Tours and Tickets
Daintree River Wildlife Cruise - Early Morning
5

Daintree River Wildlife Cruise - Early Morning

By Daintree River Wild Watch
Recommended by 100% of travellers
100% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
About
from
AU$62.17
per adult
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation

Ages 0-99, max of 20 per group
Duration: 2h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Features animals
Live guide: English
More


  • Use of poncho and binoculars.
What's not included
  • Food and drinks not included (BYO)


Departure details
  • Daintree River Wild Watch, Daintree Jetty, Stuart Street, Daintree QLD 4873, Australia Departure Point: Daintree Village Jetty, Daintree.
Return details
  • Returns to original departure point

  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Service animals allowed
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 40355P3

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Winter temperatures can be chilly early in the tour, warm clothes are recommended during winter
  • Most travellers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travellers

  • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 40355P3

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About the operator
Daintree River Wild Watch
320
Australia
Joined in September 2011

#3 of 9 Boat Tours & Water Sports in Daintree
  • H658FSsusanm
    H658FSsusanm
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    0
    Stunning trip.
    We were the only ones on this sunset tour which was superb. Stunning scenery and Alex knew where to find the wildlife. My husband is a bird watcher and we saw many different species, had plenty of time for photos, saw a small croc, and the head of a massive one! Highly recommend this trip.
  • Helen E
    Helen E
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    0
    Wonderful experience
    We took our two children on the sunset trip and it was our favourite part of our holiday in Cairns. Ian has a wonderful knowledge of the wildlife and in particular the birds. It was the most relaxing two hours. We slowly made our way along the river and saw so many species of birds flying and nesting. It was very peaceful and there were only four other people on the boat. On the way back we spotted a massive male croc who slowly swam along on the other side of the river. Incredible experience. Ian is so knowledgeable, warm and friendly. We would definitely recommend this experience. Thank you Ian.
  • alip974
    alip974
    0
    0
    Terrific Birding Trip
    A last minute decision to do a 2 hour afternoon cruise with Alex. We had our own private tour which was great. Alex knows the area like the back of his hand and took us to see Papuan Frogmouth on her nest, Kingfishers (not the Azure), Barrett the Saltwater Croc, Great Billed Heron, Osprey and lots of usual suspects. Fantastic seeing all the Cattle Egrets off to roost for the night. Really great trip and worth every cent.
  • Andrew P
    Andrew P
    0
    0
    Crocs galore
    A fabulous morning cruise with Alex, perfectly timed with the dropping tide to see numerous crocs, from a 60 cm '2022 model' up to a 5m monster - 'Captain Hook'. For me, the birds were possibly even more exciting, especially the three baza and the great-billed heron, along with about 20 other species. Alex is knowledgeable and easy-going, and pitched the information perfectly. Highly recommended.
  • Springhil
    Springhil
    0
    0
    Glorious river scenes
    Alex was a superb guide and manoeuvres the boat so we got to see some amazing birds and flora and even ended the tour with spotting one of the big make crocodiles swimming in the river. Boat was comfortable and with great sight lines and the jetty easy to find in Daintree. Highly recommend.
  • Musttravelozy
    Musttravelozy
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    0
    " Best birding sunrise tour "
    We both did the sunrise tour for the forth time and we had the legendary Sauce as our guide. His knowledge and love of the Daintree and wildlife, especially the birds was a absolute pleasure to listen to for 2 hours. Mark and Lee.
  • Ultramouse
    Ultramouse
    0
    0
    Rainforest and Crocs
    Thanks to Alex’s verbal instructions we arrived at the correct place (it can be confusing) and saw, to our delight, a small boat which looked ideal for an intimate experience on the Daintree River. We were not disappointed. Alex was relaxed, knowledgeable and we got the impression that he tailors his chat to the group he has on the day. It was like being taken out on the river by a friendly neighbour on a Sunday afternoon. We had had a great day driving up to Cape Tribulation and enjoying the scenery and a pleasant lunch but being on the river with Alex absolutely made our day. Stunning river and rainforest scenery, amazing birds and even a crocodile - by no means guaranteed. As Molly Meldrum used to say: “Do yourself a favour…”
  • Kyoko_SYD
    Kyoko_SYD
    0
    0
    Wonderful cruise
    Whenever we go to the Daintree, we always book this tour. You get to see a range of different birds and wildlife in different seasons. Kingfishers we saw were amazing! The tour guide, Alex, is so knowledgeable! Don’t forget to take a jacket as it can get cold sometimes on the boat.
  • MeganS366
    MeganS366
    0
    0
    Guides who know the Daintree ecosystem inside and out
    Excellent tour, even though we visited during a time of heavy rain. We came dressed for the conditions and our guide John had ponchos on hand, which came in handy. We enjoyed seeing a number of wildlife, including numerous azure kingfisher, cattle egrets, and other birds and a crocodile. Apparently during times of heavy rain you don’t see as many crocodiles, but we got a wealth of other learnings about the flora and fauna of Daintree that was fascinating, and John was a great storyteller about what we were seeing. I got the impression that other tours of the river were very crocodile centric, whereas we wanted to learn about this ecosystem and weren’t just there for the crocodiles. If that’s your preference too this is a tour for you!
