Port Douglas to Cape Tribulation drive: Distance & best stops
Port Douglas to Cape Tribulation drive: North of the Daintree River
After taking the ferry north of the river, the road curves and winds. The Great Dividing Range starts to make its way towards the coast. The vegetation is thick and lush, the greens turned up to the maximum by the regular deluges of rain.
This is what Australia’s Wet Tropics World Heritage Area is all about. The trees and plants here form an almost complete evolutionary record of plantlife on earth. It is thought to be the oldest remaining rainforest in the world.
5 Daintree experiences worth booking in advance
- Daintree Discovery Centre tickets.
- Hour-long Daintree River cruise.
- Mossman River drift snorkelling.
- Daintree River late afternoon cruise.
- Barramundi fishing experience.
Ten minutes after crossing the Daintree, the Alexandra Lookout offers marvellous views over forests, mountains and beaches. Photos taken, it’s time to go for a walk – there are a series of walking trails branching off the road up to Cape Tribulation.
First up is the Daintree Discovery Centre, with a huge tower that lets you look above the canopy and an aerial walk. If you don’t fancy shelling out for it, there’s the nearby Jindalba Boardwalk. This 700m loop trail has educational signposts explaining how the rainforest ecosystem works. A major part in this is the cassowary – the third largest bird in the world. Keep an eye out for them while driving, but do not approach them. Cassowaries can be extremely dangerous.
Click through for the next section: Daintree food producers.