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Mossman Gorge & Cape Tribulation

Departs Mon, Wed & Friday from Cairns. Full Day Daintree experience including Cairns & Port Douglas hotel transfers, Mossman Gorge, Daintree River Cruise, Cape Tribulation, Alexandrea Lookout, Morning and afternoon tea and an optional picnic lunch. 

Features

• Return transfers from Cairns & Port Douglas
• BYO or Picnic Lunch Options
• Mossman Gorge
• Croc Cruise & Wildlife Spotting
• Guided Rainforest Walks
• Morning & Afternoon Tea
• Alexandra Range Lookout

Times
The day tour duration is roughly 11 hours.

7:00am | Cairns Hotels Pick-up commence
6.30pm | Return to Cairns

BYO or Optional Picnic Lunch | $20
You can choose to Bring Your Own (BYO) or select the Picnic lunch option when booking.  Lunch can be enjoyed on the beach or at the picnic tables at Cape Tribulation Beach.  
Please pre-book the picnic lunch or bring your own on. There is no opportunity to puchase lunch on the day. 

The standard picnic lunch consists of chicken, ham, potato salad, garden salad, a dinner roll with butter and a piece of fruit.

We cater for vegetarians, vegans and others. However, we recommend that the people with anaphylactic allergies bring their own lunch.

Your Day at a Glance
Your tour commences with a pick up at your Cairns Hotel. Travel along stunning coastline in a comfortable air-conditioned bus to your first stop Mossman Gorge. The gorge is a magical location for a refreshing swim with time after for morning tea.  

Heading North, cross the Daintree River by cable ferry and enter the ancient Rainforest of Cape Tribulation and the Daintree National Park.  Stop at the Alexandra Range Lookout, and take in the views .  Travel north to the Marrdja OR Jindalba Boardwalks and venture back in time.  Walk through pristine rainforest that has been left untouched for millions of years.

It is time for a picnic lunch at Cape Trib Beach day use area (weather permitting). After lunch take a walk on the stunning Cape Tribulation Beach – where the 'Rainforest meets the Reef'.

Head back towards the Daintree River via the Daintree Ice-Cream Company.  (Time Permitting & eaten on the bus, at your own cost). 

Once you reach the Daintree River It's Croc spotting time! Your adventure takes you through the domain of the large elusive  Crocodile. Lookout for Pythons, Butterflies and lots of other wildlife on this cruise. Everyone will have afternoon tea at this time. 

On the way home via Port Douglas, stop at Rex Range lookout before arriving back in Cairns at about 6.30pm. 

Instant Booking & Mobile Friendly Tickets
Check availability & book here to secure you spot on The Cape Tribulation & Mossman Gorge Day Trip. Pre-booking is essential. 

Special Child & Family rates
We offer special rates for familes. Please check the booking for form for up to date family pricing.

Scenic Coastal Drive
From Cairns it’s a stunning coastal drive, hugging the mountains and overlooking the Coral Sea. This road is also known as the Great Barrier Reef Drive

Mossman Gorge
A magical location in the rainforest. A deep gorge which is scattered with giant granite boulders, flows with fresh, cold clear water and is abundant with life.

Alexandra Lookout
Panoramic views over the Daintree River and rainforest delta. There’s tree ferns and 50 shades of green. Photo opportunity.

Guided Rainforest Walk
At Marrdja or Jindalba Boardwalk, in the Daintree Rainforest. Be surrounded by ancient trees, climbing vines and learn more about this amazing environment.

Cape Tribulation Beach
An iconic destination. A wide sandy beach, bordering reef and rainforest. It’s peaceful, beautiful and a truly special part of the planet. We’re the only tour to have lunch here.

Daintree Ice-Cream
This one is time permitting, but we’ll always do our best to stop. Delicious, creamy, tropical fruit ice-cream, handmade on site.

Daintree River Wildlife Cruise
Wildlife cruise on the Daintree River which is home to crocodiles, numerous species of fish, lizards and snakes, birds and butterflies.