  • Lovelyphotogirl21
    Lovelyphotogirl21
    0
    0
    Early Morning Tour
    I did an early morning tour with Sauce. He was a great guide, knew his birds and handled the boat well when needing to stop for photos. I got great shots of the Great Billed Heron.
  • margarethC1093KN
    margarethC1093KN
    0
    0
    Beautiful Cruise
    Did both a morning and afternoon cruise with Sauce and Alex. They were very knowledgeable and found a good range of birds along with cross and a snake or 2.
  • Jane W
    Jane W
    0
    0
    A great birdwatching cruise that we'll do again next time we visit
    The cruise was just magic. Alex found so many birds for us and we got great photos of some special ones we were really after, incl great-billed heron and black bittern. Alex also found some orchids for us, which we're also interested in. Alex is a great boatman, very knowledgeable and a real gentleman.
  • Jane W
    Jane W
    0
    0
    A great tour - will do it again every time we visit the Daintree.
    The cruise was just magic. Alex found so many birds for us and we got great photos. He also was able to show us some orchids too - another of our interests. He is a great boatman, very knowledgeable and such a gentleman.
  • gillG2803KM
    gillG2803KM
    0
    0
    Awesome Sunset Cruise
    The sunset cruise was amazing. Really demonstrated the natural beauty of the ladscape. Alex was a good guide and provided a great narrative of the natural fauna and flora. Sunset is the best time to do this. Lumpy the monsta croc was a highlight. Highly recommended.
  • matt2batt
    matt2batt
    0
    0
    Early morning Daintree delight
    The last day of FNQ birding / wildlife trip delivered in spades for my son & I helped by the experienced and enthusiastic Alex. We were hopeful for a number of birds for our lists, better views and importantly learning more about their behaviour / character. Alex was brilliant in searching out the birds and investigating the goings on on the river - including a ruckus caused by Black butcher birds hassling a an Amethystine python. The trip was well paced with time to get onto the birds and get better views. The boat was very comfortable and had an adjustable roof which helped when it was lightly raining on our trip. Booking & communication was a breeze which helped with our tight itinerary - will definitely book again when back to this beautiful part of the world.
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5.0
35 reviews
Excellent
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Clare J
4 contributions
Jun. 2021
I would highly recommend Ian (Sauce) our guide from Daintree River Wild Watch. He has been doing it a long time and was extremely good at spotting difficult to see birds. He knew where we might find things and he was quiet and knowledgeable. Even though it was a dull day we saw many birds.
Written 16 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Craigsling
Auckland, New Zealand24 contributions
Mar. 2020
After doing a morning tour with a different company I did the evening tour with Daintree River Wild Watch and immediately booked a morning one with them. They were awesome! As I was interested in birds I found the other company focused predominantly on finding crocodiles which ended up taking the whole time up (which is fine if that’s what you’re interested in), however with Daintree river wild watch we were on a smaller boat with better viewing capabilities and the guides (we had Alex for the evening and Ian for the morning cruise) were incredibly passionate, respectful and knowledgeable about the wildlife on the Daintree. We saw so many birds including 6 x Kingfisher species on one trip which was a new record apparently. We saw crocodiles as well but they were an added bonus and didn’t take away from everything else we saw. And they didn’t mind going over time for us... Cannot recommend highly enough!! All photos were taken from the boat and represent a fraction of what we saw.
Written 22 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Peta B
172 contributions
I went on a 2 hour early morning river cruise with Sauce which was fantastic. He is very knowledgeable and has great boat skills to maneuver in for great up close sightings. We saw many birds, the highlight was sitting back watching the Australasian Swift birds flying around us and dipping into the river to bath. We also saw a tree snake and crocodile. Overall a very peaceful river cruise with lots of various sightings and learnings along the way. I highly recommend the River Wild Watch morning cruise.
Written 2 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Annette Sibson
1 contribution
Jun. 2020
This was Sauces first trip out for the season due to COVID 19. I’m an avid bird watcher and photographer so was thrilled to be able to go on the early morning cruise. There was only myself, my husband and the wonderfully knowledgeable Sauce. The birds were quiet but we still found some brilliant ones and I managed some good shots. The light drizzle added to the mystique of the river. Sauce was brilliant and we learnt heaps about the birds and plant life. It was a fabulous tour and I’m keen for a repeat at some time in the future.
Written 12 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Cheryl M
Sydney182 contributions
Oct. 2020
Although we were hesitant about getting up at the crack of dawn for our 6am cruise, we were so glad that we did.
Sauce made us feel comfortable & allowed us into his world for just a couple of hours. He is a source of information about the Daintree River, birds, trees & local stories. We were lucky enough to see 2 crocs but even without this we would have thought our 2 hours with Sauce was well worth it. What a gentleman! What knowledge!
Written 12 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Glenn F
Australia110 contributions
The early morning cruise was fantastic. Saw heaps of birdlike and explored some amazing places. It certainly is a place worth preserving and taking care of. Our guide Sauce was a wealth of knowledge and loves talking about the river and its wildlife
Written 19 November 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

