judilie

What are the pros and cons of trying to do Daintree on one's own (with a rental car) vs. going on an organized tour? This will be in early October.

fuzzylogic

Hi - it's always great to have your own wheels, and you'll be able to stop at the easily accessible attractions and spend as long as you want to spend at each. But for what it's worth - the thing about the Daintree that blew my mind when I first visited was the flora. I mean lovely beaches and opps for going out to the reef - but it's the flora/fauna that got it onto the World Heritage list. And you need to know what you are looking at!!

So travel up in a rental car but do take a tour of some kind with a local guide. Oh, and a night walk is just the most brilliant experience.

It also sort of depends on whether you plan on overnighting somewhere - if you are, check what sort of side trips your accom can organise for you.

judilie

Thanks, fuzzylogic. Driving to Daintree and taking a tour once there sounds appealing. Do you or anyone else have recommendations of good tour operators? (I see Tours to Go on the web, and they offer day and night walks in the Cooper Creek each for A$35 pp. Also, the Daintree Discovery Center offers guided tours and audio self-guided tours; that may suffice for our interests.) Would we have any problem driving to Daintree from Port Douglas in a standard rental car? We will be returning to Port Douglas that evening. Any problem with driving late at night in this area?

cf5657

The road through the Daintree Forest up to Cape Tribulation is incredibly curvy and narrow. You also have to take a ferry across the river to get up to the discovery center. The Cooper creek tour is the best and stop at the Daintree Ice Cream company on the way up or back. You can also keep going to Cape Trib and do a fruit tasting (which is at 4pm and really worth it) but you may not want to drive on those roads after dark. I had no problem driving on them after staying up there for a week but on the drive up to Cape Trib I was really freaked out at how narrow, curvy and wet the roads were. Just keep in mind that even though its not very many km up there becuase the roads are zig zag all the way up there it takes longer than you think to get anywhere.

judilie

Thanks, cf5657. Would you recommend the day or night tour of Cooper Creek, or both? Any particular tour operators you'd recommend?

SnRSeattle

hi, judilie, we did the drive on our own and wish we had gone with a tour. We enjoyed the scenery, but wished we knew more about what we were seeing. also, the tours take you to a site where they know the animals that are usually there, so you'll see them. We didn't see anything except a wonderful group of fruit bats. We did do the Night tour on the Daintree River which I loved. If we ever go again, we'll be sure to take a tour.
Sally in Seattle

judilie

Thanks, Sally. I think we'll drive ourselves, but try to link up with a tour once we get there. If anyone has recommendations about that, those would be most appreciated. Sally - Which night tour did you do?

Judilie

SnRSeattle

We went on Dan Irby's tour (led by his cohort Ian) at www.mangroveadventures.com.au
Also here is a copy and paste from Pat W. about two other tours (I think they leave from Port Douglas) in case she doesn't pop in here herself. You can also do a search on this site for "Daintree tours" and find other people's experiences. Good luck and happy searching!
Sally in Seattle
From Pat W.:
Trek North has knowledgeable guides and are Cairns based. 4WD to Cape Trib - they do have capacity for 12-14 passengers but often take less, just depends on demand on day. www.treknorth.com.au - tour CT1

Pete Baxendell from Heritage and Interpretive Tours takes smaller groups, but transfers from and back to Cairns are an extra AU$45 pp. www.nqit.com.au Definitely book Pete well in advance if you decide on this trip, Trek North can usually be booked night before, but its safer to give them a day or two's notice.

Alouette

I second the recommendation for Pete Baxendell. We did his tour last year, and it was fantastic. Pete only does small-group tours, so you get more of a personalized experience, and he's incredibly knowledgeable.

cf5657

As for a night or day tour, we took the day tour. When we went out on the Reef we were talking to some people that took the night tour and one in the group fell in the river and hurt her arm and shoulder so she wasn't on the reef. I'm not trying to scare you on the night tour, but if you have any doubt of your walking ability or balance I'd take the day tour. It's pitch dark at night up in the Daintree. You see different animals at different times of the day.

judilie

Website for Heritage and Interpretive Tours is nqhit not nqit.

pat_woolford

Sorry for typo on Pete Baxendell's website. Do book him well in advance, he does trips to other areas than just Daintree.

Karen246

Are you staying in Daintree village - try the Red Mill House - it's very nice and at the end of a busy day you can wander down to the local restaurant - very layback and casual - if you visit the tourist information area - they will give you some great tips on self drive - don't forget to visit Mossman Gorge which incidentally is on the way from Port Douglas up to the daintree - try and arrive when all the tourist buses have left

Sunbird

Karen246 is quite right - Daintree Village is a quaint, laid-back, historic little village and Red Mill House is a lovely B&B right in the centre.

