Daintree & Mossman Gorge

Full Day Daintree Experience

After departing from Cairns around 7:30am, guests will head north towards the world famous Daintree Rainforest; an area of ancient tropical rainforest spanning 120,000 hectares, estimated to be 180 million years old. This region was given World Heritage status in 1988 and has the highest diversity of rainforest mammals in Australia.

Led by your expert guide, guests will enjoy a two and a half kilometre walk through a private section of the National Park to learn more about some of the 3,000 plant species from over 210 families, including 65 percent of Australia’s fern species, 30 percent of Australia’s orchid species and the earliest examples of flowering plants on the planet. The trees into Mossman Gorge provide the opportunity to spot the endemic Boyd‘s Forest Dragon (a chameleon that can adapt its colouring for camouflage), along with the beautiful White-lipped Tree Frog and iconic Ulysses Butterfly.

Once travellers reach the spectacular Mossman Gorge, there is the option to take a swim and enjoy the magnificent vistas. Upon arriving to the Daintree Tea House, lunch will be served with the opportunity to sample some of the region’s delicious fruits and berries, surrounded by views of the tropical rainforest and continuous sounds of birds and nature.

Next stop is the Daintree River for a Wildlife Cruise upon a solar powered vessel, providing abundant opportunities to spot Saltwater Crocodiles and some of the regions 420 bird species. The river is a haven for kingfishers, including the Azure, Forest, Little & Sacred species, cormorants, herons, ibis, spoonbills, flycatchers, Brahminy Kites, White-bellied Sea Eagles, Wompoo fruit doves, Sunbirds, Spotted-whistling ducks and Rainbow Bee-eaters.

Guests will be returned to accommodation in Cairns at 5:30pm.

Optional: Cape Tribulation (substitute)

For guests staying at Silky Oaks Lodge, Thala Beach Nature Reserve, or a property in Port Douglas, we can offer Cape Tribulation as a substitution for Mossman Gorge.

Why not both?

Trying to squeeze both into a single day would result in a rushed experience with limited time at each location, more time in transit, and less opportunity to engage meaningfully with the environment and local culture.

An afternoon exploring Cape Tribulation looks like this:

Following lunch at the beautiful Heritage Lodge (instead of Daintree Tea House), where guests may enjoy an optional swim in the crystal-clear waters of Cooper Creek, the tour continues north to the iconic Cape Tribulation. Guests will spend time exploring the world-renowned coastline where the Daintree Rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef, a rugged landscape set within a dramatic natural amphitheatre formed by surrounding mountains.

The afternoon includes a stop at the Daintree Ice Cream Company for a unique tasting experience, featuring ice cream made from organic tropical fruits grown on the property. The day's main exploration follows, with a guided walk along an exclusive, private rainforest boardwalk. Led by their expert guide, guests will venture deep into this ancient ecosystem, learning about its incredible biodiversity, which includes 65 percent of Australia's fern species and some of the earliest flowering plants on Earth.

This immersive walk provides opportunities to spot endemic wildlife such as Boyd's Forest Dragon, the beautiful White-lipped Tree Frog, and the iconic Ulysses Butterfly. The boardwalk is also a prime habitat for the magnificent and endangered Southern Cassowary.

Tour details

Private Group Size: Maximum of 11 guests
Pick-up and Drop Off Point: Cairns/Northern Beaches/Port Douglas
Pick-up and Drop-off Time: Cairns 7:30am/Northern beaches 08:00am/Port Douglas 8:30am (location dependent), Drop off approximately 5:00pm
Group Pricing: $1,650 1-4 passengers, $1,800 5 passengers, $1,950 6 passengers

How you'll be making a positive impact

Citizen Science with FNQ Nature Tours

FNQ 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.

Our guides record observations with iNaturalist Australia by using the iNaturalist app on mobile phones or desktop computers. An observation records an encounter with an individual organism at a particular time and location in Far North Queensland. We require photos to be attached to observations for them to become research grade and added to the Atlas of Living Australia.

This is where you can greatly assist us in capturing images out on tour! Although we make broader observations that we think are valuable to the local scientific community, we have identified the following species to track when we are exploring Far North Queensland by vehicle or on foot.

Key species we're looking out for include:

• Black-throated Finch
• Grey Goshawk (white morph)
• Lesser Sooty Owl
• Southern Cassowary
• Red-necked Crake
• Lumholtz’s Tree-Kangaroo
• Green-eyed Tree Frog
• Boyd’s Forest Dragon
• Great-billed Heron

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.

 

Although spotlighting is a fantastic means of revealing some of Australia’s most endearing creatures, white torches or spotlights can significantly disturb our marsupials, due to the greater sensitivity of their pupils to light compared with humans. High-powered spotlights effect the ability for pupils to function properly for extended periods of time, leaving them blinded temporarily.

For this reason, we share with guests the importance of using red-filtered spotlights along with prohibiting flash photography. 

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. These organisations are supported financially via special touring experiences provided by FNQ Nature Tours.