Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation in Australia
The World Heritage-listed Daintree Rainforest is so beautiful that its ancients ferns, emerald green vines and lush canopy will leave you stunned. Cape Tribulation is where the Daintree Rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef.
During our trip to Cairns, we enjoyed an unforgettable day of discovery and adventure exploring the oldest rainforest in the world, pristine rivers, and white sandy beaches of the World Heritage Listed Cape Tribulation and Daintree National Parks with an experienced local expert. Cape Tribulation is the only place in the world where two-world heritage listed regions live alongside each other (the Rainforest and the Reef). This post gives a quick rundown of all the sights and activities we managed to cover during our Rainforest tour in the Wet Tropics with The Adventure Company. This was part of a combo package with the Great Barrier Reef experience. The deluxe package includes entrance into the Port Douglas Wildlife Habitat and chef prepared lunch at the Cape Trib Beach House.
This tour lasted 12 hours as we covered a whole lot of attractions and drove a fair bit through farmlands and lush green valleys. Complimentary pick up and drop off from our accommodation was included as part of the tour. Pick up times are approximately 7am for Cairns / 7:30am for Northern Beaches / 8:30am for Port Douglas. Return times are usually approximately 5:15pm for Port Douglas / 6:00pm for Northern Beaches / 6:30pm for Cairns.
🚀 Port Douglas
First we drove 1 hour north of Cairns to Port Douglas, a picturesque seaside village that’s brimming with tropical style relaxed vibes. Here we found a great blend of history and luxury. There is an option to stop by the Wildlife Habitat in Port Douglas if you want to say hi to some iconic Australian animals, including the Cassowary! Entrance into the Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas is priced at AUD 37 for an adult or AUD 18.5 for a child.
🚀 Daintree and Mossman Gorge
We then drove 30 minutes for a guided walk at the World Heritage Listed Daintree National Park and Mossman Gorge (If you’re DIY-ing this, then you will have to park your car at the Visitor’s Centre and hope on the short bus ride out to the Gorge by paying AUD 9.10 for a return journey). The spectacular Daintree region begins with the Wet Tropics rainforest of Mossman Gorge. Tree-clad mountains rise sharply from the banks of the river at Mossman Gorge, a perfect entrance to Daintree National Park. The clear waters flow through the rainforest over the enormous granite boulders and set quite a stunning scene! We then walked as far as the suspension bridge across the river, and there is even a 2.7km rainforest loop trail accessible.
🚀 Cape Tribulation
30 minutes later, we reached Daintree Village where the vehicle ferry is. This is Australia’s last remaining car ferries that has a capacity of about 30 vehicles, and gives access to the heart of the Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation. It operates on a daily basis from 6am until midnight except Christmas Day (25 December 2019, from 7:30am to 5pm only), and the river crossing takes about 10 minutes. The cost for cars is $30 return for a day trip and a multi-day pass is also available for $59 that allows 5 return trips.
We then drove another 1 hour 30 minutes and reached Cape Tribulation – this is where we positioned ourselves between the exuberant rainforest and the glistening corals of the Great Barrier Reef. This was our lunch stop where we also had 1 hour free time at the lovely Cape Tribulation Beach. If you’ve prepaid for lunch, you’ll get an option of steak, fish, chicken parmigiana, kangaroo or vegetarian pasta – all served with chips and salad, with bread & tropical fruit platter to share.
Did you know that Cape Tribulation is traced back to the legendary Lieutenant James Cook who was lost in this region and his ship ran into Endeavour Reef located in the northeast. As a result, he named this point Cape Tribulation, because this is where all his troubles began! This was one of the many facts that our tour guide shared with us, besides the fact that the Woolworths in Cairns City is the most expensive store in all of Australia 😂.
If you are here without a tour group, there are plenty of activities you can indulge in such as bush walking, mountain biking, horse riding, diving and snorkelling, river cruising, enjoying a 4WD Safari, and even stay overnight in one of the few rainforest cabins where you can join a night tour and see nocturnal animals.
Note: Mobile phone coverage is very limited throughout the Daintree region.
🚀 Daintree River Cruise
After lunch and rest, we made our way back to the Daintree River, and our tour guide stopped by the Mount Alexandra Lookout so we could see the stunning sight of Cape Kimberley, Snapper Island, the mouth of the Daintree river, and all the way back to Port Douglas.
We then headed to the Lower Daintree region (Daintree Gateway where the ferry crossing is) and hopped on a 1-hour Daintree River Cruise to spot some wild crocodiles. There is also an option to take the cruise from Daintree Village Jetty. Crocodile Express was the cruise operator, and if you are not part of a tour, you can pay AUD 30 on the spot or save AUD 3 by booking online on their website. Children get charged half price! We managed to spot just one crocodile on that day, but some people on different days managed to spot 10 – 15 of them! The crocs are just moody or shy on certain days, I guess!
🚀 Great Barrier Reef Drive
The journey from Cape Tribulation back to Cairns was different on the way back as the tour guide drove through the Great Barrier Reef Drive which is one of Australia’s most picturesque coastal roads on the edge of large cliffs that fall away to the Great Barrier Reef.
Our guide stopped by a local lychee farmer who sold the best lychees we ever tasted at AUD 5 for a 500 gram bag. It was great nibbling on while driving through the scenic road of the Great Barrier Reef Drive and also stopping by the Rex Lookout.
Keen to know what more Cairns has to offer? Read our 4-day Cairns itinerary and get planning for your next tropical vacation!