Itinerary
Tour day-by-day
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Day 1: Daintree & Cape Tribulation
A trip to the Daintree is not complete without visiting the famous beach where the "Rainforest meets the reef". This famous valley resembles a giant amphitheatre with a semicircle of hills dominated by Mt Sorrow (850m) and Mt Hemmant (1000m). The south-eastern rainfall trapped by this valley results in a lush tropical climate with high temperatures, humidity and rainfall. Renowned for its scenic landscape, remote beaches and wildlife viewing opportunities!
Several mangrove and rainforest boardwalks are available to allow us the maximum opportunity to observe birds. Cape Tribulation is one of the best spots to obverse the iconic Southern Cassowary as well as the Leaden flycatcher, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Pied Monarch, Wompoo Fruit Dove, Shinning Flycatcher, Azure Kingfisher, Pacific Heron, White-bellied Sea-eagle and Little Shrike Thrush
The afternoon will be spent exploring the surroundings of Kingfisher Park, our accommodation for the next two evenings.
Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge is a small family-run business set in an internationally renowned sanctuary. The lodge offers accommodation to bird-watchers and nature lovers from mid April to mid January. The property is owned and operated by professional guides and naturalists Carol and Andrew Iles, who have worked in the area since 1999. Set in Tropical Far North Queensland, one of the best birding areas in Australia, the Lodge is especially famous for its population of breeding Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher which are found in the grounds between November and April. There are many resident birds at the lodge including Noisy Pitta, Red-browed Finch, Macleay's, Yellow-spotted and Graceful Honeyeaters, Pale-yellow Robin, Little Shrike-thrush, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Black-faced & Spectacled Monarch, Cicadabird and Spotted Catbird
The Lodge is a Land for Wildlife sanctuary with good populations of birds, mammals, reptiles and plants. Around 230 bird species have been recorded within a 1½ km radius of the Lodge and its grounds and all of the 13 Wet Tropics endemic birds can be found within a 15km travel distance.
They are also famous for the Red-necked Crake which can often be seen down near the creek or Crake Pond, they also have Pale-vented Bush Hen on the property that can be found near any long grass in the area. They also have a resident Platypus in the stream at the bottom of the property.
Overnight stay at Kingfisher Park Birdwatchers Lodge
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Day 2: Daintree, Julatten, Mt Lewis
This is one of the best examples of a tropical river with rainforest growing right to the water's edge, which provides for some great birding. The river is most famous for the great-billed heron and little kingfisher. The heron, one of the world's largest, was always a 'phantom' bird for birdwatchers. Twenty years ago, it was rarely seen. Once birding tours commenced on the river, exploring the small rainforest and mangrove creeks that ran from it, the bird was seen more regularly. Even now, however, it remains elusive and can melt into the shadows of the rainforest or mangroves right before your eyes.
A pre-dawn cruise will provide the best conditions for those wishing to see the river at its most stunning, as well as the greatest chance to see some of the most sought-after birds of the river. Referred to in many 'birding' reference books, this famous cruise has been the highlight for many birdwatching enthusiasts in Far North Queensland. Key target species include Great-billed Heron, Papuan Frogmouth, Little Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher, Black Bittern, Saltwater Crocodile, Green Tree Snake, Water Dragon and butterflies.
The afternoon will be spent exploring the area of Mount Lewis. A 30 minute drive from the lodge is perhaps the best place in Australia to see the magnificent Blue-faced Parrot Finches which can be found during the wet season months from November to April. The mountain is also a great place to see Victoria's Rifiebird, Bower's Shrike-thrush, Bridled, Lewin's Honeyeaters, Mountain Thornbill, Topknot Pigeon, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Wompoo and Superb Fruit-Doves.
Optional Spotlighting
Spotlighting can also be very rewarding with Barking, Sooty (Lesser) and Barn Owls, Papuan Frogmouths are usually heard Calling and Boyd's Forest Dragon and Northern Leaf-tailed Gecko are also common. Also keep an eye out for Stripped & Green Ring-tailed Possum, White-tailed Tree rat and also Long-nosed and Northern Brown Bandicoot.
