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The Daintree Rainforest is almost as well-known as the Great Barrier Reef, and these two World Heritage listed beauties are undoubtedly the drawcards for our region. The Cairns Adventure Group (CAG) Daintree day tour delivers a big pack for punch with inclusions and value. Scenic coastal drive from Cairns to Mossman Gorge, where you’ll receive a Welcome to Country from the Traditional Owners and participate in a Smoke Ceremony with the Kuku Yalanji People. Swimming at the stunning Mossman Gorge, a wildlife cruise on the Daintree River, guided Daintree Rainforest boardwalk tour, tasty lunch at Turtle Rock Café and visit a beach showcasing where the ‘Reef meets the Rainforest’.
This tour includes return pick-ups from various Cairns City, Northern Beaches and Port Douglas locations, a knowledgeable guide who provides commentary throughout the day and travel in a comfortable air conditioned coach. It ticks all the boxes. Daintree Rainforest. Welcome to Country with the Kuku Yalanji People. Swimming at Mossman Gorge. Daintree River Cruise. Guided Rainforest Boardwalk Tour. Cape Tribulation Beach.
We love this day tour because it’s the best of the Daintree Rainforest, Mossman Gorge and Cape Tribulation experiences, bringing together nature, culture and adventure into one unforgettable journey. Walk rainforest boardwalks, swim in rainforest rivers and cruise the Daintree River, looking for saltwater crocodiles. Be Welcomed To Country by the Traditional Owners, the Kuku Yalanji People, at Mossman Gorge with a Smoke Ceremony. Learn from passionate guides as they bring rainforest stories to life. You’ll travel from Cairns to the Daintree and back again, making memories to last a lifetime. It’s a big bucket list ticking tour. Read our Daintree Day Tour Review.
Get a free underwater camera rental when you book tours through us valued at over $750, we’ll lend you a GoPro underwater camera to use for the duration of your tours. Numbers are limited and allocated on a first-come basis. Get in touch with us to claim this deal today.
Cairns Adventure Group (CAG) is a locally owned and family operated company, passionate about showcasing the best of our region to guests. We love what they do and they are mates of ours, sharing our passion for Cairns and all it offers. Their Daintree day tour is a big day on the bus, jumping on and off at key destinations to experience and engage with the people and places that embody the beauty of the Daintree Rainforest, Mossman Gorge and Cape Tribulation. This tour is suitable for people of all ages and has Adult and Child Prices. Please note infants and children aged 2 years old and under are free if they sit on a parents lap. The Cairns pick-ups start from 7am and you return to Cairns from 5.30pm onwards. All tickets and lunch are included in the tour price. Bring additional money for coffees, cold drinks and ice-cream.
The Daintree Rainforest is the unofficial name for the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, home to the world’s longest continually surviving tropical rainforests and ancient and living culture of the Kuku Yalanji People. The Daintree National Park is comprised of two sections, Mossman Gorge and Cape Tribulation, and you visit both on this big Daintree day tour. You’ll refresh in the cool, clear waters of Mossman Gorge, cross the Daintree River on a cable-ferry and then explore this remote rainforest on roads and boardwalks, with interpretive commentary provided throughout the day.
You’ll also visit one of the Cape Tribulation beaches, allowing you to see firsthand where the ‘Rainforest meets the Reef’. See the mountains slide down to the beaches, see coastal lowland rainforest and mangroves and the fringing reefs sitting right off the beach. This is a special place, where tree ferns and fan palms thrive and there’s an abundance of life all around you, all of the time.
This Daintree day tour includes a guided boardwalk tour. Your Cairns Adventure Group guide is trained on rainforest interpretation and will help you gain a deeper insight into the evolution of the rainforest, and its many different plants. There are a few boardwalks in the Daintree Rainforest and which one you will explore on the day, depends on the itinerary timing and weather. You will see climbing vines and palms, fan palms and some of the rainforest giants. The boardwalks also enable you to see the lowlight of the rainforest undergrowth, a distinct feature of closed-canopy tropical rainforest.
Wildlife interactions in the Daintree Rainforest are not guaranteed but are highly likely. From the comfort of the bus, you might see a Southern Cassowary crossing the road or walking in rivers. On the boardwalks you are sure to see some of the rainforest’s many insects and butterflies, as well as lizards and monitors. At Mossman Gorge you might catch a glimpse of a Boyd’s Forest Dragon clinging to the side of a tree and see dragonflies dance over the water. This day tour includes a Daintree River wildlife cruise, searching for saltwater crocodiles, turtles and the abundance of birdlife that thrive on this ancient waterway.
The Traditional Owners of the Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation Area are the Eastern Kuku Yalanji People. Their history dates back tens of thousands of years and their living culture connects them to country, with an unbroken entwinement of people and place. You will meet with modern representatives of the Eastern Kuku Yalanji People who will Welcome You To Country and provide a Smoke Ceremony. During your time with them, you will learn about traditional practices, including bush tucker, hunting techniques and more. This is an important part of the tour and will leave you with a deeper understanding of the Rainforest Peoples.
