The Daintree Rainforest, the oldest rainforest, is about an hour’s drive from Port Douglas. The Daintree Rainforest is unspoiled. It is truly a natural wonder with awe inspiring beauty. A humbling experience.
The only way to get to the Upper Daintree Rainforest is by Ferry which runs continuously over the Daintree River and only takes about 5-10 minutes. Once on the other side you can drive to the Daintree Discovery Centre .
We opted to enjoy the Rainforest on our own steam while taking advantage of the outlooks and informative boardwalks. We spent about 4 hours driving through the northern upper part of this magnificent World Heritage Sight.
Once on the other side of the river there really is only one main road you drive on (it is sealed) – The Cook Highway. We stopped at the Mount Alexandra Lookout and then stopped at the first of the two boardwalks we would stop at. The boardwalks are free and well maintained with short explanations along the way. There are viewing platforms all along the boardwalks – stop, sit, breathe in the Rainforest , listen to the water running by – you won’t be disappointed.
We visited The Daintree during the Wet Season and so could feel the dampness and moisture of the Rainforest, not to mention the sound of the water running through. The lushness is indescribable. Very special.
Jindalba Boardwalk
Here there are two walks – a short circular walk of about 700 m and a longer one of about 3km. We did the easy circular walk. The Boardwalk is well maintained with explanations along the way so one really can do this by oneself without having to go the Daintree Discovery Centre. We were lucky to see very close up, on the side of the road when we passed the Daintree Discovery Centre, a Cassowary.
Strange as it may seem, the northern part of the Daintree Rainforest is famous for its’ two ice cream factories – The Floravilla Ice Cream Factory and The Daintree Ice Cream Company. I am an ice-cream lover and honestly after all the hype I read about these places, the ice cream wasn’t something special. Their locations and settings however are gorgeous.
We continued northwards and stopped at the next Boardwalk:
Marrdja Boardwalk:
This boardwalk is through a mangrove. It is an easy 1.2 km loop. The ferns you see here are enormous and gorgeous. The atmosphere, provided it is quiet, is both humbling and magnificent.
We did not continue to Cape Tribulation and instead drove slowly back the same way we came enjoying the magnificent Rainforest.
Tips:
- Take water and something to eat as at neither of the Broadwalks is there anywhere to buy drinks and food;
- Before you go spray yourselves, your clothing and shoes – suggest using the local Australian Bushman repellent;
- If you go in the Wet Season, Summer, take a light poncho/waterproof jacket – we walked through the Rainforest in the rain – the ultimate rainforest experience!
My other posts about the area:
Snorkeling on The Great Barrier Reef;
Port Douglas North Queensland Australia is Paradise;
Kuranda, famous for iconic scenic train and skyrail over rainforest canopy