Private adventure tours in Queensland
| country: | Australia |
| location: | Queensland, Great Barrier Reef, Daintree & Cape Tribulation |
| departures: | This trip can be tailor made throughout the year and can be adapted to suit your interests, budget and requirements as necessary. See below for a sample itinerary |
| price: | From AU $2195 - AU $2710 (7 days) excluding flights. Price is based on sample itinerary below. Includes accommodation, all breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners, tree planted in your name by the Australian Rainforest Foundation, snorkeling gear hire and carbon offsetting. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Private adventure tours in Queensland
Tropical Cairns, Australia, here you can experience two magical UNESCO World Heritage areas - The Wet Tropics and The Great Barrier Reef - and see wildlife found nowhere else on earth.
Lush green rainforest, rolling tablelands, classic outback country, The Reef, tropical rivers and cool mountain terrain all lie within a 150-kilometre radius of Cairns. From SCUBA diving to rafting to bird watching, adventure and nature activities reign supreme in the Cairns region, and we can create the custom trip of your dreams.
Some of your many options on a tailor-made trip:
Tropical Cairns, Australia, here you can experience two magical UNESCO World Heritage areas - The Wet Tropics and The Great Barrier Reef - and see wildlife found nowhere else on earth.
Lush green rainforest, rolling tablelands, classic outback country, The Reef, tropical rivers and cool mountain terrain all lie within a 150-kilometre radius of Cairns. From SCUBA diving to rafting to bird watching, adventure and nature activities reign supreme in the Cairns region, and we can create the custom trip of your dreams.
Some of your many options on a tailor-made trip:
Walk among giant paper bark trees on a rainforest boardwalk - Sea kayak at Cape Tribulation or to the Barnard Island group
- Spend the night among rare and endangered birds at the Mareeba Wetlands
- Watch aboriginal dancing and learn how to throw boomerangs.
- Climb Mt Bartle Frere, Queensland’s highest mountain
- Sample crocodile wontons, emu pate and kangaroo terrine
- Mountain Bike the Port Douglas “Bump Track”
- Stay in a tree house bungalow in the Cairns Highlands
- River raft the Barron river in Barron Gorge National Park
- Taste aromatic coffees at an Atherton tablelands plantation
- Sail to Green Island to see Hawk-billed turtles
- Discover indigenous uses for plants at the Botanical Gardens
- Gallop on horseback along Wonga beach
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive Cairns –Tjapukai Aboriginal Culture Park. After transferring from the Cairns airport, settle into your 4-star hotel in the heart of the city, surrounded by lush foliage and swaying palms. This evening enjoy dinner and an evening performance at Tjapukai Aboriginal Culture Park. A perfect introduction to the 40,000 year old aboriginal culture, Tjapukai—named after the local indigenous tribe-showcases aboriginal rituals, dance and traditional foods. Witness the fire-making ceremony, the telling of Dreamtime legends, and listen to the haunting sounds of the didgeridoo. |
| Day 2: | Cairns Highlands – Mountain Spa Retreat – Horse Riding. The lush mountains of the Dividing Range rise up from Cairns, and today get whisked away to a mountain eco-lodge known as a bird watchers paradise. Look for a mosaic of tropical birds, such as the Lovely Fairy-Wren, the Double-Eyed Fig Parrot, and the Rainbow Lorikeet. Options for the afternoon include a rainforest horse ride with an authentic Australian “jillaroo” (Australian cowgirl), a short walk through the forest to a freshwater swimming hole, yoga class on a cool lakeside platform, or a soothing spa treatment like a hot stone massage. As evening falls, watch the sunset from the veranda of your bungalow and then savour a home-cooked meal by your Australian family hosts. |
| Day 3: | Rainforest Habitat Animal Refuge - Mossman Gorge - Crocodile Cruise. Travel today in the company of a guide to the famed Cape Tribulation, the site at which explorer Captain Cook ran aground and where two World Heritage areas lie side by side. Along the way, walk with the kangaroos, hold a slithering python or watch the playful koalas at the highly-praised Rainforest Habitat. Then at Mossman Gorge, go on an interpretive walk with your guide and take a dip in the Gorge’s cool waters. Cross the Daintree River on a croc-spotting cruise and then enter the Daintree, home of the magical ancient rainforest. Accommodation for the night is at an eco-friendly Bed and Breakfast on an organic farm, where your hosts Alison and Digby will show you their lovely orchard and local Aussie hospitality. |