Detailed Itinerary
Your Cape Tribulation day tour commences with complimentary pick-ups from your Cairns, Northern Beaches or Port Douglas accommodation. If departing from Cairns and the beaches, it’s a scenic coastal drive up to Port Douglas. From there we head north amongst the sugar cane fields to our first stop, a short restroom break in the Mossman area.

Continuing our journey north we access the Cape Tribulation section of the World Heritage listed Daintree National Park, by first crossing the mighty Daintree River. This is done on the only operating cable ferry in tropical Australia.

Once we’re over the river, things really begin to change as we step into the wilderness. The road narrows and the rainforest towers over us as we enjoy the ever-increasing beauty of this 135-million-year-old ancient Gondwana Rainforest.

The next stop on our Cape Tribulation day tour is at the Alexandra Range Lookout. Enjoy a birds-eye view of the Daintree River, Port Douglas, Snapper Island, Cape Kimberly and on a clear day, landmarks as far south as Cairns. This makes for some amazing photos, over the top of the low laying rainforest canopy.

After the lookout we experience the Marrdja or Jindalba Boardwalk. Here we see trees that have been caught in a time capsule; they haven’t changed in millions of years and we hope don’t change in millions more. As we travel through the ancient rainforest the Marrdja (which means Rainforest Walk in the local Aboriginal language) Boardwalk leads us over a complex mangrove swamp system. The root systems of these trees are quite striking and are an ingenious solution these plants have evolved over many, many years of living on the tidal edge. There are many points to stop and learn about the local flora and fauna on these walks and our experienced guides will give you an insight to the Daintree Rainforest, that will make you appreciate it for the amazing and unique system that it is.

After the guided walk, we head straight to the Kulki Day use area, where we can access Cape Tribulation Beach and the picnic area next to the beach. Our time here includes a picnic lunch, which can be enjoyed on the beach or at the picnic tables. This is a unique feature of our Cape Tribulation day tour, as we are the only company dining on this stretch of coastline. Lunch is at approximately 12pm. Please note, you have the option to BYO lunch and if you choose this, it’s important to have it with you, as there are no shops or restaurants close by.

After lunch, take a walk on the stunning Cape Tribulation Beach which is where the ‘Rainforest meets the Reef’ and is the only place on the planet that two World Heritage listed National Parks sit side by side, with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park on one side and the Daintree National Park on the other. You will have time to walk on the beach and also access the walk to the lookout on the Cape Tribulation headland. We then head back towards the Daintree River. If time is permitting, we’ll stop at the Daintree Ice-Cream Company to give you a chance to buy a tropical fruit ice-cream which is eaten on the bus. Keep an eye out for the local Cassowaries.

Next stop is croc spotting time! Your Crocodile/Wildlife spotting cruise on the Daintree River takes us through the domain of the large saltwater crocodiles. Egrets wade near mangroves in the murky water of the river, as the crocodiles wait patiently for a meal. We look for pythons, tree snakes, butterflies and lots of other animal and plant life on this cruise. We also get a better understanding of the unique mangrove systems and their importance, not only to the rainforest, but to the Great Barrier Reef system as well.

Afternoon tea is then served, so we can have a ‘cuppa’ and a chat about the awesome things we have spotted on the river. Then we are off to the famous Mossman Gorge.

This clear mountain river cuts through thick rainforest and tumbles over boulders, on its journey toward the sea. Make sure you bring your bathers, as provided it is safe to do so (no flooding) you can go for a swim in the Gorge. NB: Your guide will asses conditions on the day and also supervise those of you that do decide to swim. Alternatively, you can relax to the soothing sound of running water and calling birds. The landscape is a combination of giant granite boulders and mossy rocks, with dragonflies and butterflies flitting in the light.

Our last stop for the day is Rex Range lookout, where we stop to get some amazing pictures of our beautiful stretch of coastline known to the locals as ‘Great Barrier Reef Drive’.

Departs daily from Cairns Hotels: Approx 07:00am
Returns daily to Cairns Hotels: Approx 6:30pm - 07:00pm