Nighttime Atherton Tablelands Rainforest Tour: Spot Australia's Unique Wildlife

Embark on a thrilling nighttime rainforest tour in the Atherton Tablelands and discover Australia’s unique wildlife. Spot tree kangaroos, platypus, and more in their natural habitat.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Lake Barrine - After a scenic drive from Cairns along the winding Gillies Range Road, the journey leads to Lake Barrine. This stunning volcanic crater lake is encircled by lush rainforest. The first stop is for afternoon tea, and there’s no better place to enjoy it than at Lake Barrine. Following this, a leisurely walk through the surrounding…
What's Included
  • Local guide
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Afternoon tea
  • All equipment (binoculars, spotlighting gear, rain ponchos, reference materials)
  • Dinner
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • National Park fee
What's Not Included
  • Drinks, unless specified
Additional Information

Embark on a captivating tour through the Atherton Tablelands and be amazed by Australia’s distinctive creatures and birds in their natural habitat. Guided by a knowledgeable nature enthusiast, this small group tour will take you through vibrant tropical rainforests and a volcanic crater lake at nightfall. Encounter tree kangaroos, lizards and musky rat…

Location
Lake Barrine
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(438 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
O8254sisaraw
Jun 1, 2026
The Best 10th Birthday Party Has No Cake — Just a Tree Kangaroo and a Joey - Paul (or Hey, You!) is exceptionally well versed in his skills of knowing where and when to see the animals. We spotted a kangaroo tree mommy with a joey in her pouch, just at eye-level! I can see Paul was sharing with everyone in the forest who were not in his tour - that's shouts passion. My turning 10-year old daughter who never disturbs wildlife chose to let the wallabies enjoy their day — Paul's energy taught her that. This is an invaluable 10th birthday memory. Definitely was not disappointed joining his Daintree Rainforest tour as I saw the platypus in its true-est form going back to its burrow, with Paul's live documentary narration. Better than Sir Attenborough's doco anytime! He buys us dinner for a budget of $37 and we were well-fed before our night tour. And don't stress about capturing every moment — put your phone away and be present. Paul documents the entire tour himself and delivers a beautiful montage of photos taken throughout the night. We were fully there, and still came home with memories we could keep. Kept us safe and sound all the way back in time for bed before 10pm. We will do it all again without hesitation!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Debbie_j
May 28, 2026
A must do experience in Cairns - This was such a wonderful experience. Our guide Clayton went above and beyond to share background and facts about what you saw during your walks. Such a pleasant and knowledgeable guide!! I can’t recommend this excursion enough-we saw so many local animals that we would have otherwise missed including the platypus!! The tea was lovely and the dinner was a great meal (I recommend the garlic prawns!)
Review provided by Viator
U9969bttimh
May 28, 2026
Platypus - Excellent and very fun tour with lots of information about the area and the animals. Much more personal than most other tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karin
May 25, 2026
Wonderful experience - Paul is a font of knowledge and we had a great day and night and saw platypus and other creatures of the rainforest. Would definitely recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marci6tx
May 25, 2026
Incredible Animal Experience! - I was really excited to come across this tour when planning animal experiences for my teenager. Paul was amazing from start to finish and took care of every detail. We travel quite a lot and this tour was such a good balance of activity, education, adventure and good food ;)! The platypus sightings in the wild were definitely the highlight but we also loved learning about the plants as we walked as well. I was nervous about the night hike portion because I have walked in rainforests at night before and seen creatures I did not want to see haha, but we were on a paved path which was nice. We felt safe while also being able to see more of Australia’s animals in their natural habitats. Paul has an amazing eye for spotting them! As a bonus he also provides you his photos and videos from the day which were WAY better than my own. Highly recommend!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Monica_s
May 25, 2026
Fun tour with many animals - The tour is wonderful if you want to see some wildlife. It requires a bit of fitness because some of the animals move quickly but, it is well worth the effort to see them in their natural habitats.
Review provided by Viator
O4822ebalexb
May 21, 2026
Platypus, wildlife and nature in the rainforest - Paul was really informative and passionate about ensuring we had the best experience and saw as much of the wildlife as we could..and we did including platypus, possum's, and different wallabies and Kangaroos. Really enjoyed the daylight walks in the rainforest and the nocturnal ones.y 18 year old boy enjoyed it too. Paul's knowledge made it very interesting. Less commercial feeling than other tours. Great alternative to the Daintree which is a long drive from Cairns and other locals value this rainforest area
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dom0410
May 10, 2026
The most worthwhile Tour to get on in Cairns - That was a fantastic and great experience, discovering the rainforest life in realtime . Paul our guide was such a great asset to this tour as without his explanations and stories , the taste would have been different and we most likely would not have seen half of the animals we saw . The tea & coffee stop was really appreciated . The dinner despite very short was perfect and we could taste some local plates. The top of this tour was obviously the animals we could observe along the journey by day or by night. Observing them in their natural place was extraordinary.Listening to Paul's explanation around the animals and all different type of plants was making this experience a great learning as well for us . We wish we could stay longer in the night to discover even more but all good things have an end. Tx again Paul for building up such great memories in our heads... Dom and Maria Rosa
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Williams_c
May 9, 2026
The search for platypus - Paul is a really experienced and enthusiastic guide. We managed to find platypus, possum, forest dragon, and pademelon
Review provided by Viator
Angela_a
May 26, 2026
Pretty - Mid May, slightly chilly after sunset. Read the notes clearly; long pants, tennis shoes maybe long sleeves. The road up is very curvy; potential for car sickness. Fast paced. Not many opportunities for photos as it was recommended not to even use your camera b/c the guide would take all the photos for you. Difficult to see where you're going as no lights shown on the foot paths. Unable to get a photo of the giant "curtain tree" due to the rapid movement of the torch/flashlight. Guide was knowledgeable.
Review provided by Viator
From $168
up to 11 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).