3 Day Daintree/Cooktown Heritage Experience

Tour Details

Operator

Australian Wilderness Tours / Discovery Tours

Destinations

Cape Tribulation, Cooktown, Daintree River and Laura

Departs From

Cairns, Port Douglas and Cairns Beaches

Tour Description

Day 1:
Departing your Cairns accommodation at 7am, (Northern Beaches 7.30) we travel by luxury GXL Landcruiser 4wd along the scenic coastal drive to Port Douglas, where we stop to explore the historic waterfront and pick up from Port Douglas accommodation at 8.30. We take the Rex Highway from near Mossman to climb to the Atherton Tablelands. En route to the top, we stop at the Lion's Lookout. Passing through the mining town of Mount Carbine, we leave the rainforest behind as we enter the dry, harsh landscape of the Cape.

A stop at Bob's lookout allows us to soak in the scenery as we head for the Palmer River, site of an early goldrush and on to lunch at Lakeland Downs, an irrigated oasis in the dry landscape. We hit the dirt and enjoy the first of the many corrugations that feature on the Cape Developmental Road between here and the Cape! Arriving at Split Rock Art Site, our indigenous guide can take us on a journey into the dreamtime as we explore the remarkable Quinkan art.

After a stop in Laura at the impressive Cultural Centre, we head towards Old Laura station on the Battlecamp Road. After a stop at the old homestead, we cross the Normanby River and make our way through interesting country to Isabella Falls. After a refreshing stop, we are able to make our way into Cooktown and our overnight accommodation.

Overnight: Cooktown Sovereign Resort

Day 2:
After breakfast we load up and head up high to Grassy Hill Lookout for panoramic views over Cooktown and the Great Barrier Reef. After a visit to the Cooktown Cemetery and an overview of the historic Cooktown Streetscape, we make our way to the fascinating Captain Cook Museum, learning more about the first contact between the indigenous inhabitants and the British.

After a final Cooktown diversion to the splendid Botanical Gardens, we leave town and make our way to mysterious Black Mountain. After a stop we begin our traverse of the Bloomfield track and deviate to the delightful Mungumby Lodge for lunch. After an energetic walk to Hidden Falls, we can cool off with a swim before stopping for a drink at the historic, character-filled Lion's Den Hotel.

The Bloomfield Track takes us through pristine rainforest and cedar bay National Park before arriving at Bloomfield Falls. We join our Aboriginal guides, the Walker Sisters, for an escorted walk to the spectacular Bloomfield Falls and learn of its significance to the local Aboriginal people. Fording the Bloomfield River, we complete our traverse of the controversial but rugged Bloomfield track, carving a route through dense rainforest on the slopes of the ranges. After pausing to soak in the spectacular views and explore the creek systems, we arrive at our overnight accommodation to settle in or explore the pristine beaches and rainforest.

Overnight: Cape Tribulation Beachhouse

Day 3:
A leisurely breakfast allows us time to further explore the pristine beach and rainforest of this eco resort. Reluctantly departing, we stop at Cape Tribulation itself and explore this beautiful headland and beach that has become name synonymous with the counter-culture before heading south. We stop to explore the rainforest in more depth at the Marrdja Boardwalk with your indigenous guide providing in-depth interpretation.

After morning tea we descend the range to the Cooper Creek and take to the water to explore this pristine wilderness with a one hour cruise. Crocodiles and a range of other jungle wildlife are regularly sighted as we make up way up the estuarine creek system. We ascend the Alexandra Range to take in the scenic panorama from Alexandra lookout before recrossing the Daintree River by ferry and making our way to Daintree Tea House for lunch.

We continue on to Mossman Gorge to walk, swim and explore and an informative rainforest walk with the Kuku Yulanji Traditional Owners. After a detour to Port Douglas to explore the historic waterfront, we return along the scenic coastal road and stop to soak in the panorama in the late afternoon. We arrive back at your accommodation in Cairns around 6.00 after a fantastic two days of experiencing the world heritage Daintree rainforest from an aboriginal perspective.