Accommodation at Crater Lakes Rainforest Cottages
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Day 3: Shared Earth Reserve
FNQ Nature Tours has exclusive access to the Forever Wild Shared Earth Reserve. Forever Wild work to protect Earth's last great wildernesses for societal well-being, for biological diversity and its evolutionary potential, for our cultural record and economic values. The reserve encompasses 5000 acres of lagoons, trails, bird hides permanent lakes, swamps, billabongs, and creeks including an incredible mosaic of old-growth savanna woodland. The site is incredibly diverse, and the property has some of the highest avian diversity anywhere in Australia. Boasting over 220 species recorded, the highest bird count in a single day is 98 species, and there is a healthy population of the endangered Northern Quoll
The diverse range of birdlife and wildlife include Quails, 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.
Both the Laughing Kookaburra and Blue Winged Kookaburra are regularly seen. Bee-eaters, Dollarbirds, Tree Creepers and Pardalotes are well represented as well as numerous Honeyeaters, Robins, Thrushes, Monarchs, Fly Catchers and Wagtails are seen throughout the Wetlands.
Accommodation at Chambers Wildlife Lodge
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Day 4: Atherton Tablelands, Hasties Swamp & Mt. Hypipamee
The Atherton Tablelands is the high-altitude counterpart of the coastal Daintree Rainforest. Offering freshwater creek trails and walking tracks into mesophyll vine forest and outstanding remnants of the regions volcanic history
Hasties Swamp is a large seasonal wetland renowned for its diverse range of resident and migratory birds. Over 220 species have been identified and a large bird hide, with informative identification signs, offers excellent waterbird viewing opportunities.
One of the highlights of the Atherton Tablelands is Mount Hypipamee National Park, this is one of the best places to see the magnificent male Golden Bowerbird which have Bowers in the area. It's also a great place for Southern Cassowary. Other birds that can be found in the general area are Eastern Spinebill, Grey-headed and Pale-yellow Robin, Lewin's and Bridled Honeyeater, Chowchilla, Spotted Catbird and Tooth-billed Bowerbirds.
Mount Hypipamee is also great for spotlighting. We have encountered Green Ringtail, Herbert River Ringtail, Lemuroid Ringtail and Brushtail Possums here. Lumholtz Tree Kangaroos too if you're lucky!
Accommodation at Chambers Wildlife Lodge
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Day 5: Crater Lakes & Yungaburra
Lake Barrine and Yungaburra are outstanding locations to visit for all nature lovers. Several walks are available offering great wildlife and bird watching opportunities. From 30 minutes to two hours, tailored to our target species of the day.
These include Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Spotted Catbird, Victoria's Riflebird, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Australian King Parrot, White-throated Treecreeper, Yellow-throated Scrubwren, Eastern Spinebill, Lewin's Honeyeater, Bridled honeyeater, Dusky Honeyeater, Scarlet Honeyeater, Brown Honeyeater, Macleay's Honeyeater, Chowchilla, Eastern Whipbird, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike. Barred Cuckoo-shrike. Pale-yellow Robin, Grey-headed Robin, Black-faced Monarch, Spectacled Monarch and Grey Fantail.
Peterson Creek Wildlife & Botanical Walking Track is located in the heart of Yungaburra where we may be able to view platypus or the rare Lumholtz Tree-Kangaroo
How you'll be making a positive impact
We have aligned our sustainability vision with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Citizen Science with FNQ Nature ToursFNQ Nature Tours contributes observations of flora & fauna via iNaturalist, the world’s leading global social biodiversity network. This platform allows our team to create research-quality citizen science data that enables a more detailed picture of our national biodiversity, and assists bodies such as the CSIRO, ecologists and other decision makers to deliver better outcomes for the environment and our species.
Solar-powered Daintree River CruiseFNQ Nature Tours have a preferred arrangement with Solar Whisper for their Daintree River Cruises, which uses solar panels on the boat’s roof to provide the overwhelming majority of energy used, and an extremely quiet experience with no exhaust, fume, wake.
Developing Partnerships To Meet Sustainability GoalsFNQ Nature Tours have developed a number of partnerships with key environmental organisations in Far North Queensland, including FNQ Wildlife Rescue, Bush Heritage, Forever Wild, Australian Quoll Conservancy, Tolga Bat Hospital, Tree Roo Rescue and Wildlife & Raptor Care Queensland.
