4 Day Nature, Wildlife & Conservation Safari

Day 1: Daintree Rainforest & Cape Tribulation

Witness the magical Great Barrier Reef Drive as we head north on the scenic coastal highway. Learn about the unique habitats within the local environment and observe the changes in biodiversity as we get closer to the Daintree Tropical Rainforest 

 0900 Rainforest Rescue

Rainforest Rescue is a not-for-profit organization that has been protecting and restoring rainforests since 1999 by providing opportunities for individuals and businesses to Protect Rainforests Forever. On our journey to the Daintree Rainforest, we stop in at Rainforest Rescue HQ for a short educational experience. The team will demonstrate the efforts involved in re-establishing rainforests through planting, maintenance, and restoration programs, as well as purchasing and protecting high conservation value rainforest and preserving its biodiversity.

1130 Lunch the Daintree Tea House

Lunch will be held at the Daintree Tea House. With 30 years in operation, they have mastered the art of perfection. Lunch has an exotic theme with the outside dining area secluded in the rainforest with beautiful views of tropical rainforest and continuous sounds of birds and nature. A fruit tasting presentation is often a part of their wonderful service.

1330 Jindalba Interpretive Rainforest Trail

The Daintree is an area of ancient tropical rainforest spanning 120,000 hectares, making it the largest portion of tropical rainforest in Australia Walk the quiet tracks to witness the complex ecosystems in this World Heritage Area.

Jindalba nature trail offers unique and remarkable opportunities to experience the natural scenery and endemic wildlife within the National Park.

1500 Cape Tribulation (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 and remote beaches

Several walks, scenic lookouts and beach areas are located in the coastal community. We often spend up to an hour exploring the natural assets if this area. Lodging tonight will be in beautiful rainforest clad accommodation. Heritage Lodge is an environmentally friendly resort set back in the heart of a lush coastal rainforest, a short stroll from Cooper Creek. Enjoy a dip before settling in for dinner and accommodation for this evening.

Accommodation: Heritage Lodge

Day 2: Daintree River & Atherton Tablelands

Breakfast at the lodge. We have an early start today to maximise our wildlife viewing on the Daintree River. A short drive of 45 minutes will have us at our Daintree River cruise location.

0930 Private Daintree Cruise

Cruise the beautiful Daintree River with the dawn light, spotting wildlife on a quiet, clean solar electric boat with zero impact on the environment. Get closer to nature… hear, smell & experience without noise & fumes.

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. The cruise is two hours!

1200 Lunch at Beechwoods Café in Mossman

1330 Wildlife & Raptor Care Queensland (WARCQ)

Amber Dahlberg is the founder and coordinator of WARCQ, is a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organisation based in Julatten in Far North Queensland. The WARCQ rescue and rehabilitate, mammals, marsupials, birds, owls and Australian raptors. At present, the WARCQ facilities comprise a purpose-built 15m care and flight aviary for raptors and birds of prey as well as a treatment clinic and other support services. A raptor prey-breeding facility is also located on-site. Guests will meet Amber and gain insight into her lifelong passion of educating the public through caring for injured and rehabilitated wildlife.

1530 Arrive at the Curtain Fig Tree

One of the most incredible trees you will see in your life. This ancient fig tree is an epic rainforest survivor with a very complex ecosystem surrounding its lifecycle. The birdlife that can be heard in the surrounding forest is quite amazing here.

Chambers Wildlife Rainforest Lodges is hidden in 1200 acres of Lake Eacham's lush, tropical highland rainforest in the beautiful Waterfalls and Crater Lakes district of the Atherton Tablelands. As pioneers in eco-tourism the lodge specifically caters for birdwatchers, wildlife enthusiasts, naturalists and photographers. Dinner at Malanda Lodge

Overnight stay at Chambers Wildlife Lodge

Day 3: Atherton Tabelands

In the morning, we try our hand at spotting Platypus in the wild. We have enjoyed some incredible encounters here in this historic town over the years. Learn about their elusive behaviour and have your camera ready for a photograph. This is one of the most iconic wildlife experiences on the Atherton Tablelands, we will take our time here and often return for a second time when required.

1330 Lake Eacham

A chance to cool down during the hottest part of the day; swim in an extinct volcanic crater with pristine clear water surrounded by Rainforest. For our guests who would prefer not to swim, other nature sites are available close by!

1530 Tolga Bat Hospital

Have you ever looked a flying-fox in the eye? Seen and heard the echolocation calls of a microbat on a bat detector? The Tolga Bat Hospital is a wildlife experience based in the Atherton Tablelands. They have been awarded  Advanced Ecotourism accreditation, for offering one of Australia's leading and most innovative ecotourism experiences. A visit to this site to observe this community group that works for the conservation of bats and their habitat through rescue and land care work, advocacy, education, and research. Dinner at Nick's Restaurant

1930 Night spotting (optional)

A wildlife tour in the Far North Queensland is not complete without a night walk. A large portion of the local wildlife has adopted a nocturnal lifestyle to avoid the heat of the day in the tropical climate. We often visit 2 sites to experience the overall diversity of nocturnal wildlife in the Wet Tropics. Guests can opt out of the night activities and be returned to the lodge before-hand.

Overnight stay at Chambers Wildlife Lodge

Day 4: Lake Barrine, Etta Bay & Cairns

0930 Malanda Conservation Park

This conservation park is invaluable to the elusive Mapee ( Lumholtz Tree Kangaroo) They are seen on a regular basis in this small patch of protected forest. Malanda falls is a beautiful photo opportunity on the walk and several other wildlife opportunities are available here, such as the Freshwater Snapping Turtle and the Grey-headed Robin.

1130 Lake Barrine

The famous volcanic crater lake is an outstanding location for nature activities. Several walks are available offering great wildlife and bird watching opportunities. The lake is a big highlight to spot reptiles such as water dragons, birds, eels, fish, and other Wet Tropics endemic species.

When available, our groups may also be offering a cruise around the lake, an activity operated by the owners of the Lake Barrine Tea House.

1530 Etty Bay

Heading down the mountains once more to re-join the coast. Etty Bay is one hour south of Cairns and is often frequented by the famous Southern Cassowary, seen patrolling the area most days with sights more common during the early morning and late afternoon.

1730 Return to Cairns

Day 5 – Optional Great Barrier Reef Tour
Get picked up from your accommodation in Cairns and join your group for a day out on the reef to explore one of the 7 wonders of the natural world and World Heritage Area by boat.

Tour details:

Group Size: Minimum of 4 guests, Maximum of 6 guests
Pick-up and Drop Off Point: Cairns/Northern Beaches/Port Douglas

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

Connecting with Australian Quoll Conservancy & Tree Roo Rescue

As part of FNQ Nature Tours' 4 Day Nature, Wildlife & Conservation Safari, guests spend some time with wildlife experts such as Alberto Vale from Australian Quoll Conservancy and Dr Karen Coombes from Tree Roo Rescue. These experiences give guests an incredible and rare insight into the conservation work going on behind-the-scenes for some of Australia's endangered wildlife species.

 

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.

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.