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Daintree River Dawn Cruise: An Intimate Wildlife Encounter on a Hybrid Boat
5.0
168 Ratings
Daintree
Embark on an intimate wildlife encounter on a hybrid boat with the Daintree River Dawn Cruise. Discover iconic wildlife, including birds, crocodiles, and snakes, while enjoying the picturesque and serene beauty of the Daintree river.
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
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Daintree Boatman Wildlife Cruises - Start your day with a cruise on the mighty Daintree river.
This 2 hour cruise takes you on journey of discovery exploring the main river and its tributaries in search of iconic wildlife including crocodiles, birds and snakes.
The dawn cruise showcases the river at is most picturesque and serene as the boat travels along the smooth waters of the Daintree river.
The river meanders through tranquil farmland and into the bounds of the Daintree rainforest from its freshwater origins into the saline tributaries to explore the mangroves and surrounds.
The small boat allows for up to 10 passengers to experience the river in comfort with a professional guide to personalise the experience. Tours depart from the Daintree Village boat ramp.
What's Included
- Driver/guide
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
Begin your morning with a tour on the powerful Daintree river. This 2-hour excursion takes you on an adventure, exploring the main river and its smaller offshoots in search of distinctive wildlife such as coveted birds (including kingfishers, herons, egrets, frogmouth and others) as well as crocodiles and snakes. The early morning tour highlights the river in its most beautiful, tranquil state as the boat glides across the calm Daintree river waters.
The cruises are designed for a small group of up to 10 individuals and tailored according to their interests. The boat utilised for this journey is a special ‘hybrid’ vessel, incorporating both a usual outboard and a remarkable electric motor which causes minimal disturbance, thereby facilitating spectacular wildlife viewing.
Cruises initiate and conclude at the public boat ramp located in Daintree Village. Daintree Village is a 45-minutes drive from Port Douglas, positioned on the south 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 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
5.0
(168 Ratings)
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Curiosity31917640240
Jun 19, 2024
A misty morning - This was a return visit after having done the evening trip the year before. A misty morning led to us seeing the river in a different mode. Great misty scenes of the river and its animals waking up. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Timgarman
Jun 12, 2024
Daintree River trip - Excellent morning on the Daintree River with the Daintree Boatman Wildlife Cruises, Queensland – thanks Murray.
Heaps of good photos. Hoping I've named them all correctly.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Matthew
Jun 4, 2024
Family of four early morning cruise. - Our family of four had a fantastic early morning cruise with Murray on the Daintree river. He has a great knowledge of the River, the wildlife in the river and the wildlife along the river bank and how it all works in nature. Murray can see things that you would normally miss. The boat is great, the addition of the electric motor means you glide along with no noise giving you a better experience on the river. We would love the chance to have another river cruise with the Daintree boatman again .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Trek01070280468
May 26, 2024
Once in a lifetime - I had done the river cruise before and always enjoyed it. This time we took German family on the dawn cruise with the Boatman. It was outstanding. Murray's knowledge about the river, animals, fauna and history was amazing. He knew where to look for the crocs and we ended up having Barrett, the 4.5mt long resident croc swimming next to us for about 200mt. It was once in a lifetime. Saw more crocs, snakes. Incredible birds and Murray's running comment. Our German family was in absolute awe. Thank you for an unbelievable morning and a river cruise none of us will forget. 11 out of 10.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Q8843orsarahc
May 20, 2024
Two wonderful tours on the river - We were able to take the dawn and evening tour with Murray, both of which I recommend if you have the time. If you are in Daintree, tours are probably the number one activity so I recommend spending as much time as possible on the river. Both cruises were very unique because the river is at totally different heights from the morning to evening. One thing that stayed consistent was Murray’s knowledge of the flora and fauna, and the comfort of the boat. Having also taken a tour with a different operator, I can say you will appreciate the small group sizes and comfortable boat offered by Murray. Everyone was able to view the wildlife. On our tours we were fortunate enough to see a wide variety of birds (the keen birders were quite excited) as well as fruit bats, tree snakes, a python, and several crocs. In the morning, the crocs were swimming quite close to the boat. In the evening, they were sitting out in the sun, as expected.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bevbutler
Apr 25, 2024
Great wildlife cruise - A great cruise despite the weather - Murray managed to make it enjoyable in a rainstorm. His spotting skills were incredible so we got to see some very special birds, crocodiles and a snake. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Casagrandet
Apr 24, 2024
Don't miss out!! - Murray is the best! He loves this river and all that call it home. He knows every bird and call, he's on top. We had the best trip seeing the Crocs, there was a feast for them and it was really exciting to see them move about. We saw 7 which is really rare. Lots of birds to enjoy as well. I wish I would have done the night tour as well.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Travel4me070
Apr 20, 2024
The peace and quiet of nature on the river - My husband and I recently did the early morning cruise with the Daintree Boatman. We saw lots of birds during the cruise and Murray was very informative about all the different species. We saw one crocodile resting on the bank of the river. The scenery was awesome and it was very peaceful travelling up and down the river. The cruise was enjoyed by both of us.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chris_sykes
Apr 18, 2024
Highly Recommended Daintree River Cruise - Murray is a thorough professional who shares his local and birding knowledge in an interesting and informative way. The boat itself is extremely comfortable for a small group. Murray is sensitive to the needs of photographers and maneuvered the vessel to try to get the best angle for certain shots.
We were a family group ranging in age from 10 to 79 and all of us really enjoyed the experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jackodwod
Mar 27, 2024
A great way to start your day - After getting up at 4:30 AM in Port Douglas to make it to Daintree Village for a 6:30 boat trip I had my fingers crossed that the weather would stay favorable. I was not disappointed. With only small numbers on the boat there was perfect 360 degree views. Murray hunted high & low up & down the river & his commentary was expert & informative both about the birds & the river environment. We nailed an extensive list of birds including sundry kingfishers & a chase after a great- billed Heron. It was an excellent way to start the day . My only regret is I was also booked for the afternoon sunset cruise but circumstances contrived to force me to cancel. I would not hesitate to do this trip when I am in the area again. Note the photos were taken with my point & shoot camera and are not included for their artistic merit
Review provided by Tripadvisor
