Riverbend Tours
Riverbend Tours
5
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Monday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday
7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
About
With 6 consecutive Travellers Choice Awards (formerly Certificate of Excellence) under our belt, Riverbend Tours offers a unique Sunset Cruise experience in crocodile country on the Endeavour River in Cooktown. Board Nautilus late in the day. Bring your own bottle of wine and prepare yourself for a magnificent Cape York sunset. We will explore the harbour in the long afternoon light and then head upstream to watch the sunset over the ranges. While navigating the maze way of creeks we serve a gourmet cheese platter featuring produce from Gallo's, an award winning local dairy. After dark, spotlights add a whole new perspective to the walls of mangrove that line the river. Listen to some stories about Cook’s journey along the Cape, about devastating cyclones, about the glory days of pearling luggers and about the new Cooktown, gateway to the frontier. Affordably priced at $55, this sunset cruise can make for a wonderfully peaceful way to end the day.
Cooktown, Queensland, Australia

Awards
Travellers' Choice
2023

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(53 reviews)
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5.0
220 reviews
Excellent
203
Very good
14
Average
3
Poor
0
Terrible
0

Lorraine M
Helensvale, Australia4 contributions
Oct. 2023 • Solo
Ben was so knowledgeable and entertaining... learnt so much local history. Beautiful scenery, thoughtfully presented. Lucky it was a full moon so even more special. You need to do this!
Written 28 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.

Bronwyn D
2 contributions
Oct. 2023 • Couples
Really good value, just the right amount of talk, great ambiance and fabulous scenery, hospitality was great and I learnt so much I would not have otherwise found out about Cooktown. A must do!
Written 27 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.

Tom K
Cairns, Australia1 contribution
Oct. 2023 • Couples
Wow. Nick made everyone feel welcomed and shared his knowledge of Cooktown’s river’s history. The local historical society provided old photos which Nick shared in a photo album with stories. A lot of history, great country and a bloody beautiful sunset. Unforgettable. Thanks Nick
Written 15 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.

Fiona from Australia
Melbourne, Australia47 contributions
Sep. 2023 • Family
The sunset boat trip is a must when in Cooktown. Nick's knowledge of and passion for the area is inspiring. Bringing your own drinks and enjoying the generous cheese platter adds to the overall enjoyment of the experience.
Written 7 September 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.
Woohoo! Thanks Fiona. With your help we have now clocked 200 5 star ratings out of 217 reviews. It follows then that our guests will have roughly a 92.2% chance of having a 5 star experience. (Yes, I did the maths.) :) Thank you!
Written 10 September 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Meg S
Melbourne20 contributions
Aug. 2023 • Family
What a delightful evening! Nick & his young son Jessie provided a delightful service. Nicks knowledge of Cooktown was terrific. The boat was smooth and comfortable. Very good value as you could BYO (ice provided) and a delicious cheese platter was served to ever group. Highly recommend
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.
Thanks guys. Jesse is a wonderful helper. Soon we might have to re - negotiate his performance based wage. :) Thanks for taking the time out to review. Cheers.
Written 6 September 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

mkbrennan61
Perth, Australia30 contributions
Jul. 2023
Fantastic sunset cruise of the Cooktown harbor and creeks. Nick provided interesting commentary of Cooktown's history and some of its characters without going overboard (bad pun!). The beautiful cheese platter with BYO drinks in the middle of the mangroves as the sun was setting was magical. Definitely the highlight of our trip to Cooktown.
Written 2 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.

lisa
Geelong, Australia17 contributions
Jul. 2023 • Couples
Sensational, totally exceeded our expectations, nics sunset river bend cruise was fabulous, he was knowledgeable about Cooktown history and was a great host.

This certainly was not a tacky touristy tour.

Cruising up into the river system was a highlight ,where we anchored and enjoyed a plentiful delicious cheese platter watching the sunset , once darkness fell the spotlights in the mangroves against the pitch black backdrop was incredible, an absolute must do when visiting cooktown,

Thankyou for ending our time here on such a high note!

Just disappointed we didn’t do it earlier on in our stay, as we would have done it a second time!!
Written 22 July 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.
Great review guys, thank you! Might see you again down the track. Cheers.
Written 6 September 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Gavin W
10 contributions
Jun. 2023 • Couples
This was gentle and interesting sunset cruise in perfect weather. We heard some Cooktown history and enjoyed a landing on the north shore sandbar to see the sunset (photo 1), before cruising into the mangroves where we sampled the delicious cheese platter. Everyone on board on our evening (approximately 24) commented positively on the value and the experience.
Written 3 July 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.
It’s always great when we can spend sunset on the North Shore. The tide and wind need to be on side to make it happen. Thanks for taking the time out to write a review. Cheers.
Written 6 September 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Vicki C
55 contributions
Jun. 2023 • Couples
Nick our cruise skipper was excellent , great commentary, knew his Cooktown info, his assistance Jessie was great , and the cheese platter was Devine - would highly recommend this sunset cruise for all to enjoy while in Cooktown
Written 12 June 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.

Elizabeth S
1 contribution
May 2023
Great experience. Nick was so informative about the history and current life of Cooktown. Not a rushed tourist trap. Well worth the cost plus excellently cheese platter. Highly reccomend
Written 25 May 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.

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Riverbend Tours: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)