Daintree River Dawn Cruise: An Intimate Wildlife Encounter on a Hybrid Boat

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
  • 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
4.9
(181 Ratings)
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Surf570
Aug 10, 2024
Best Daintree River Wildlife trip - An excellent wildlife trip down the Daintree river. Murray is a very knowledgable guide pointing out the wildlife we wouldn't have seen without him. Fully recommend as a 'to do' activity whilst in the Daintree.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Phelanel
Jul 28, 2024
Incredible experience! - Murray knows the river and her inhabitants well and had a very sharp eye for spotting even the smallest (and most stunning) birds and nocturnal animals sleeping in the safety of camouflage. Recommend bringing binoculars to get a good view of the breathtakingly beautiful birdlife.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Guide50433168304
Jul 19, 2024
Excellent cruise for birdlife and photography - We had a superb experience on the Daintree River entirely due to the expertise of Murray Hunt the Daintree Boatman (Daintree Boatman Wildlife Cruises). His expertise on birdlife was great and skill in managing his boat to get close to birds for the best views is the best I have experienced. Such a thrill for any birder or bird photographer! Check out his website for more information.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pioneer09839091417
Jul 15, 2024
Great option to experience on the Daintree - Great trip. Much quieter and better information with a small group and a well experienced and informed guide. The behavior of the Crocodiles that morning as an interloper trespassed into the dominant male's territory and also the interaction between that male and a female was amazing to witness.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Z4472xsnickd
Jul 9, 2024
Very happy to have taken the cruise despite poor weather. - The weather was quite poor for my cruise, but Murray worked to provide the best possible experience, and spotted wildlife I would never have noticed on my own. He has a wealth of knowledge he can share to keep the cruise interesting even when weather/wildlife don't cooperate. I wouldn't hesitate to book another cruise if I returned to Daintree Village.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fischer235
Jul 3, 2024
Absolutely fantastic! - We had an amazing tour with Murray this morning. He knows so much about the river, its animals, and plants and is incredible at spotting wildlife. If you plan on doing a boat tour, choose this one!
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M2652gimonicab
Jun 28, 2024
Murray was great, thanks for experienceand expertise - Murray was very good, I was really impressed with his knowledge and expertise. His knowledge of the fauna and wildlife was exceptional
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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
W2212oustefanoa
Aug 29, 2024
Overall a good experience but the 2 birdwatchers with us ruined the cruise - My partner and I booked this river cruise hoping to enjoy the forest and see crocs, snakes and other animals. I thought we were travelling up and down river to enter the forest more deeply but we stayed close to where the started the tour. We did navigate along a creek for a bit and that was probably the best part. Unfortunately with us there were 2 individuals interested only in birds so we basically dedicated most of the time looking for tiny birds and let them take as many photos possible. We even spent like 20min looking at a bird. When we finally spot a croc we got little closer and after 1 minute we just left. Same when we spot another croc with an open month chilling by the river on our way back, 1 minute to take literally 2 photos and left. I believe 99% of people that do these tours care more about crocs and snakes rather than little birds and I'm not sure why we dedicated most of the time to these 2 bird watcher. Overall was a good experience but disappointing because we did not spent enought time looking at those amazing big animals that we can rarely see in the wild. I hate writing bad reviews but Murray should have dedicated more time to everyone's interests.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 10 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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