13 things to do in the Wet Tropics (especially if you think you’ve done the Daintree)

Let this sink in for a moment: the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area is one of the oldest continuously surviving tropical rainforest in the world. Older than the Amazon. Older than the dinosaurs. Descendants of plants that flourished while dinosaurs roamed Gondwanaland still grow in the Wet Tropics today.

It’s a swathe of significant prehistoric preservation that stretches from south of Cooktown to the northwest of Townsville, encompassing more than 30 national parks. So you can understand why just dipping a toe into the Daintree Rainforest and saying you’re done is like eating pasta once and saying you’ve done Italy.

You only have limited time to roam, so travel deeper, quicker, with this list of essential things to do in the Wet Tropics.

Walk on country with a Traditional Owner

To truly understand the significance and lifeforce of the Wet Tropics, travel back in time at least 60,000 years and walk on Country with a Traditional Owner. From the Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre, a guided Ngadiku Dreamtime Walk tour is the best introduction to this land before time where life-giving water flows over car-sized granite boulders. Read more about how to do Mossman Gorge here.

Further north, go walkabout through the southern section of the Daintree or venture to Cape Tribulation with Juan Walker from the 100-per-cent Aboriginal owned, Walkabout Cultural Adventures. Taking a walk with Juan is learning lore and understanding your own place in the Wet Tropics.

Float under the rainforest canopy

Let go of all the plans and deadlines and drift with the current along one of the cleanest rivers in the world. This gin-clear stretch of the Mossman River, known to the local Kuku Yalanji people as Jinkalmu, flows from the hills behind Mossman eventually finding its way to the Coral Sea - it's where you can lay back on an inflatable ‘sled’ and bask in the beauty of the rainforest canopy, entwined with strangler figs.

Back Country Bliss Adventures run half-day River Drift Snorkelling tours departing Port Douglas, providing the chance for you to immerse yourself in the Wet Tropics as freshwater turtles swim below you and butterflies and kingfishers flit overhead.

While it’s faster-flowing in the wet season (January to March), the rest of the year you’ll discover a serene speed at which to get acquainted with 130 million years of creation.

Glide above the canopy for a bird’s eye view

It doesn’t matter if you can paddle a river, hear the birdsong of the 370 bird species found in the Wet Tropics, or see the intricate detail of a rainforest fern in macro, or not – up here, all abilities are catered for.

Gliding above the canopy, Skyrail Rainforest Cableway is an inclusive, immersive rainforest experience found just 15 minutes from Cairns. Glass gondoliers provide your front-row perch to feel like a bird, at home in the rainforest, while boardwalks, ranger guides tours, and The Edge lookout will ground you in its majesty.

You can also opt to take the Skyrail up and Kuranda Scenic Railway back or vice versa.

Swim in the remnants of a prehistoric volcano

With no motorised watercraft to disturb your reverie, no stingers or crocs to worry about, and no cover charge, slipping into the cool mineral-rich waters of Lake Eacham in the Atherton Tablelands is a natural alternative to modern bathhouses.

An ancient volcanic crater, the lake is known as Yidyam or Wiinggina to the local Ngadjon-Jii people and its depth plunges to 65 metres. There’s even tiny fish who will nibble at your feet for a natural spa treatment.

Connect to the rainforest with a Wet Tropics World Heritage Guide

Tapping into the wealth of knowledge of a Wet Tropics World Heritage Guide is like taking an express degree in millions of years of ecological history – much the way accredited Savannah Guides know the Outback like the back of their hands, and Master Reef Guides are the ones you want leading you out on the Reef.

These professional naturalist guides will help you to get under the skin of the rainforest and have the mind to match even the most encyclopaedic-level questions.

Take the road less travelled with a small-group 4WD adventure to Bloomfield Falls with the Advanced Eco-Accredited Tony’s Tropical Tours, departing from Port Douglas.

Learn about the wildlife icons of the rainforest

You’ll never forget the first time you see a cassowary in the wild. Nor the great jaws of a saltwater croc in the chocolatey Daintree river. And the Wet Tropics region has more than a few endemic species and wonders of evolution up its sleeve.

If you’re short on time, visit Wildlife Habitat in Port Douglas to meet the Lumholtz’s tree kangaroo – or mupee, boongary or marbi, as they are known variously to the Djirrbal and Ngadjon-jii peoples.

Whether you’re a keen birder or not, a journey with FNQ Nature Tours to Mt Mulligan Lodge for a specialist twitching weekend is the luxurious way to connect with some of the more than 450 avian species recorded here.

Get to know the wildlife of the Daintree and Wet Tropics rainforests here.

