Cape York tours in Queensland, Australia

This operator is a member of Ecotourism Australia, an organisation whose mission is to nurture, consolidate and promote ecotourism. Ecotourism Australia is committed to helping travel operations become more environmentally sustainable, and it contributes financially to conservation solutions and projects that involve and benefit local communities.

This trip is run in conjunction with a local operator who lives in Cooktown, gateway to Cape York Peninsula. Having been a guide for a number of years, he is a World Heritage tour operator and an accredited member of Savannah Guides, a network of professional guides with a collective in-depth knowledge of the natural and cultural assets of the tropical savannahs of northern Australia. All Savannah Guides enterprises must incorporate natural or cultural interpretive activities as a prominent part of their business and demonstrate a commitment to conservation values. Tour guides do a wonderful job teaching visitors about the beauty and complexity of the rainforests and explain why they are World Heritage listed. The local authorities work closely with the tourism industry to provide a wealth of interesting information for tour operators about World Heritage areas and in return tour operators help monitor and manage the sites that they visit. Equally important is setting a benchmark for tour leader training and conservation practices, to ensure that standards are continuously maintained.

‘Cape York – Top of Australia’ takes travellers to the remote Cape York Peninsula and enables them to experience this epic adventure with the help of a local tour leader and various assistants, who are proud to show you this amazing part of the world in which they live. By travelling through wilderness areas and Aboriginal communities and walking around secluded coastal regions, travellers are made aware of the importance to preserve these places so that they can be appreciated by future generations. To support tourism programs in northern Australia, this operator is endeavouring to train local staff on a variety of issues, from environmental awareness to First Aid. This not only assists in the conduct of a tour but also provides guides and assistants with important life skills. By employing guides born and bred in the region, this operator is also supporting the local economy. This operator is a member of Aboriginal Tourism Australia (ATA), the primary national organisation for Indigenous tourism within Australia. ATA provides leadership and a focus for the development of Aboriginal tourism, consistent with Aboriginal economic, cultural and environmental values. On their adventures, travellers are privileged to learn about and experience the way of life of the traditional owners of the land. Employing Indigenous Australian Aboriginal guides allows for travellers to experience things from different perspectives. On a unique and special tour at Hopevale Aboriginal Community, a famous local storyteller takes travellers out on his land and interprets the mysticism behind Aboriginal rock art. Through offering employment and steady revenue, tourism can ultimately make a real positive difference to local communities.

This operator also supports visits and supports the Cape York Turtle Rescue Project, a unique conservation project that involves research into flat back and olive ridley turtles, which have become critically endangered due to a number of reasons. This project involves working alongside the traditional Aboriginal landowners, who join in playing an active role in saving these species that first appeared on earth over 100 million years ago. Travellers spend a full day of engagement with Cape York Turtle Rescue Project activities, where they get to learn about the various factors that have made negative impacts on the future survival of turtle populations. This involves participation in various turtle-related activities such as clearing ghost nets, debris and checking nets in general to ensure that they don't pose a threat.