Small-Group Cape Tribulation and Mossman Gorge Tour from Cairns

About This Experience

Discovery Tours Australia runs this full loop of the Daintree in a Mercedes Sprinter capped at 16 guests, which keeps stops quick to get in and out of and the guide within earshot all day. Pickups start in Cairns from about 7am, Palm Cove from about 7:50am and Port Douglas from about 8:35am, and the first stop is a 30-minute break at Port Douglas with the view from Flagstaff Hill.

Mossman Gorge gets about an hour and a half: morning tea with freshly baked scones, jam and cream, a guided walk that crosses the suspension bridge, and an optional swim in the river. Lunch is an hour at a rainforest restaurant with a choice of barramundi, chicken, steak, kangaroo or a vegetarian dish, plus a tasting of seasonal tropical fruit.

In the afternoon there is an hour on the Daintree River looking for crocodiles and birds, then the cable ferry across to a guided botanical walk through mangrove and forest, about 30 minutes at Cape Tribulation Beach, and a 30-minute stop at Alexandra Lookout over the river mouth and Snapper Island. There is a stop at the Daintree Ice Cream Company too, with the ice cream at your own expense.

It suits travellers who want the full sweep of the region in a smaller group and like having a proper sit-down lunch. The operator is upfront that this is a 12-hour day and that the drive to Cape Tribulation takes about three hours each way with stops, so expect plenty of seat time.

Highlights

• Travel in a group of no more than 16 in a Mercedes Sprinter with panoramic windows
• Scones with jam and cream at Mossman Gorge, then a guided walk across the suspension bridge
• Choose barramundi, kangaroo, steak, chicken or vegetarian at a rainforest restaurant, with a tropical fruit tasting
• An hour on the Daintree River looking for saltwater crocodiles
• Walk Cape Tribulation Beach where the rainforest meets the reef
• Views of the Daintree River mouth and Snapper Island from Alexandra Lookout

What's Included

• ✓ Pickup from Cairns CBD and Northern Beaches accommodation
• ✓ Small group of up to 16 guests in a Mercedes Sprinter with an eco-accredited guide
• ✓ Morning tea with scones, coffee and tea
• ✓ Restaurant lunch and tropical fruit tasting
• ✓ One-hour Daintree River cruise and cable ferry crossing
• ✓ Guided Mossman Gorge walk, botanical walk and all national park fees

Not Included

• Ice cream at the Daintree Ice Cream Company (own expense)

What to Bring

• Swimwear and a towel
• Sunscreen, sunglasses and a sun hat
• Comfortable shoes and clothes
• Camera

Good to Know & Caveats

• Pickups start from about 7am in Cairns, 7:50am in Palm Cove and 8:35am in Port Douglas; the listed starting time is not your pickup time, so check the operator's email.
• This is roughly a 12-hour day, with about three hours on the road each way between Cairns and Cape Tribulation.
• A multilingual audio guide is available through the operator's mobile app.
• Mossman Gorge swimming depends on conditions: the Cultural Centre advises against swimming in the Mossman River because of strong currents and submerged objects, so only swim in the sheltered spot, in calm dry-season conditions, and where your guide directs.

Meeting Point

Hotel pickup from Cairns city and Northern Beaches accommodation, with Palm Cove and Port Douglas pickups later in the morning; your exact time comes in the operator's email after booking.