Tune into the rainforest soundscape

Sometimes, to truly understand something, you need to be still. Let it in through all your senses. When you bed down in the Wet Tropics – in a treehouse, perhaps, or the Mossman River-front Silky Oaks Lodge – you’ll sink into the soundscape of this very special place. The patter of rain as it makes landfall with outstretched foliage, the shush of water over rocks, the clicks and croaks and the rich twittering birdsong all blends into a harmony no meditation track could ever replicate.

There are also beautiful waterside camping spots in the Wet Tropics – from the sites on the banks of Lake Tinaroo to camping by the Millstream River on Woodleigh Station. Try these camping spots near Cairns.

Wander at your own pace

Whether you prefer to explore on foot or meander waterways in a canoe or kayak, one of the best things to do in the Wet Tropics is to remember to go slow.

There’s over 150 managed walking trails found throughout the Wet Tropics, from short accessible boardwalks through to epic hikes, including the challenging Wet Tropics Great Walk in Girringun National Park – a sensory masterpiece of waterfalls, gorges and tropical wilderness.

For an easier option – yet one of the most visually arresting – head 65km south of Cairns to witness the pools above the Babinda Boulders on the 1.3km Devils Pool Walk. Find more rainforest walks near Cairns here.

Raise your pulse on an epic adventure

As well as being a hotbed for diverse ecosystems, the Wet Tropics rainforest is an incubator for adrenaline-fuelled adventures.

Hurl yourself off the bungee platform at Skypark Cairns just outside Cairns, take to one of the epic mountain biking trails of the Atherton Tablelands, or head south to Tully to come face to face with the torrent of rapids that churn from the Tully River on a white water rafting trip with Raging Thunder Adventures.

You’ll find plenty more adventure-packed things to do in the Wet Tropics here.

Contribute to the preservation of this natural wonder

Visiting the Wet Tropics is nice – and the best way to get fired up about its ongoing survival – but if you’d like to know your visit has made a positive impact, join a specialised conservation safari or seek to support those who contribute to its preservation.

FNQ Nature Tours offer a four day Nature, Wildlife & Conservation Safari where you can work alongside industry experts and assist in conducting valuable research on the endangered spotted-tailed quoll. Its closest cousin, the Tasmanian Tiger, is already extinct and populations of the largest marsupial mammal in the world are critically low.

Elsewhere, the Daintree Discovery Centre, with its Canopy Tower and Micrometeorological Weather Station, supports climate change research through partnerships with James Cook University and the Australian National University. The centre is also a longtime supporter of Rainforest Rescue, who rescue vulnerable rainforests by purchasing threatened properties and repair damaged habitat through reforestation projects. 

You can also become a member of the Skyrail Rainforest Foundation for just $30 a year and contribute to tropical rainforest research, or visit the Tolga Bat Hospital to see the work of volunteers who help care for over 1000 microbats and flying foxes each year.

Chase waterfalls and waterways

The significance of a waterfall takes on new meaning when it’s flowing from the world’s oldest rainforest, fed by a river where platypus, eastern water dragons and saw-shelled turtles live. Thundering 268 metres straight down, Wallaman Falls in Girringun National Park, is Australia’s tallest single-drop waterfall and a special part of the traditional lands of the Warrgamay People.

To get there, drive one hour through sugarcane country from Ingham, or about 2.5 hours north-west from Townsville. To gain the best perspective on the power of the falls, lace up for the Djyinda walk (pronounced 'Yin-da') from the lookout to the base. It’s a steep and rugged 3.2km trek, but worth every moment.

Visit more waterfalls in Tropical North Queensland with this guide.

Experience the rainforest when night falls

Like any natural wonder, life in the rainforest looks, feels and sounds completely different after dark.

Experiencing the Wet Tropics rainforest at night can be done in a myriad ways but one of the best is a cruise through the East Trinity Reserve – an important wetland and prime crocodile breeding ground south-east of Cairns – followed by a multi-course feast with Mandingalbay Ancient Indigenous Tours. This special private event is available for a minimum of 20 guests.

You can also take a guided night walk through the Daintree with FNQ Nature Tours on their Daintree afternoon tour or paddle across Lake Tinaroo by the light of the moon to spot unique nocturnal rainforest animals with On The Wallaby.

Here’s more ways to experience a steamy night in the Wet Tropics.

Take in the view where two World Heritage areas meet

It’s the only place in the world where two World Heritage areas nudge up against each other and while, at first glance, they seem like vastly different environments, the rainforest and Reef share an ancient partnership. Rising sea levels flooded the rainforest, creating the foundation of the Reef, as recently as 500,000 years ago.

Cape Tribulation is one of the most accessible areas where the Great Barrier Reef meets the Wet Tropics rainforest and you can tread the seam between the two by horse riding along the beach and heading out on a snorkelling adventure with Ocean Safari.