Hear Aboriginal legends from the Dreamtime at the new Mossman Gorge Gateway Centre and spot crocodiles on the Daintree River on this full-day tour into the Daintree Rainforest. Take a walk with an indigenous guide at Mossman Gorge, and relax on a one-hour wildlife-watching cruise on the Daintree River. Enjoy a lunch of local barramundi fish and tropical fruit at the Daintree Tea House. This full-day small-group adventure highlights the Dreamtime stories and varied wildlife of the world’s most ancient rainforest, and with numbers limited to 21 passengers you’ll enjoy a more personalized experience.
After being picked up from your hotel, travel north from Cairns along the scenic Captain Cook Highway and catch glimpses of the Coral Sea, offshore islands and surrounding sugar-cane farms as you follow the palm tree-lined coast.
Take a short trip by eco-friendly open vehicle, inland through Mossman Gorge rainforest and its tranquil surrounds. At the Mossman Gorge Gateway Centre you'll gain insights into the culture of Australia's indigenous people and their connection to the natural environment.
Hear Aboriginal legends as your indigenous guide leads you on a Ngadiku Aboriginal Dreamtime Walk through the tropical rainforest, sharing ancient stories about the creation of this beautiful landscape. Your experience starts with a traditional 'smoking' ceremony that cleanses and wards off bad spirits.
Next, your guide will explain and demonstrate how the indigenous tribes identify and source food out of local plants and bushes. If the water level is high, you have the opportunity to take a dip in the refreshingly cool mountain water hole called the "Beach" or photograph the lovely rock pools of Mossman Gorge. Learn how to make bush soaps and ochre painting and enjoy a traditional bush tea and damper (a typical Australian soda bread) at the end of your walk.
Prior to lunch, enjoy a short visit into Daintree Village, which once was at the heart of a thriving timber industry and see the timber gallery, hosting many unique species of sustainable and other recycled timbers used to create vases, bowls and other natural artworks.
Then drive into the Daintree National Park and enjoy a one-hour cruise on the Daintree River. Listen as your experienced river guide points out the river's varied wildlife, including the estuarine crocodiles and water birds living in the mangroves. Hear how the Daintree Rainforest is the oldest intact rainforest habitat on the planet, with more species of flora and fauna than any other rainforest in the world.
For lunch, enjoy a tropical lunch of barramundi fish and tropical salads and fruit at the Daintree Tea House.
In the late afternoon, relax on the scenic drive south to Port Douglas with a visit to Four Mile Beach, the Marina and Flagstaff Hill before returning to your Palm Cove or Cairns hotel.