This Daintree day tour itinerary is based around the ‘usual’ Cairns Adventure Group itinerary. However, please note that exact times and order of activities can change pending weather and other circumstances. The tour is provided in an air-conditioned coach which commences pick-ups from Cairns at 7am. There are numerous Cairns City, Northern Beaches and Port Douglas pick-up locations. The tour is fully guided. The ticket price covers all the experiences and lunch. If there is time, this tour might stop at the Daintree Ice-Cream Company for refreshments. You should take additional funds for food and beverage purchases (at Daintree Ice-Cream Company), plus any souvenirs and/or cold drinks you may want to purchase.
Cairns Adventure Group commences its tour pick-ups from various Cairns city and Northern Beaches locations. Exact pick-up times are confirmed closer to travel time.
All Cairns City and Northern Beaches pick-ups are completed and you’ll enjoy a scenic coastal drive, also known as the Great Barrier Reef Drive, from Palm Cove to Port Douglas.
Cairns Adventure Group commences its Port Douglas pick-ups. Once that is completed, it’s a relatively short and scenic drive to the Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre.
Arrive at the Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre. Be Welcomed To Country by the Eastern Kuku Yalanji People and participate in a Smoke Ceremony. You will also learn about traditional practices, including bush tucker and hunting techniques, prior to a coach transfer to the swimming location.
Alight from the coach and walk to Mossman Gorge for swimming. The clear waters are cool and refreshing. The setting is stunning, large granite boulders scattered amongst the river and surrounded by lush tropical rainforest. Once you have completed swimming, you return to the Cairns Adventure Group bus to continue your journey. You will cross the Daintree River on ferry and make your way to the Turtle Rock Café at Cape Tribulation for lunch.
Lunch at the Turtle Rock Café at Cape Tribulation. You can choose between a burrito bowl and a burrito. The focus is on freshness and flavour. Dietary requirements can be catered to, but should be advised at the time of booking.
Enjoy a guided boardwalk tour with your Cairns Adventure Group tour leader. They will enrich your experience with explanations on the surrounding rainforest, its evolution and key plant species. This is sometimes completed prior to lunch and at a different location.
Get sandy feet and walk out on to a Cape Tribulation region beach, where the ‘Reef meets the Rainforest’. Enjoy the amazing location with time for photos.
Alight from the bus to join a Daintree River Wildlife Cruise. This cruise will take you from one side of the river to the other. Along the way guides will provide information on the river and its ecosystem, while looking for saltwater crocodiles, turtles and the birdlife that thrive here. Once the cruise is completed, you jump back on the Cairns Adventure Group bus to re-trace your journey to Cairns. All drop-offs will be completed along the way, at Port Douglas and the Northern Beaches.
Cairns Adventure Group arrives back into Cairns and completes all drop-offs.
It’s a full-day coach tour that ticks all the boxes for Daintree experiences and destinations. We’re talking a visit to the Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre for a Welcome to Country and Smoke ceremony, swimming at the Gorge, transfers to the Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation, guided boardwalk tours and beach visits, lunch at the Turtle Rock Café and a Daintree River Wildlife Cruise.
It departs from Cairns with pick-ups across the city, northern beaches and Port Douglas. It goes to Mossman Gorge and the Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre, Daintree River and Daintree Ferry, Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation. It sometimes goes to the Daintree Ice-Cream Company, pending time on the day.
This is a full day tour. Pick-ups commence in Cairns from 7am and you return to the city around 5.30pm.
Additional drinks, snacks, refreshments and/or souvenirs purchased at any of the stops.
The tour provides pick-ups and return transfers from Cairns City, Northern Beaches and Port Douglas.
Morning pick-ups commence in Cairns city from 7am. Your exact pick-up time is confirmed closer to the time of travel.
Yes, this is a family-friendly Daintree day tour. Although please note children who can swim in open water, will probably enjoy the tour more. It is a long day on the bus for infants and younger children.
Yes. The entire tour is guided by Cairns Adventure Group tour leaders. In addition, you are guided by representatives of the Eastern Kuku Yalanji People and Daintree River Wildlife Cruise guides.
Yes, pre-booking is recommended, especially during peak holiday periods. Tours often fill quickly due to limited seating and cultural permit allocations at Mossman Gorge.
Yes, you can bring water bottles and light snacks. A full lunch is included, but extra food or drinks can be handy for the bus trip or after swimming.
There are no crocodiles at the Mossman Gorge swimming location.
There are no toilets on the coach, but stops with toilet facilities are scheduled throughout the day at Mossman Gorge, Turtle Rock Café (or lunch destination) and other key points.
Yes, there are overnight Daintree tours available and we will add these to our website in coming weeks. In the meantime, contact us directly for more information by calling Richard on 0410 510 214 or email richard@ilovecairns.com.au
This Daintree day tour does operate in the rain. You can not have a rainforest without rain. However, the tour and its inclusions can vary pending the intensity and frequency of rain. This usually happens in February or March and you will be contacted if you are affected.
It depends. You will need to be able to get on and off the bus, via the stairs. There are some stairs at Mossman Gorge. The tour does involve walking down to and along a sandy beach.
You should bring a small day pack including a towel, sun sunscreen and insect repellent. Change of clothes, hat and additional funds for any additional snack and beverage purchased you might like to make.
If you have any question regarding this tour, please do not hesitate to contact us, we can help you find the perfect tour for you, we understand it can be overwhelming trying to decide. Our advice and booking service is free.
The Daintree Rainforest. You know the name, but do you know its history, its secrets and its most beautiful places? Active Tropics Explorer do - and they’ll show and share it with you, on their Cairns Daintree tour.
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