Imagine immersing in deep ancient rainforest, wandering among trees grown over hundreds of years, flowing crystal clear creeks, incredible wildlife, dinosaur-like birds and brilliant blue butterflies – all alongside spectacular tropical beaches and an underwater world that is world heritage listed…
Here you don’t need to imagine – this is where two incredible UNESCO World Heritage sites live side-by-side – the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.
This complete guide to the Daintree Rainforest – Daintree River to Cape Tribulation – will have you packing and ready to explore the world’s oldest rainforest – the amazing Daintree Rainforest.
Discover
Covering an impressive 1,200 square kilometres (460 sq mi), the Daintree Rainforest is Australia’s largest continuous area of tropical rainforest.
It’s the size of 25,000 football fields, or 162 Sydney Harbours!
The Daintree Rainforest is an ancient world of amazing biodiversity and is estimated to be 180 million years old which is tens of millions of years older than the Amazon Rainforest.
The Daintree National Park is part of the World Heritage Wet Tropics of Queensland area which extends up and down some of the Far North Queensland coast.
To explore some of the most ancient areas of the Daintree Rainforest you must first cross the Daintree River and embark the Daintree Ferry.
How to get Here
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.
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.
The Daintree Ferry is a cable ferry which crosses the river back and forth continuously between 5am – midnight daily.
Find all you need to know the Daintree Ferry including tickets, prices and how to board on our Daintree Ferry page.
Daintree Rainforest Walks
Throughout the Daintree Coast there are a number of rainforest walks and Daintree Rainforest boardwalks where you can explore and take in the amazing diversity of the Daintree Rainforest.
Walk amongst ancient trees, under fan palm canopies, over mangrove swamps, creeks and waterfalls and more. Many rare, endemic and primitive plants are found here.
Along the boardwalks there are signs providing information on various trees and rainforest ecosystems.
You’ll find more information on each of the Daintree Rainforest lookouts, boardwalks and more in the Daintree Coast, on our Amazing Daintree Rainforest page.
Rainforest Accommodation
To really explore and take in the Daintree Rainforest and surrounding area, you’ll need at least a few days.
There is nothing quite like staying in the Daintree Rainforest, surrounded by the unique wilderness and lush rainforest. Many claim to leave feeling revived and refreshed after their stay.
There are Daintree Rainforest accommodation options to suit all tastes and budgets – from charming campgrounds, rustic and boutique cabins and bungalows, motel-style rooms, self-contained cottages, bnbs, holidays houses through to luxury Daintree getaways.
Browse our Where to Stay in the Daintree Rainforest directory to find your perfect Daintree accommodation.
Things to do
There is plenty to do, see and explore throughout the Daintree Coast. From rainforest walks, guided tours of the Daintree Rainforest, tropical ice creams, exotic fruit tastings, crocodile and wildlife expeditions and so much more!
There’s also stunning tropical Daintree Coast beaches and the incredible Great Barrier Reef not far offshore with reef snorkeling tours departing from Cape Tribulation.
Our Things to do in the Daintree Rainforest directory will help you plan your ideal Daintree activities. Browse the directory and bookmark any Daintree activities that interest you so you can easily access them whilst you’re here.
Amazing Wildlife
The Daintree Rainforest is well known for the large flightless, dinosaur-like Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii). You may be lucky to spot one during your visit to the Daintree Coast.
It is a paradise for nature lovers – with an amazing 430 bird species, 65% of Australian Bat and Butterfly species, 28% of Australian frogs, 34% of Australian mammal species and more!
Visit our Amazing Daintree Rainforest Wildlife page for more information and to browse our Daintree Wildlife gallery to help you identify birds, lizards, frogs and animals you may spot on your adventure here.
Butterflys, Moths & Insects
As you wander the Daintree Coast you might see bright blue flashes of the stunning Ulysses butterfly or perhaps you might be lucky to spot a large Birdwing butterfly or maybe even the massive adult hand-span sized Hercules moth!
The Daintree Rainforest has an abundance of butterflies, moths and insects.
In fact the Daintree Coast even has a bug (Entomology) museum! Found on Turpentine road in Diwan.
Check out our Wildlife Gallery for some of the bugs, butterflys and insects you may spot whilst visiting the Daintree Rainforest.
The incredible Great Barrier Reef
A living underwater wonderland.
The Great Barrier Reef includes the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem. So large it can be seen from outer space!
With 3000 individual coral reefs, 300 coral cays and 150 mangrove islands inshore, it’s no wonder the Great Barrier Reef is on of Australia’s best-known natural landmarks.
Home to an 1,625 species of fish, 6 marine turtle species and 133 varieties of sharks and rays.
The Daintree Coast boasts some of the best spots for snorkelling the reef.
Visit our Amazing Great Barrier Reef page to explore more on the Great Barrier Reef.
Want to know more?
Listen to the engaging and entertaining Daintree Rainforest audio guides that will talk you through many amazing aspects of each of the Daintree Coast rainforest boardwalks, beaches and more.
Browse through each location page – Daintree Ferry, Forest Creek, Kimberley, Cow Bay, Diwan, Thornton Beach and the famous Cape Tribulation for more information on each destination.
Want to learn about the people who live in the Daintree Coast? Check out our Amazing Community page and read local stories.
We hope you found our guide to the Daintree Rainforest – Daintree River to Cape Tribulation – helpful to plan your visit to the amazing Daintree Rainforest.
