Itinerary
Tour day-by-day
-
Day 1: Cairns to Daintree
The Daintree is an area of ancient tropical rainforest spanning 120,000 hectares, making it the largest portion of tropical rainforest in Australia.
We will visit several quiet nature trails that offer unique opportunities to experience the natural scenery and endemic wildlife within the National Park.
Private property access increases our chances of encountering a wild Southern Cassowary, one of our major target species for the day.
Accommodation: Daintree Heritage Lodge
-
Day 2: Cape Tribulation
If you are morning person, we recommend heading down to Cape Tribulation Beach to watch the sunrise.
The day continues with guided photography nature walks through Jindalba, Maardja and Dubuji boardwalks.
After lunch is the hottest part of the day, so while the wildlife is less active, take advantage of a swim in one of the many freshwater rainforest creeks that epitomise the tropical rainforest.
As the sun goes down, the day is not over! After we have enjoyed an outstanding evening meal, it is time to adventure into the nocturnal world. Highlights for the evening walk may include the Papuan Frogmouth, Leaf-tailed Gecko and Lesser-sooty Owl.
Daintree and Cape Tribulation wildlife sightings may include the Southern Cassowary, Eastern Osprey, Boyd’s Forest Dragon, Green Tree-Snake, Saltwater Crocodile, Wompoo Fruit Dove, Shining Flycatcher, Ulysses butterfly, White-lipped Tree Frog, Bennett’s Tree Kangaroo, Striped Possum, Azure Kingfisher, Little Kingfisher and Australian Scrub Python.
Accommodation: Daintree Heritage Lodge
-
Day 3: Cape Tribulation to Atherton Tablelands
Our day begins before the sun rises on three hours private boat cruise on the beautiful Daintree River in the dawn light. Observing wildlife on a quiet, clean, solar electric boat with zero impact on the environment is a huge advantage for wildlife photographers.
We have a 99% success rate for spotting crocodiles, excellent bird watching opportunities and other wildlife possibilities such as snakes, frogs and fish and bats.
Daintree River wildlife sightings may include the Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Azure Kingfisher, Black Bittern, Shining Flycatcher, Radja Shellduck, Black-necked Stork, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Saltwater Crocodile, Spectacled Flying-fox Green Tree Snake, Water Dragon and butterflies.
After the cruise and morning tea we leave the coast and head towards the Port Douglas Hinterland through the township of Julatten. On this journey you will observe the transition in our surroundings from tropical rainforest to open savannah. Our destination for the afternoon is the Forever Wild Shared Earth Reserve.
FNQ Nature Tours has exclusive access to the 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
Shared Earth Reserve sightings may include Quails, Magpie Geese, Black Swans, Ducks, Grebes, Darters, Cormorants, Pelicans, Swamphens, Moorhens, Coots, Herons, Egrets, Ibis, Spoonbills, Storks (Jabiru), Brolga, Sarus Crane, Bustards, Sandpipers, Jacanas which thrive on the water lilies, Lapwings, Plovers, Dotterels, Terns. Both the Laughing 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 observed throughout the Wetlands.
Participate in research with our guides by completing a bird count of the wetlands. This data is invaluable for global bird exposure, recognition and understanding.
Once we have filled our SD cards, we have a 90-minute drive into the heart of the Atherton Tablelands where we will be based for the next two nights.
Accommodation: Chambers Wildlife Lodge
-
Day 4: Atherton Tablelands
In the higher altitudes of the Tablelands vine forest, we are sharing our oxygen with extraordinary Marsupials and Monotremes. Our guides showcase their local knowledge and facilitate memorable moments with the Lumholtz Tree Kangaroo and the Mainland Platypus. These engendered animals will be the focus of the day.
No Western people had seen a tree-kangaroo until 113 years after Captain Cook landed in Australia. They had remained undiscovered for so long due to their remote, tree-canopy habitat in the rainforest. Furthermore, they are solitary animals and incredibly difficult hard to spot. In fact, some considered them mythical creatures, due to their elusiveness.
The infamous town of Yungaburra has been the delight of many visiting wildlife photographers. With several mountain streams populated with the Australian Platypus, the odds are in our favour for that perfect shot of a Platypus emerging to breathe.
Accommodation: Chambers Wildlife Lodge
-
Day 5: Atherton Tablelands to Cairns
The rainforests of the Tablelands provide habitat for a diverse array of other marsupials, reptiles, invertebrates and over 320 species of bird. Iconic bird species include the Victoria’s Riflebird, Golden Bowerbird, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Atherton Scrubwren, Bridled Honeyeater, Pied Monarch, Bush Stone-curlew, Black-faced Monarch, Red-backed Fairy-wren and Forest Kingfisher.
On our final day we dedicate time to find any wildlife that have evaded our lenses! We often visit, Hasties Swamp, the Curtin Fig Tree, Malanda and Lake Barrine
Lake Eacham and Lake Barrine are two popular geological attractions, both formed when rising lava was pushed against ground water, resulting in explosions from the heating of these underground streams. The resulting craters of Lakes Eacham and Lake Barrine were formed around 10,000 years ago and reach a depth of 65 metres. A visit to Lake Barrine provides us with a high likelihood of seeing a Red-legged Pademelon, Musky Rat Kangaroo, Snapping Turtle, Giant Eel, Eastern Water Dragon and Saw-shell Turtle.
Wildlife Opportunities
-
Tour details:
Group Size: Minimum of 4 guests, Maximum of 7 guests
Pick-up and Drop Off Point: Cairns/Northern Beaches/Port Douglas
Inclusions: 5 days touring with likeminded nature enthusiasts, 4 nights accommodation
All meals provided, expert local guide and photographer, modern comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle.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 Tours
FNQ Nature Tours contributes observations of flora & fauna via iNaturalist, the world’s leading global social biodiversity network.
Solar-powered Daintree River Cruise
FNQ 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.
Red-filtered Flashlights for our Nocturnal Beauties
White torches or spotlights can significantly disturb our marsupials, due to the greater sensitivity of their pupils to light compared with humans. FNQ Nature Tours use, and share with guests the importance of using, red-filtered spotlights.
Developing Partnerships To Meet Sustainability Goals
FNQ 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.
