Daintree River Dawn Cruise: An Intimate Wildlife Encounter on a Hybrid Boat

Embark on an intimate wildlife encounter on a hybrid boat with the Daintree River Dawn Cruise. Discover iconic wildlife, including birds, crocodiles, and snakes, while enjoying the picturesque and serene beauty of the Daintree river.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Daintree Boatman Wildlife Cruises - Start your day with a cruise on the mighty Daintree river.
    This 2 hour cruise takes you on journey of discovery exploring the main river and its tributaries in search of iconic wildlife including crocodiles, birds and snakes.
    The dawn cruise showcases the river at is most picturesque and serene as the boat…
What's Included
  • Driver/guide
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information

Begin your day with a cruise on the majestic Daintree River. This two-hour cruise offers a journey of discovery, exploring the main river and its tributaries in search of iconic wildlife, including highly sought-after birds such as kingfishers, herons, egrets, and frogmouths, as well as crocodiles and snakes. The dawn cruise highlights the river at its…

Location
Daintree Public Boat Ramp
Stewart Street
Daintree Village boat ramp, beside Riverview Lodge & Van Park, 150m downhill from the Daintree Village Hotel
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(190 Ratings)
5 stars
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1 star
M3709rgandyc
Oct 25, 2024
Dawn Cruise - My wife and I had the pleasure of spending a few hours on the river a couple of dsys ago. Despite difficult conditions (Sping/King tides) and low water level. Murray took us on an adventure up and down the river, and his comfortable bost managed to navigate some of the smaller tributaries with it's almost silent electric motor allowing us to drift in and capture the local residents without disturbing them. We saw many of the birds we expected with some added extras for good measure, we even had a couple of croc sightings which are hard, given the seasonal changes and tides. Murray was a knowledgeable and helpful guide, allowing me to fet 'just the right shot'. Thank you Murray, see you again soon
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Prenfrey
Oct 14, 2024
An amazing dawn cruise with the Daintree Boatman - An awesome time on the river with Murray Hunt this morning. 29 species of birds spotted with great commentary from Murray. Highlights were the; Papuan Frogmouth, Azure Kingfisher, Great Cormorant, Great-billed Heron, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Chestnut breasted Mannikin … In fact the highlights were from getting on the boat to stepping off. Many thanks to Murray for a marvellous morning and I highly recommend him
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Greggvis
Oct 6, 2024
Worth every penny!! And then some... - This is a GREAT trip, not to be missed. Small, intimate boat, only 8 onboard, which is very cozy and perfect for sharing. Murray is a magnificent guide, sharp-eyed, witty and patient. The weather on our trip (Monday Sept 16th 2024) was far from ideal, but Murray adjusted, allowing all the passengers to cope, too. Clouds, squalls, clearing, wind, more clearing, less wind. The trip was not compromised one bit. This is a GREAT trip at twice the price. Not to be missed! Thank you, Murray.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Voyage11495046509
Sep 30, 2024
A great trip worth doing. - I had booked 2 cruises, 2 consecutive days. I travelled a long way from Ireland and just in case one day was going to be wet, I played safe and booked a 2nd trip. Day one was very foggy to begin with but it cleared up about half way through. Day two was sunny and bright. Both cruises were great with Murray making each cruise informative and interesting. In spite of the fog, Murray found plenty for us to see... he didn't rush anything, there was plenty time for viewing and photos. Day 2 was different from the first with different birds on the list. Between the two days I got to see particularly, a Great-billed Heron, Little Kingfisher, Rajah Shelduck, Lathams Snipe, a flyover Cicada bird, Black fronted Dotterel, Sacred Kingfisher. Azure Kingfisher, Shining Flycatchers, Sunbird, White-bellied Sea Eagle and White-Necked Heron... Highly recommend Murray, Highly recommend the cruise and Highly recommend booking in advance so you don't miss doing it.
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Carranya1
Sep 25, 2024
Best there is. - I have birded all over the world, and I have yet to find a guide more knowledgeable or helpful than Murray. An outing with him is a must whenever I am up this way.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
755debashisg
Sep 24, 2024
Knowledgeable, safe, punctual and well organised nature boat ride - A fantastic river cruise with the Daintree Boatman Murray Hunt showed me my first sightings of the beautiful Azure Kingfisher, Sacred Kingfisher and Shining Flycatcher among other birds. Murray is knowledgeable and generous with sharing information about the flora, fauna and environment in Daintree. He is cautious when approaching birds and animals on his boat so that they are not spooked or harassed. During the boat ride we encountered moderate drizzling. Murray was quick to set up the rain cover. Over all Murray offers a premium experience at an affordable price point and ensures that as a nature enthusiast you get to see the Daintree river in harmony with nature. I will certainly repeat this trip if I travel back to Daintree in the future.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stefaniv2019
Sep 23, 2024
Early morning tour - Great tour, saw so many critters but the highlight were the crocs! We actually went in July of 2023, but I was lax in writing this review. I definitely recommend, the tour guide was terrific and found lots of interesting birds and other critters.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nebulous77
Sep 17, 2024
Enjoyable morning wildlife cruise on the Daintree - We joined the early morning cruise with Murray. He was very knowledgeable about the river and wildlife and gave really informative commentary as we viewed the wide variety of birds as well as a snake and 2 crocodiles during the 2 hours. Murray's ability to spot tiny birds from a long way away and position the boat for good photo angles really added to the experience as we got quite close to a number of birds at the river's edge. We really enjoyed our time on the river and recommend Murray to anyone interested in viewing and photographing birds and other wildlife on the Daintree.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kayeleon
Sep 9, 2024
Perfect start to the day on the Daintree - The views whilst travelling down the beautiful Daintree River were stunning, amazing reflections, Murray was an amazing guide with extensive knowledge of the river and the wildlife. As a keen birder the cruise was perfect, so many birds I’d not seen before and such close views of them. The crocodiles we saw in their natural habitat quietly drifting down the river were amazing. Would absolutely recommend Murray and his cruise as an excellent way to see the beautiful Daintree in a small vessel for a personal experience, loved it 💚
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bikerbok
Sep 6, 2024
Great wildlife trip with the Daintree Boatman. - Great, safe experience. Saw lots of bird and reptiles at dawn. Knowledgeable guide who communicated effectively. Recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $47
up to 10 guests
1 Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).