If you have a look at the Daintree Village Tourism Association website at www.daintreevillage.asn.au it will give you heaps of information on all the things on offer in and around the Village and in the whole beautiful and diverse region between the Mossman and Daintree Rivers.

judilie

We are planning to stay in Port Douglas and to visit Daintree as a day trip. We will see Mossman also, either that day or the day we drive from Cairns to PD. I've heard it's good to have a guide, to point out the flora and fauna. We'd like to take a short guided tour once in Daintree, rather than to spend the whole day with a tour group. Suggestions would we welcomed.

judilie

Addendum: We were planning to drive from Cairns to PD one day, seeing the beaches and sights along the way; drive to Daintree the next day; and go out on the GBR the following day (and then back to Cairns that evening), staying at the Sheraton Mirage in PD both nights? Might it be better to spend the first night in Daintree Village (and the second in PD)?

Sunbird

Much good advice from other posters – but difficult to fit so much in to a short time!

One suggestion:-

Drive north from Cairns but bypass Port Douglas, which you will see the next day. Visit Mossman Gorge where you can explore beautiful rainforest on your own or with an Aboriginal guide – see www.yalanji.com.au. Further on drive through scenic country and call in to pristine beaches at Newell and Wonga. You will be here during the sugar-cane-crushing season so will see harvesters at work and little trains hauling cut cane to the Mossman Mill.

You could spend the first night either in or near Daintree Village (www.daintreevillage.asn.au) or further north, via the Daintree River ferry, in Cape Tribulation (www.daintreecoast.com).

If you opt for the Village, definitely go with Dan Irby (suggested earlier) on his 2-hour sunset cruise on the Daintree River – Dan is a world-renowned wildlife expert. There are also other short guided walks available. Have a look round the timber and the pottery galleries, there are scenic valley drives, several restaurants and interesting souvenir shops. The next day definitely take the ferry and experience a fantastic drive through the rainforest to Cape Tribulation.

Otherwise, if you stay the first night in Cape Tribulation, a Cooper Creek Wilderness Walk is a must-do - perhaps the guided night walk that night or a day-time walk the following day. Yes Peter Baxendell and also Trek North are extremely well-recommended but in view of the short time you have their tours may be too long for you. There are many other activities in that region so you would happily fill in the day before heading back to Port Douglas that night.

Port Douglas to Daintree Village is about three quarters of an hour. Port Douglas to Cape Tribulation takes an hour-and-a-half to two hours. (Daintree Village to Cape Tribulation takes under an hour)

judilie

I was all set to change our first night to Daintree Village, trying for the Red Mill B&B, which sounds very nice, and then realized that I was planning to do Breakfast with the Birds the next morning at the Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary in PD. As is true for our entire trip (and clearly everyone else's), there just isn't time for all of things one would like to see and do. I don't think we'll otherwise have time for it, as we're going out to the GBR the next morning. How does it compare with staying in Daintree Village and doing the bird stuff there? If time allows, is it worth going to the Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary if one doesn't go there for the Breakfast with the Birds? And what about the Daintree Mangroves Wildlife Sanctuary? Is it worth a stop (and possibly an overnight stay instead of Daintree Village)?

Sunbird

So many choices does make it difficult for you!

Breakfast with the Birds is great but certainly not essential. The whole Rainforest Habitat is a wonderful experience where hundreds of tropical birds fly freely around you, feeding and nesting, and there is also a range of Australian animals – wallabies, tree kangaroos, koalas, crocodiles etc. etc. Perhaps call in on the afternoon of your return to Port Douglas.

If you stayed at Red Mill House,Trish and Andrew would definitely show you lots of birds – many from their own verandah.

Gil and Donna at Daintree Mangroves Wildlife Sanctuary have developed a lovely park with many Australian species including dingoes, cassowaries, quolls, etc. and have a huge collection of parrots, finches and other birds – mostly in cages.

Which ever you choose I’m sure you’ll have a great time!

lizF

Judilie, you have had some wonderful suggestions from people and I must say that I have to second Sunbird's comments about the lovely park, Daintree Mangroves Wildlife Sanctuary as you will get close and personal with the birds and animals there. It is a great place with no only the wild birds but those in the big aviaries as well. Some of the birds that
Gil has are endanged species and he looks after them like a mother would.