Daintree River Sunset Cruise: Breathtaking Wildlife and Scenic Views with a Small Group
4.9
155 Ratings
Daintree
Experience the breathtaking beauty of the Daintree River at sunset on a small group cruise. Spot wildlife, including birds, crocodiles, and snakes, while enjoying the scenic views. Limited to 10 passengers for a personalized experience.
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Daintree Boatman Wildlife Cruises - Finish your day aboard a small comfortable vessel catering for just 10 passengers. From the Daintree Village boat ramp and jetty you will be welcomed aboard by the professional guide for a 2 hour guided sunset cruise taking you along the mighty Daintree river and its adjoining tributaries, to where the big boats don’t go. You will explore the rivers unique ecology from its freshwater origins to the saline mangroves gliding along the river in the late afternoons rays. The cruise provides excellent wildlife viewing and photographic opportunities getting up close to the iconic wildlife. Cruises are a special experience, with highly sought-after birds, crocodiles and snakes seen on most cruises. The smaller vessel enables a quiet intimate exploration of the river. The tour concludes back at the Daintree Village boat ramp where it is just a short stroll up to the village to the hotel for a beverage or dinner.
What's Included
- Experienced driver/guide included
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
Wrap up your journey through the Daintree Rainforest with an immersive sunset cruise. As the day slowly fades away, you’ll find yourself peacefully floating, enjoying the dimming light, and observing wildlife as they prepare for the night. Often, you can catch sight of flocks of egrets returning to their nests for the night, creating a truly magical scene. It’s an unparalleled experience being out on the Daintree River at this time. A variety of rare birds (including kingfishers, herons, and frogmouths), along with saltwater crocodiles and snakes, are usually spotted during these cruises.
Each cruise is designed to accommodate up to 10 passengers and is tailored according to passengers’ preferences. The boat used for the cruise is a unique ‘hybrid’ model, featuring an outfitted board and an impressive electric motor. This design causes less disruption and yields superb wildlife viewing opportunities.
The starting and ending point of the cruise is the public boat ramp situated in Daintree Village, which is a 45-minute drive from Port Douglas and is positioned on the southern side of the Daintree River.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Recommended to bring a hat and jacket for weather protection
- Vessel is roofless but has a dual Bimini roof that can be erected in inclement conditions
Location
Daintree Public Boat Ramp
Stewart Street
Daintree Village public boat ramp, beside Riverview Lodge & Van park, 150m downhill from the Daintree Village Hotel
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(155 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Gbuzzard2018
Apr 23, 2024
Great Guide - Murray is a great host and guide. Although the riverbank had suffered great damage in the typhoon and subsequent flooding, his deep knowledge of the river and croc habits enabled us to find crocodiles and several species of birds. The purpose-built boat was well equipped to search the river. And, his powerful electric trolling motor gave us the tech to sneak in close to the bank in near total silence. I highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gcincinnati
Nov 13, 2023
Our top experience in Daintree! - Murray led a phenomenal tour that far exceeded our expectations. Be prepared to see the crocs in their natural habitat, hear their backstories, and spot animals you didn't even know were there after he's pointed them out to you! The Tawny Frogmouth? It's hard to spot the pair, but Murray found them!
We followed Barrett, the big man on the river, during his evening patrol on our way back to the dock. It was a truly unforgettable experience that we won't soon forget.
Murray's website offers much more information than you can read here, so I recommend you go there for more personalized plans and details about the trip!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
452leer
Oct 28, 2023
Excellent wildlife experience - We had a great boat tour with the Daintree Boatman. We did both the morning and late afternoon cruises and they did not disappoint. Murray clearly knows his plants and animals and loves his Daintree River and its habitat. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dream06886905533
Oct 11, 2023
Better than I thought - Very interesting & informative - and to see the crocodiles was awesome! Craig knew alot about everything. Beautiful space.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
864bradleyn
Oct 2, 2023
Daintree Boatman a must-see highlight of FNQ. - Fantastic cruise with an abundance of birdlife, crocs and a few snakes. Murray is an encyclopedia of local and wildlife knowledge, delivered with a calmness befitting the natural beauty. An avid bird watcher was also on our tour and Murray was up to the task! The boat was super comfy and everyone had an excellent vantage point. Serene. A+. A highlight of our 3 weeks in FNQ.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Z9872cgjacobh
Sep 6, 2023
Superb! - Simply brilliant.
Me and my family have been on a number of wildlife experiences before and this, by a long way, was the best.
From start to finish the experience was fantastic. Murray was incredibly knowledgeable and interesting to listen to.
Furthermore his sharp eye and quick directions meant we saw an incredible amount of wildlife in two hours (as well as beautiful scenery).
If you go to the Daintree this tour is a must. I’m just disappointed we didn’t have time in our schedule to fit in a morning tour as well :)
Thanks
Jacob
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jon314
Sep 5, 2023
Outstanding - We had a fabulous trip with Murray. He was extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about all the wildlife we saw. He gave me great advice about when was the best time to view the river and ensured we had the best experience possible. Highly recommended, we will definitely go again
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sherolynv1
Aug 30, 2023
Daintree river sunset cruise - Was such a great experience and we learnt so much from our extremely knowledgeable boatman Alex. Saw three crocodiles which was what we really wanted to see but in the end it was the bird life that stole the show. All the birds flying down the Daintree to roost at sunset is an experience we will never forget. Thankyou Alex it was great and the fact that it’s only a small capacity made it even more special.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
241victoriav
Aug 26, 2023
Memorable evening wildlife cruise on the Daintree river - I loved hearing more about the plants and animals an d birds that live here and we saw a very satisfying number of them from the comfort of the boat! I loved the Papuan frogmouths, four pairs seen! also three kinds of egret including thousands returning cattle egrets, a little great and an eastern great egret. It was very interesting to know more about the large proportion of the worlds mangroves found on the Daintree and see a few crocodiles and quite a large number of snazzy green and gold snakes easily see on nearby branches over the river. It was good to see hibiscus and lilies among the mangroves. A memorable experience including a rainbow as we sheltered from a shower under the awning the way home.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Detlef
Nov 27, 2023
Sunset Tour on the Daintree - The boat trip was very informative. The captain showed us the flora and fauna and he made a lot of effort.
Due to the temperatures we could only see small crocodiles.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
