Daintree Ferry
Daintree Coast, Douglas Shire
the Daintree Ferry
The Daintree Ferry is your gateway to the Daintree Coast – Daintree River to Cape Tribulation. There are no bridges or roads connecting from the south side of the Daintree River.
The cable ferry provides vehicle and passenger access across the Daintree River operating continuously between 5am to midnight daily, including Christmas Day.
Daintree Ferry Tickets
Daintree Ferry Tickets can be pre-purchased online before arriving at the ferry, or can be purchased onsite at the ticket booth on the south side of the river (before 5pm), or on board the ferry. Payment onsite is via EFTPOS or cash.
Pre-purchase your Daintree Ferry tickets online – as of November 2022 you can now pre-purchase your Daintree ferry tickets online here.
Current Daintree Ferry Prices
| VEHICLE TYPE | ONE-WAY | RETURN |
|---|---|---|
| Cars / Utes (private use) | $27 | $47 |
| Passengers / Bicycles / Pedestrians | $4 | $5 |
| Motorbikes | $11 | $18 |
| Trailers | $11 | $17 |
| Multi-Day Pass (5 return Car/Ute trips) | Per Book | $120 |
| VEHICLE TYPE | ONE-WAY | RETURN |
|---|---|---|
| Buses (6-10 seats) | $27 | $47 |
| Buses (11-20 seats) | $41 | $77 |
| Buses (21+ seats) | $73 | $133 |
| School Buses | $15 | $25 |
| VEHICLE TYPE | ONE-WAY | RETURN |
|---|---|---|
| Machinery | $17 | $28 |
Daintree Ferry to the Daintree Coast
The Daintree Coast begins at the Daintree River where you catch the Daintree Ferry across the river and disembark on a journey through lush Daintree Rainforest and past spectacular coastline and beaches with the amazing Great Barrier Reef just offshore.
Discover, explore and enjoy!
Tours
Tourist Information
Public Toilets
Boat Ramp
Information on catching The Daintree Ferry
- To avoid a long wait to cross, aim to travel outside of peak times. Peak times going north are between 10am - 12.30pm and heading south between 3pm to 5pm.
- The wating times to catch the ferry in either direction can vary greatly. During peak holiday seasons expect a longer wait.
- When queueing to purchase a ticket and to board the ferry - visitors please stay in the far left lane. The right lane is for local residents and commercial priority card holders only.
- When boarding the ferry, obey the ferry traffic controllers. Drive as far forward on the ferry as possible or park as close to the car in front as possible. Turn your car engine off and remain in your car whilst on the ferry. Smoking is not permitted whilst on the ferry.
Daintree Ferry FAQ
Ticket pricing depends if you’re traveling one way, need a return ticket, towing a trailer and the type of vehicle you’re in. Multi-day passes can also be purchased.
Refer to the table of current Daintree Ferry pricing on this page.
If driving from Cairns, the Daintree Ferry is a spectacular 2 hour coastal drive along the Captain Cook Highway.
If coming from Port Douglas it is a 45 minute drive via the charming sugar cane town of Mossman.
Keep an eye out for the ‘Welcome to the Daintree – Kadayda Wawu Ngugi Bubu’ sign and take the Cape Tribulation turn off to the right.
This road will lead you to the Daintree Ferry crossing.
The Daintree Ferry is a cable ferry which crosses the river back and forth continuously between 5am – midnight daily.
Daintree Ferry Tickets can be pre-purchased online here, or can be purchased onsite at the ticket booth on the south side of the river (before 5pm), or on board the ferry itself.
Peak times going north is between 10am – 12.30pm and heading south between 3pm to 5pm.
The average wait in queue to catch the ferry is anywhere between 5 minutes to 30 minutes. During peak holiday seasons the queue can extend quite some distance, some visitors have had to wait up to 2 hours to cross the river.
To avoid a long wait to cross, aim to travel outside of peak times during holiday seasons. Peak times going north is between 10am – 12.30pm and heading south between 3pm to 5pm.
The Daintree Ferry is your gateway to the Daintree Coast – Daintree River to Cape Tribulation. There are no bridges or roads connecting from the south side of the Daintree River.
The only other way to reach the Daintree Coast is south via the Bloomfield track, recommended for 4wd vehicles only and is very steep in some places. The Bloomfield track is also closed during heavy rain events.
The journey over the Daintree River on the Daintree Ferry is approx 8 minutes.
Daintree Ferry information for residents & locals
- Concessional Travel (card) is available for Douglas Shire residents who meet the eligibility criteria. Cost $24 for residents and ratepayers of the Douglas Shire or $54 for residents of Wujal Wujal or Cook Shire bounded by the Bloomfield River and Black Mountain turn-off.
- Application forms for a concessional travel card are available from Council’s Mossman Administration Building, the Mossman Library and the Port Douglas library kiosk.
- A Visitor Ticket book of 55 tickets is also available to concessional travel card holders who live in the Daintree Coast for $24.
- Douglas Shire Council offers residents from Cardwell to Cooktown, including the Atherton Tablelands, free travel on the Daintree Ferry from November 1 until the end of February annually with a free “Douglas Card”.
Daintree River Facilities
- Two river tour operators can be found on the southern side of the Daintree River near the Daintree Ferry crossing. The tours take you on a cruise along the Daintree river to spot crocodiles, birds and other wildlife.
- A tourist information display and public toilet facilities can be found on the southern side near the river tour operators.
- A public boat and pontoon is also available on the southern side of the river for launching boats.
- More public toilets can be found near the Daintree Ferry crossing (right side of the road next to the house) and another block of public toilets is located on the north side of the ferry crossing. There are no public toilets available on the ferry and you must remain inside your car during the ferry trip.