Are you heading to Cape Tribulation but have no idea what to do on the way? If you want to turn your drive from Port Douglas to Cape Tribulation into a fun and adventurous road trip, then you’ve come to the right place.
Keep reading to find 27 awesome stops and activities you can find on the way to the World Heritage Listed Wet Tropics and the Daintree Rainforest. Discover incredible wildlife, tropical fruit tasting, treetop adventures, swimming holes, campgrounds, crocodiles on beaches, pristine coral reef, delicious local food, and so much more.
Here’s some must-know information before you head out on your road-trip from Port Douglas to Cape Tribulation:
- The road is sealed all the way, it is suitable for all vehicles (2WD and 4WD)
- Total drive time is 1 hour & 50 minutes (84 km)
- The route includes a car ferry (to cross the Daintree River)
- The Daintree Rainforest/Cape Tribulation is inaccessible during the wet season
- The best time to visit is between May & November
The list includes some awesome things to do in Port Douglas to get your road trip off to a roaring start, and heaps of unique and fun stops all the way to Cape Tribulation.
1. Four Mile Beach (town beach)
Dreaming of long days on a warm, tropical beach? Can you imagine yourself lazing about in your swimmers with a good book for hours on end?
Four Mile Beach is Port Douglas’ town beach and is a golden-sand treasure. The rainforest and city meet the sea at Four Mile Beach, and you can swim all-year round in the ocean. It’s only a short walk from the town centre to the beach, which makes it the perfect first stop on your epic road trip to Cape Tribulation.
Be aware that marine stingers inhabit the ocean during the summer months (usually around November to May), so make sure you swim inside the stinger net, or wear a stinger suit during this time of year.
2. Port Douglas Markets
The Port Douglas Markets are a quirky and essential part of this sleepy tropical town’s culture, so don’t miss out on the action if you’re around town on a Sunday.
The Port Douglas Markets are open every Sunday from 8am until 1.30pm and are located at Anzac Park, which is on the wharf-end of the main street of town (corner Macrossan Street and Wharf Street).
Pop down and have a chat with the friendly locals, stock up on some road trip snacks, and peruse the endless array of hand-made crafts, books, fresh produce, coffee stalls, live music and more.
3. Açaí bowl at Nectar Port Douglas
My favourite thing to do while I was staying in Port Douglas was to visit Nectar on a lazy, sunny afternoon for a delicious açaí bowl. To make your afternoon even sweeter, take your smoothie bowl down to the beach and enjoy the fresh tropical fruits in the fresh tropical sunshine!
Nectar Port Douglas is located on the main street in town, Macrossan Street, and the shop has a bright and adorable interior. The menu has fresh smoothies, smoothie bowls, açaí bowls, and juices.
4. Beer on the marina at Hemingway’s Brewery FNQ
If you’re more of a pizza-and-a-beer-at-sunset kinda person, head on down to Hemingway’s on the Crystalbrook Superyacht Marina. Luckily you don’t have to own a superyacht to be able to enjoy the beautiful view and delicious food at Hemingway’s.
The kitchen is open for lunch daily from midday until 2.30pm, and for dinner daily from 5pm until 8.30pm. Unique cocktails and handcrafter beers are available from the bar which is open from midday every day. If you are hungry for a good feed, the menu offers all the pub classics made with local fresh produce.
5. Great Barrier Reef day trip
One thing you would be crazy to miss while you’re in Port Douglas is a visit to the World Heritage Listed tropical coral reef they call the Great Barrier Reef. Even if you think you don’t have time during your trip, making time will be one of your best ever decisions.
There are lots of dive & snorkel tour boat operators in Port Douglas who take visitors out to the reef for single-day adventures. If you like bigger boats with more amenities and don’t mind lots of people, you could jump aboard a Calypso Reef Cruise. If you prefer a more personal experience with a maximum of 12 guests per boat, hop aboard an ABC Snorkel Charter for a full-day tour.