| Day 4: | Daintree Rainforest – Cape Tribulation. Awake in your timber pole cottage to the sound of the trickling stream and to a farm-fresh hot breakfast. Today explore the Daintree Rainforest which, at one hundred and thirty-five million years old, is the oldest rainforest in the world. Approximately 430 species of birds live here, including 13 species that are found nowhere else. Then take a short walk to Cape Tribulation beach and see why this area, part of the Kuku Yalanji tribal area, also has great spiritual and cultural significance. Explore the Dubiji boardwalk that runs through rare tropical lowland forest; look for primeval goannas, the giant tree frog, or the musky-rat kangaroo. If you’re lucky you’ll spot the Peppermint Stick insect on the pandanus palms, or the Daintree’s endangered and giant flightless bird, the cassowary. |
| Day 5: | Daintree Rainforest - Jungle Zip Line - Exotic Fruit Tasting. Today experience the art of “jungle surfing”: an exhilarating flying fox ride among the tree tops. By clipping into a series of steel cables arranged in the trees, you can fly across the rainforest canopy and get a bird’s eye view of the world. During this unique adventure led by naturalists and scientist guides, keep an eye out for Boyd’s Forest dragons and the brilliant blue Ulysses butterfly. In the afternoon be treated to a succulent tropical fruit tasting, involving at least 10 different rare and exotic fruits in any season including the Star Apple, Miracle Fruit and even the Ice Cream Bean before returning to Cairns. |
| Day 6: | The Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—lies just off Cairns’ coast, luring snorkelers and divers alike to its underwater universe. It is one of the richest, most complex, and diverse ecosystems in the world. Aboard a magnificent eco-certified catamaran, travel to the reef in style. At the reef’s best snorkeling sites, you can expect to see a kaleidoscope of hard and soft corals, angelfish and “Nemos” in anemones, fascinating but elusive white-tipped reef sharks, giant turtles, and a host of other undersea creatures. SCUBA divers can also “have a go” at exploring what has been considered as one of the seven Natural Wonders of the World. |
| Day 7: | Trip Conclusion or Extension. After breakfast, prepare for your journey home or enjoy a few optional activities such as the Kuranda Skyrail, a sunrise balloon flight or a day of whitewater rafting. |
travellers' tales
So many highlights it is difficult to seperate out just one.... it was a great trip all around ! 10 out of 10 (more)
how this holiday makes a difference
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We are proud of our commitment to offset the carbon emissions that result from all of our office operations, trips, and staff air travel through Sustainable Travel International’s myclimate portfolio, thereby making us a carbon-neutral company. We also give you the option of purchasing offsets for your air travel.
By including locally-owned accommodation, restaurants, and outfitters for your custom itinerary, we are trying to ensure the community receives a direct economic benefit. Our guests are encouraged to buy locally produced products available from locally-owned shops, markets and artists, and we give you a list of where to find these places in Cairns. We can arrange as part of your itinerary for you to join one of our indigenous Kuku Yalanji friends on an interpretive rainforest walk and didgeridoo performance, which will support the preservation of aboriginal culture and traditions. As an organisation, we actively support cultural and environmental initiatives, such as Treeforce and The Aboriginal Children’s Advancement Society, through financial contributions and direct participatory involvement. We are active members of the International Ecotourism Society (TIES), Sustainable Travel International (STI), Ecotourism Australia, and the Cairns & Far North Environment Centre (CAFNEC). In all of our operations we aim to have as little impact as possible. We do not produce multi-page paper brochures and the majority of correspondence is done through email to reduce the need for paper. In our office we use energy efficient appliances and light bulbs, biodegradable and non-toxic cleaning products, and recycled paper. We also compost food scraps and lawn waste to limit our contribution to landfills. On our trips, we encourage guests to abide by Leave No Trace environmental principles, and we will provide you with a copy of our Responsible Tourism Policy along with a Responsible Traveller’s Code of Conduct. We also feel it is more responsible to organise you itinerary in a relatively small but diverse area, thus reducing the need for petrol and providing you with a more intimate and deeper travel experience. You will be given your own reusable water bottle, cloth shopping bag, and thanks to our partner the Australian Rainforest Foundation (ARF), a native tree will be planted in your name. You will receive a certificate detailing where your tree has been planted and why this is such a special gift of life to the rainforest and to the health of our planet. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |