Daintree Rainforest
The oldest rainforest on earth, a hundred and eighty million years old, running down to the beach.
Duration
8 hrs – 10 hrs
Difficulty
●●○○○
Best time
May to October
Open
Every day
Entry price
To confirm
The Daintree forest is around one hundred and eighty million years old: the oldest continuous rainforest in the world, more than a hundred million years older than the Amazon. It runs down to the sea at Cape Tribulation, where it meets the Great Barrier Reef directly — two World Heritage sites touching.
You cross the Daintree river by cable ferry, and that is the only way in. Beyond it there is no phone signal and no fuel for tens of kilometres. The cassowary, a flightless two-metre bird, still lives here in a few thousand individuals.
Getting there
A hundred kilometres north of Cairns, two hours by road, then the cable ferry across the Daintree. There is no bridge, and the ferry has hours.
What the price covers
the road is free; the Daintree ferry and some private boardwalks are charged
What to bring
- Walking shoes
- Swimsuit
Rules on site
Saltwater crocodiles are present in all the water here — river, estuaries and beaches: do not swim anywhere outside explicitly permitted areas, and the signs mean it. A cassowary can be dangerous if it feels threatened — do not feed it and back away slowly.
