Magpie, Geese, Black Swans, 11 different duck species and three different Grebes, Darters and Cormorants, Pelicans, Crakes, Rails, Swamphens, Moorhens, Coots, Herons, Egrets, Bitterns, Ibis, Spoonbills, Storks (Jabiru), Cranes including Brolga, Sarus Crane, Bustards, Sandpipers, Godwits, Common Greenshank, Stints, Jacanas which thrive on the water lilies, Curlews, Stills, Avocets, Lapwings, Plovers, Dotterels, Terns.
Some of the birds of preys you may encounter are: Osprey, Kites, Hawks, Eagles, Harriers and Falcons.
Five different pigeons species inhabit the Shared Earth Reserve and doves have also been recorded.
Another regular sighting is the famous Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo. We have great sightings of Black Cockatoos at the Wetlands and on the road into Mareeba Wetlands.
Parrots including Lorikeets, Rosellas & Red Wing Parrots are quite often seen as well as 9 different varieties of Cuckoos, Keels and Coucals AND Frogmouths and Night jars.
A crowds favourite... the Kingfishers especially the Azure Kingfisher (stunning bird), a delight to see around the lagoons.
Both the laughing Kookaburra and Blue Winged Kookaburra are regularly spotted as well as Bee eaters, Rollers, Tree Creepers and Pardalotes.
Numerous Honeyeaters, Robins, Bee Eaters, Thrushes, Monarchs, Magpie Larks, Fly Catchers and Wagtails are seen throughout the Wetlands.
Don't miss the Great Bowerbird.
The open savannah and eucalypt habitats within the Mareeba Wetlands give great opportunities to observe Finches, Fairy Wrens and Manikins.
There are a lot of bird species to discover and/or re-discover in the Tropical Wetlands; each tour is unique and every time you join us on a private Tropical North Queensland birdwatching tour you will experience something distinctively unique.
Cairns Best Bird Watching Tours - Curated Nature Tours
Alternative Itinerary
We are very fortunate to live in Tropical North Queensland where we can experience several different bird watching habitats and they are all very easily accessible.
We can taylor made your day to suit your needs; we can shorten the above day and add the Daintree Rainforest and include a Daintree bird watching river cruise.
See more private charter rainforest tours and wildlife tours in Cairns and Far North Queensland in Australia.
Tour Details
Tour Languages Offered
English
EnglishDeparts From
Cairns
Departure Time
- Cairns City 6:30am – returns 4:30pm
- Northern Beaches 6:30am – returns 4:30pm
- Port Douglas 6:30am – returns 4:30pm
Pickup Locations
- Cairns
- Cairns Northern Beaches
- Palm Cove
- Port Douglas
- Modern 7 seat capacity fully air-conditioned Imax. 13 seat Hi-Ace can be arranged for larger groups.
Destinations
- Atherton Tablelands
- Mareeba Wetlands & Atherton Tablelands
Months of Operation
January - December
Days of Operation
Daily
Duration
10 hours (approx.)
Fitness Level Required
Low, Medium
What to Bring
- Sun protection (hats, sunglasses)
- Insect Repellent
- Natural coloured light weight clothing
- Binoculars (communal pair in the vehicle)
- Day pack with camera
- Comfortable walking shoes
Child Policy
- This private birding tour is more suitable for young adults however we are happy to discuss children’s age.
- Please note this tour’s duration is approximately 10 hours and includes a lot of walking.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation Policy:
All cancellations must be in writing. Please note that all cancellations will incur an administration fee. Please see our terms and conditions for details prior to booking.
Operator’s Cancellation Policy:
INTERSTATE AND INTERNATIONAL BORDER CLOSURES
If any COVID-related travel restrictions are in place that may impact your ability to travel with us we will make a final review 30 days prior to the tour departure date. If travel is not possible at that time, we will cancel your tour and provide a full refund.
If no Federal or State COVID restrictions are in place our normal cancellation policies will apply (as outlined below):
CANCELLATION POLICY
For cancellations made to Private or Group tours, the following penalties apply:
i. Cancellations received more than 30 days prior to departure – no fee applicable.
ii. Cancellations received less than 30 days but more than 7 days prior to departure – 25% fee applicable.
iii. Cancellations received less than 7 days but more than 48 hours prior to departure – 50% fee applicable.
iv. Cancellations received less than 48 hours or for non-appearance to commence the tour – all monies will be forfeited
For cancellations made to Shared Experiences, the following penalties apply:
i. Cancellations received more than 7 days prior to departure – no fee applicable
ii. Cancellations received less than 7 days but more than 48 hours prior to departure – 25% fee applicable.
iii. Less than 48 hours or for non-appearance to commence the tour – all monies will be forfeited
FORCE MAJEURE
Force Majeure means (without restriction) any event which FNQ Nature Tours could not, even with due care, foresee or avoid. Force Majeure covers events such as, but not limited to, adverse weather conditions, fire, floods and all similar events beyond our control. In the case of Force Majeure FNQ Nature Tours will not accept liability, and reserves the right to change and cancel trips.
If a Force Majeure circumstance necessitates cancellation of the tour then:
i. The traveller must rely upon any travel insurance they hold for compensation; and
ii. Where possible, FNQ Nature Tours will substitute an itinerary with similar experiences.
From
au$1,150.00
Prices are AUD, per charter and include all levies fees and taxes.
Tour Code: 1009
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