1.5 Hour - Port Douglas River Cruise | MV LDY-DGLS

1.5 Hour - Port Douglas River Cruise | MV LDY-DGLS

Each river trip tour starts from the scenic Port Douglas waterfront and Reef Marina and shows you the best views of the rainforest clad peaks of the mountains of Cape Tribulation as your stunning backdrop. On sunset cruises the river tour route will have the boat staying longer at the opening of the Inlet so that you can see this view as the sun drops and casts its multi coloured rays across the Coral Sea. Just a stunning end to a stunning day in Tropical North Queensland Australia.

With four scenic river cruises a day this old lady of a cruise boat has been transporting people to see the amazing biodiversity of this wilderness for over 25 years.

Since this scenic river tour operates from the Reef Marina in the heart of Port Douglas, this makes it particularly convenient for those guests without a car.

If you have a car then you will make your way to the Port Douglas Reef Marina, where there are plenty of free parking spaces.

With 4 x one and a half hour river cruise departures a day from the Reef Marina in Port Douglas, including the sunset trip, you can work this around any busy holiday schedule.

River Tour Cruise Times and Details

Morning Cruise: 10:30am – 12:00noon

Midday Cruise: 12:30pm – 2:00pm

Afternoon Cruise: 2:30pm – 4:00pm

Sunset Cruise: 4:30pm – 6:00pm

The cruise boat is 15m long (50ft) and 5m (16ft) wide, so she is spacious enough to spread out on and not feel cramped.   She will take 55 people (registered for 63) in comfort with room to move around.

Your river cruise tour ticket allows  one free drink from the licensed bar, so on entry it’s very civilised to start the river cruise with a beer, wine or sparkling wine in hand.

The tour boat was purpose built for the calm flat river conditions of the mangrove river ways so there’s little chance of anyone getting seasick.  She has good protection from the elements and has an ideal all round viewing area.

John or Lucas (owner) will be your tour guide and both are highly qualified skippers with many years working in the area and they are both full of local knowledge of the wildlife and history of the region. They believe in making education fun, so will entertain you with their humorous commentary.

What Wildlife and Scenery Will I See On My River Cruise Tour ?

The river tour will take you to the Dickson Inlet,where you will glide through the pristine mangrove- lined riverlets of Port Douglas.  The mangrove ecosystem is a vital and interesting one.  Reaching up from behind these tributaries are the peaks of the mountain range that have the world’s oldest rainforest growing on its mountainsides – the Daintree Rainforest.

The population density of crocodiles in this area is low, but since crocodiles are territorial, the guides know where to find the local resident crocs who have made this area their home for many decades. Even though they are good at camouflage, it’s not too hard to spot a lazing croc on the bank.  A male can reach up to 6.3m (20.7ft), so that’s a lot of handbags!

Nothing compares to seeing your first real life wild crocodile.  Dinosaurs were thought to have become extinct 65 million years ago, yet the crocodile is thought to be nearer 200 million years old.  Through the years of fine tuning they have become efficient hunting and survival machines.  They nearly didn’t make 201 million years as they were almost eradicated in the 1970’s due to them being hunted for their crocodile skin. Numbers have now increased after they were made a protected species.  Being close to these magnificent animals that do indeed seem so prehistoric is quite a sight…  you are truly looking at a living dinosaur.

For those who prefer something prettier, the birds along the mangroves of this pristine natural environment is a “tweeters” or ornithologist’s dream.  If you look up there are often birds of prey such as Brahminy Kites, Ospreys and White Bellied Sea Eagles circling above. 

Other birds use the mangroves as sanctuary such as rainbow bee-eaters, sunbirds and kingfishers.  Walking on the edge of the banks you can see Herons and Egrets daintily tiptoeing towards unsuspecting fish.

Most of the 1.5 hours on the river cruise is spent searching for wild crocodiles in their natural habitat and exploring the mangroves. Time is also spent at the inlet entrance, where the inlet goes out in the Coral Sea.  This is a particularly beautiful view on the sunset cruise, where the river tour spends more time. Marvel at the setting sun dropping slowly behind the peaks of Cape Tribulation as the myriad of colours glitter on the Coral Sea in front of you.  Just stunning!

Morning Cruise, Midday Cruise, Afternoon Cruise and Sunset Cruises are all offered daily July – Nov in high season. Availability for other months will depend on the season and demand.

Private Charter

If you wish to have a private tour for conference or corporate, personal and pleasure then this wonderfully quirky tour boat can be hired for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries or just for a group of friends that want a memorable trip.

The tour boat is fully licensed and can cater for night or day events.