Daintree Nature & Wildlife Safari

Depart Cairns along the spectacular Great Barrier Reef coastal highway, observing the dramatic biodiversity changes as tropical rainforest replaces coastal vegetation. Begin at the Jindalba Interpretive Rainforest Trail where quiet boardwalks wind through 120,000 hectares of ancient Daintree rainforest – Australia's largest tropical rainforest remnant. Your guide reveals the complex layered ecosystems, strangler figs, wait-a-while vines, and endemic wildlife including cassowaries, Boyd's forest dragons and vibrant tropical birds. Continue to Cape Tribulation, the iconic location where rainforest meets reef. This dramatic valley enclosed by Mount Sorrow and Mount Hemmant creates a natural amphitheatre trapping south-eastern rainfall, resulting in Australia's wettest and most biodiverse environment. Walk remote beaches and rainforest trails searching for cassowaries before settling into Heritage Lodge, an eco-friendly rainforest resort beside Cooper Creek. Enjoy a refreshing swim before dinner surrounded by calling birds and rustling wildlife.

Rise early for a solar-electric cruise on the Daintree River – one of Far North Queensland's premier wildlife experiences. Glide silently through mangrove-lined waters as dawn light filters through the canopy, searching for estuarine crocodiles (99% success rate), the elusive great-billed heron, azure and little kingfishers, black bitterns, green tree snakes, water dragons and fruit bats roosting above the river. The solar boat's silence allows you to hear, smell and experience wildlife without engine noise or fumes. Afterwards, enjoy a gourmet lunch at the renowned Daintree Tea House – 30 years of perfecting exotic cuisine served in a rainforest-enclosed outdoor dining area, often featuring tropical fruit tastings. Journey inland to the Atherton Tablelands, stopping at the spectacular Curtain Fig Tree. This ancient strangler fig has grown into one of Australia's most extraordinary trees – a massive curtain of aerial roots creating its own complex rainforest ecosystem alive with birds. Arrive at Chambers Wildlife Rainforest Lodge, hidden in 1,200 acres of highland rainforest. After dinner in Yungaburra, join the optional nocturnal spotlighting tour visiting two sites to encounter the diverse Wet Tropics night fauna – striped possums, green ringtail possums, pythons, tree frogs, northern leaf-tailed geckoes and calling owls.

Begin at Malanda Conservation Park, a critical sanctuary for the elusive Lumholtz tree-kangaroo (Mapee in local Aboriginal language). These rare marsupials – found only in this region – are regularly observed in this protected forest patch. Your guide positions the group for optimal viewing as tree-kangaroos feed in the canopy. Malanda Falls provides stunning photography opportunities, whilst freshwater snapping turtles and grey-headed robins inhabit the pristine creek. Continue to Lake Barrine, a spectacular volcanic crater lake formed 17,000 years ago and surrounded by ancient rainforest. Walk forest trails spotting water dragons, fish, eels, and Wet Tropics endemic birds. When available, cruise the lake for different perspectives of this remarkable ecosystem. Enjoy lakeside lunch at the Lake Barrine Tea House before your final stop at the award-winning Tolga Bat Hospital. This Advanced Ecotourism-accredited facility offers one of Australia's most innovative wildlife experiences. Look flying-foxes in the eye, hear microbat echolocation calls on bat detectors, and learn about bat conservation through rescue, research and education programs. Return to Cairns in late afternoon.