Afternoon Daintree Tour with Wildlife Cruise from Port Douglas

About This Experience

This is the short version of a Daintree day. Daintree Discovery Tours collects you from your Port Douglas accommodation at 12:50pm and drops you back around 5:30pm, so the morning stays free. Cairns guests can drive up and meet the guide at the Wildlife Habitat car park in Port Douglas.

The drive north on the Captain Cook Highway passes cane fields on the way to the Daintree River, with the guide filling in local history. On the river you spend about an hour looking for estuarine crocodiles, snakes, birds and frogs, with a beer, wine or soft drink and a small snack on board.

The second stop is Mossman Gorge, the southern part of the Daintree Rainforest. Your guide leads an easy 500-metre return walk, mostly on boardwalks, and then there is time to swim in the clear stream if the weather and river level allow it. Allow about an hour and a half at the gorge.

It suits travellers with half a day to spare, families with young children (the minimum age is 3) and anyone who wants the river and the gorge without a long drive. The tour does not cross the Daintree River ferry, so Cape Tribulation is not on it. A morning version of this tour is also listed by the same operator.

Highlights

• Spend an hour on the Daintree River looking for estuarine crocodiles
• Sip a beer, wine or soft drink on the boat as the guide points out wildlife
• Walk into Mossman Gorge on an easy boardwalk loop with your guide
• Cool off in the clear stream at Mossman Gorge when conditions allow
• Drive north past the cane fields hearing the region's history
• Be back in Port Douglas around 5:30pm with your morning left free

What's Included

• ✓ Pickup and drop-off at your Port Douglas accommodation
• ✓ Daintree River cruise with a beer, wine or soft drink and a small snack
• ✓ Mossman Gorge guided walk and swim
• ✓ Daintree National Park access
• ✓ Chilled drinking water on board
• ✓ Use of raincoats and umbrellas, and insect repellent

Not Included

• Pickup from Cairns (meet at the Wildlife Habitat car park instead)
• Cape Tribulation and the Daintree ferry crossing

What to Bring

• Swimwear
• Towel
• Camera
• Sunscreen

Good to Know & Caveats

• Pickup from Port Douglas accommodation is at 12:50pm, with drop-off around 5:30pm.
• Swimming at Mossman Gorge depends on the weather and river level; the gorge's own centre warns of strong currents, so only swim where your guide says.
• Cairns guests drive or take a shuttle to Port Douglas and meet at the Wildlife Habitat car park.
• Crocodile sightings on the river are common but never guaranteed.

Meeting Point

Pickup at 12:50pm from your Port Douglas accommodation, or meet at the Wildlife Habitat car park in Port Douglas if you drive up from Cairns.