It’s a pain having to get up at 5.30am again! But we need a few hours to catch up on our work (yes, we still need to make a living) and prepare for a day’s tour of the oldest living rainforest in the world – The Daintree. We’re about to join a small tour group and meet our Tour Guide, Kerry.
Kerry has great people skills. He’s an experienced and seasoned traveller with a dry sense of humour. His on-board commentary provides plenty of laughs. First, we drive onto the ferry that will take us across the Daintree River.
We then drive to Cape Tribulation and park near a lovely little beach where further up, there’s a lookout for great photos opportunities. By the time we head back, Kerry’s laid out home-made muffins, chocolate biscuits and freshly cut tropical fruit. Bet he was up earlier than me to make those muffins!
Next we head off for a leisurely river cruise. For me, this was a definite highlight. The boat guide gave an extremely detailed commentary on the Daintree’s ecosystem and some fascinating facts about the crocodiles here.
As we floated upstream, quietness descended. We were all hoping to see those amazing reptiles who survived the Dinosaur Age. We were not disappointed.
Two large crocodiles, one female and a much larger male, came into sight. They’re used to this particular boat and barely gave us a glance. As for us, we squealed like kids. This was such a thrill. Let’s get closer..
The rainforest walk was a great way to get in a bit of exercise. Kerry explained how the different plants and trees of the forest have adapted to flourish in the Daintree Forest. Love those creeping vines.
For all you romantics out there, don’t forget the all-important loved-up shot, because this is the perfect place for it.
As if we need more to eat, yet here we are at the “On the Turps” restaurant, in the middle of a rainforest. The staff are ready with the pre-ordered lunch of our choice. My grilled Barramundi is delicious and it’s a generous portion.This is where you get to have great conversations with your fellow travellers.
The Daintree home-made Ice-cream shop is the next treat and they take cash only. Can I fit more in? Yes I can. These ice-cream flavours are so uniquely tropical, you may never have heard of them. Wattle Seed ice-cream!
Next we’re off the Mossman Gorge, home to the Kuku Yalanji people, the original inhabitants of this area. First we need to park the van before we board a large bus that will drive us to the gorge. This is the only part of the tour where you’ll join a lot of other travellers, but it’s only for a short time.
Look at this panoramic view from the Alexandria Lookout. You get the whole spectrum of the Daintree Forest and beyond to the Coral Sea.
On the way back, we’ve become one big happy family. Before I close my eyes tonight, I’ll be thinking of this untouched and magnificent world.
Happy Travelling.