fmADL
1 contribution
Sep. 2023 • Couples
We did the Sunset Tour and it was amazing. Sunset is such a peaceful, quiet and special time of day. Alex knows the Daintree like the back of his hand. He took us to see 3 species of Kingfisher (Azure, Little and Sacred). He showed us two Papuan Frogmouths - on their nests, 2 gorgeous little green tree snakes and many other birds. Alex allowed plenty of time for photographs of the wee creatures, that are hard to capture.
Written 29 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Eddie
Browns Plains, Australia2 contributions
My wife and I decided to do both the Sunrise and Sunset tours with Daintree River Wild Watch in June. It was absolutely an amazing experience and we have gained a greater understanding and appreciation of the wonders of the Daintree River. Alex and Sauce were so knowledgeable with the wildlife and surroundings. They were very generous with their time and knowledge and answered all our questions. They made every effort to help us observe as much of the wildlife as possible and we saw so much (too much to list here lol). It was such a delight to observe the Daintree River and all it's inhabitants, the Kingfishers were definitely a highlight. We loved every minute and highly recommend this tour. If you can, do both! Thank you Alex and Sauce for this unforgettable experience, we will be back again for sure. Eddie & Kirsty
Written 15 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sam P
1 contribution
Aug. 2023 • Couples
Amazing experience with a really friendly and knowledgeable guide! Saw lots of amazing birds and managed to take some great pictures - not due to my skill but the careful positioning of the boat without disturbing the bird. Saw a huge 4.5m crocodile along with azure, little and sacred kingfishers as well as lots of birds of prey and other forest birds. Highly recommend for any birder, nature photographer or wildlife lover.
Written 5 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Glenn M
Sunshine Coast, Australia48 contributions
Ian and Alex offer a very friendly, professional and intimate daintree river expedition. My wife and I have been on many similar experiences including the mighty Chobe and Zambezi rivers in Africa and I have to say this expedition is right up there with them. The river in the early hours of the morning is just superb. Well done fellas and a high recommendation and accolade from my wife and I. Thank you Alex, thankyou Sauce. 10/10
Written 2 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Daintree River Wildlife Cruise - Early Morning provided by Daintree River Wild Watch