Daintree Rainforest Cairns, Australia

White Lipped Tree Frog

The Daintree Rainforest in Australia is one of the most diverse and beautiful examples of Mother Nature in the world. It is home to the most diverse range of plants and animals on earth, and all are found within an area of approximately 1200 square kilometres – the largest chunk of tropical rainforest in Australia.

This World Heritage Listed area contains the highest number of plant and animal species that are rare, or threatened with extinction, anywhere in the world. The Daintree Rainforest is a unique area, precariously balanced between the advances of development and the warnings of environmentalists.

Why visit the Daintree Rainforest?

Mossman Gorge in the Daintree

Visiting the Daintree Rainforest exposes tourists to a wonderful outdoor experience.

• Untouched tropical rainforest
• Golden beaches with calm water
• Hiking tracks
• Thousands of species of birds and other wildlife
• Remote wilderness
• Ecological information about the most diverse ecosystem in the world

The beaches of the Daintree Rainforest are rated among the most spectacular in the world. The tropical warmth combined with dazzling sunshine and crystal clear calm water makes you wonder if this is what heaven could be like. One of the most wonderful features of Daintree beaches is the lack of people. Stretching for miles, you can cast your eyes along the golden sand and not see a single soul.

The tropical rainforest is home to the most diverse range of plants and animals on earth. The Daintree region supports species of plants and animals that have existed for millions of years and are integral to the ecosystem not just of the Daintree Rainforest, but of other areas around the world too. As difficult as it may be to imagine, what happens in the Daintree Rainforest affects what happens on the other side of the planet.

Daintree Rainforest Information

The Daintree Rainforest gained a World Heritage Listing on the 9th of December 1988. This was a declaration of Australia's commitment to the area and recognition of its environmental values. The Daintree area is adjacent to another World Heritage site of equal importance, the Great Barrier Reef. There are few places in the world as significant and with such biodiversity as the Daintree Rainforest.

The Daintree rainforests is home to one of the highest populations of primitive flowering plants in the world. Of 19 primitive plant families on earth, 12 are found in the Daintree. A similar number of primitive families are found in all the rainforest of South America.

These ancient plant families my well hold the secret to a number of unanswered questions regarding the origins of the flowering plants - plants on which the human race depends for food and medicines.

One of the most well known animals living in the Daintree Rainforest area is the Estuarine Crocodile. This creature has been the bane of many explores and settlers in the region during the past 100 years, and it continues to be a threat to visitors to the Daintree who are unaware of the dangers associated with swimming among them.

The crocodile is from the reptile family, and has a cold-blood system which means it needs to regulate it's own body temperature closely. For this reason, it is common to see a saltwater crocodile lying still with its mouth gaping – a cooling process to maintain body temperature between 30 and 32 degrees Celsius.

The Daintree Rainforest in Australia provides one of the best examples of tropical environment in the world. It is part of a region in Tropical North Queensland called the “Wet Tropics.” It receives vast amounts of rain, however this usually occurs in torrential downpours that last only a few hours at a time. When it's not raining, usually the sun is out in full force highlighting the vibrant colours of the rainforest and the sea.

Temps in the rainforest are surprisingly mild due to the protective canopy layer of tall trees. The air is often humid but cool. The highest recorded temperature is 36.7 degrees Celsius and the lowest recorded temperature is 8.9 degrees Celsius.

Enquiries & Bookings

INSTANT BOOKINGS - See the Daintree Rainforest section to view a huge range of tours in the Daintree with discount prices and itinerary planning.

Please feel free to ask us any questions you might have about the Daintree Rainforest... we want to help make your holiday experience a memorable one.

Other Interesting Daintree Businesses

If you would like to research the Daintree Rainforest further, try these local companies:

Daintree Accommodation — Tranquility on the Daintree

A day trip to the Daintree simply does not do the area justice, so be sure to stay for at least a couple of days. Below is a selection of accommodation properties that afford visitors the time needed to truly immerse themselves in the Daintree region.

Set on a secluded 450 acre private property, Tranquility on the Daintree is an exclusive, self-contained accommodation experience.

Guests enjoy exclusive use of the property — explore exotic tropical fruit orchards, lush tropical rainforest, hidden waterfalls, rainforest streams, spectacular wildlife and the majestic Daintree River.

Daintree Rainforest Weddings

Resort Weddings - Holiday resort weddings are romantic and uncomplicated. Hand picked resorts in The Daintree, Australia, Fiji, Cook Islands and Vanuatu offer wedding packages to suit all couples’ budget, hopes, dreams and memories. Huge financial savings when compared to customary weddings, a unique and inspirational ceremony and dream honeymoon, for a fraction of the cost of a traditional home town wedding.

General Daintree Information

Daintree Village Tourism - The Daintree Village Tourism Association is a voluntary body comprising tourism operators and service providers within the travel industry operating between the Daintree River and the Mossman River north of Cairns in Tropical North Queensland.