What Does a Daintree Rainforest Tour from Cairns Cost, and What Does the Price Cover?
5 min read
The 11-hour Daintree Rainforest and Mossman Gorge tour starts at €147.40 per person and the eight-hour 4WD trip to Cape Tribulation at €147.40. For most visitors the first is the better choice: on top of the river cruise, lunch and Cape Tribulation that both trips include, it adds Mossman Gorge with a swim and a Welcome to Country and Smoke Ceremony. The 12-hour Cape Tribulation, Mossman Gorge and Daintree day tour starts at €167.75, the 12-hour premium tour at €157.08, and the one-hour river cruise at €21.59.
The five prices side by side
| Tour | Duration | From | Rating | What the listing promises |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daintree Rainforest and Mossman Gorge tour | 11 hours | €147.40 | 4.6 (3,060) | Daintree, Cape Tribulation and Mossman Gorge |
| Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation 4WD tour | 8 hours | €147.40 | 4.6 (1,846) | A guided 4WD day with wildlife spotting |
| Cape Tribulation, Mossman Gorge and Daintree day tour | 12 hours | €167.75 | 4.6 (986) | Small group of up to 16, lunch, river cruise and Mossman Gorge walk |
| Cape Tribulation and Daintree premium tour | 12 hours | €157.08 | 4.7 (768) | Small group of up to 14, lunch, river cruise, gorge swim, guided walk |
| Daintree Rainforest Wildlife Experience Cruise | 1 hour | €21.59 | 4.7 (552) | A river cruise, not a day trip |
The 11-hour tour and the 4WD trip
The 11-hour tour starts at €147.40 and the 4WD trip at €147.40. Their listings describe different days. The longer one is built around the place where two World Heritage sites meet, with Cape Tribulation and a swim in the clear water of Mossman Gorge. The 4WD listing speaks of a knowledgeable guide, wildlife in its natural habitat and the area’s flora and fauna, and names Cape Tribulation, a Daintree River cruise, lunch and a freshwater swim in the rainforest, but not the gorge.
So the question is less the price than whether the extra hours are a cost or a gift. They are a gift if the gorge is on your list. They are a cost if you would rather be back at the hotel for dinner. Do not count on the 4WD trip getting you back three hours earlier: its listing says the tour itself takes 8 hours, but the whole day can run up to 12 hours depending on your pickup area.
Check dates and prices for the 4WD Cape Tribulation trip
What the two 12-hour days add
The Cape Tribulation, Mossman Gorge and Daintree day tour lasts 12 hours and starts at €167.75, against €147.40 for the 11-hour tour. Lunch and a river cruise are not what the extra money buys, because the 11-hour tour and the 4WD trip include both; what this listing adds is a group of at most 16 in a Mercedes Sprinter, morning tea with scones at Mossman Gorge, a tropical fruit tasting, Alexandra Lookout and a guided botanical walk.
The 12-hour premium tour starts at €157.08 and is a small group of up to 14. Its text names a Daintree River cruise, a swim in Mossman Gorge and a guided rainforest walk. It also includes morning tea and a restaurant lunch with a choice that includes a vegetarian dish, and its list of inclusions reads almost line for line like the 16-guest tour’s, so the real difference is group size: compare €167.75 and €157.08 on your date. Its page gives 14 guests in one place and a maximum of 16 in its notes, so ask the operator if group size is the reason you book.
Compare dates for the small-group premium tour
The one-hour cruise is a different purchase
At one hour the wildlife cruise is not a cheaper way to see the Daintree; it is a one-hour river trip on which the listing mentions crocodiles, birds, snakes, butterflies and fish. It makes sense as an add-on for someone already in the area with their own car: transfers are not included, and the listing recommends hiring a car. The listing carries Cairns in its title, but it starts at the Daintree River Cruise Centre on the Mossman–Daintree Road in Daintree, a long drive north of the city.
See times for the Daintree wildlife cruise
What the prices cover
All four day trips pick up from accommodation, but only in the areas their listings name: the 4WD trip collects in Cairns, the Northern Beaches and Port Douglas but not from southside accommodation (you make your own way to the provider’s office), and the two 12-hour tours collect free from the Cairns CBD and Northern Beaches, with Palm Cove and Port Douglas pickup times in their notes. All four day trips include lunch and a Daintree River cruise, and the two 12-hour tours state that national park fees are included; for the other two, whether fees and drinks are in the price is on the booking page. The ice-cream stop is at your own expense, except on the 4WD trip, which includes a signature scoop. The one-hour cruise includes morning or afternoon tea but no transfers. None of the four day trips is listed as suitable for wheelchair users, and the two 12-hour tours also exclude children under 3 and people with mobility impairments. If you are weighing a hire car instead, our guide to which Cairns road trips are worth hiring a car for sets the drive against a guided day.
Our recommendation
Book the 11-hour Daintree Rainforest and Mossman Gorge tour unless you know you want the extras. It combines Mossman Gorge, a Daintree River cruise, lunch and Cape Tribulation, starts at €147.40, is rated 4.6/5 from 3,060 reviews, and is an hour shorter than the 12-hour days. Pay for one of the 12-hour tours (€167.75 or €157.08) for a small group, morning tea and the extra lookouts, not for lunch or the cruise, which the 11-hour tour also has; skip the one-hour cruise unless you will be on the river anyway with your own car.