When I visited Port Douglas in 2022, lots of the smaller dive shops were still really struggling post-Covid. They were grappling with a huge drop in international travellers and many were finding it tough to keep their businesses doors open. If you can, support the locals by choosing the smaller operators.
6. The Australian Chocolate Farm
If you’re a fiend when it comes to sweet treats, you won’t want to miss the first out-of-town stop on your road trip to Port Douglas to Cape Tribulation. Technically, stopping at the Australian Chocolate Farm adds a total of 8km to your trip, but it’ll be worth it!
You could go on a guided tour of the cocoa plantation to learn about growing cacao, plus how it’s harvested and made into chocolate. They have an onsite café that serves hot and cold drinks (including delicious hot chocolate), as well as lunch and yummy treats.
The Chocolate Farm is open from Wednesday to Saturday from 9am to 4.30pm and is only a 15 minute drive from Port Douglas. If you have your heart set on a guided tour, make sure you register ahead of time. You can do this on their website, or you can call them.
7. Mossman Gorge
Now we’re onto the really good stuff – the nature part of your Port Douglas to Cape Tribulation road trip! Mossman Gorge was my absolute favourite place in the area, it was so good that I even came back a month after my first visit.
As far as additional driving time goes, Mossman Gorge adds next to no extra kilometres to your trip. When you arrive at the Mossman Gorge carpark you will see the huge Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre. Once you go inside you can learn about the Kuku Yalanji culture and people, and hear about their connection with the land.
Shuttle Bus to Mossman Gorge
From the visitor centre, you can take the shuttle bus up to the heart of the Gorge. Once you’re there, you can explore the boardwalks and walking trails at your leisure. Wind your way through the forest learning about the native plants and animals, and get your feet into the water. You can walk barefoot over the bouncy forest floor and take a quick dip in one of the swimming holes.
Look out for the stunning blue Ulysses butterfly, the rainbow skinks, green possums, the chameleon Boyd Forest Dragons, or the cheeky frogs. There are countless plants and animals to amaze and delight you, many of which are found absolutely nowhere else on earth.
Technically, entry to Mossman Gorge is free, but you will need to purchase a bus ticket for a small fee in order to get there. The carpark and Visitor Centre is a few kilometres from the Gorge itself, and there is no public parking at the Gorge bus drop-off point. You could walk all the way there from the Visitor Centre, but I would not recommend it. Your time and energy would be better spent exploring the incredible rainforest once you get to the Gorge.
To spot creatures you’ve never seen before and hear stories about the land and its people, you could go on a Dreamtime Walk. To plan your trip, find the opening hours, and learn about the hiking trails and swimming options, head to the Mossman Gorge website.
8. Croc Xpresso Café & Wildlife Cruise
If you’re not planning to cross the Daintree River to go all the way up to Cape Tribulation, the Croc Xpresso Café is a great alternative stop on your road trip. Instead of Turning right onto Cape Tribulation Road to head towards the ferry, continue straight along Mossman-Daintree Road for 10km.
You can feast on a crocodile burger or grab something a little more mainstream like a barramundi burger or a fresh tropical fruit smoothie. The café is open daily from 7.30am to 2.30pm.
The café is also near the departure point for Daintree Boatman Wildlife Cruises. Jump onboard a cruise to spot crocodiles in the wild, see birds feeding, bats hunting, and learn about the native wildlife from a passionate and knowledgeable local.
9. Solar Whisper Wildlife and Crocodile Cruises
The final stop before you make your way across the Daintree River is a tour onboard a Daintree Whisper Wildlife Cruise.
Even though there are lots of tour boat operators in the region, we were drawn to this one because their boats are fully electric. Whisper quiet, emission free, and no-impact on the environment – it’s everything you want from a wildlife cruise. It was the perfect boat to sneak around and spy on the wildlife with, giving you the opportunity to see animals up close without disturbing them.
You will find their office on the south bank of the river, in the carpark just before you arrive at the car ferry. One-hour cruises start at just $32 per adult, which is an absolute bargain for the amazing commentary, wildlife, and expertise that the tour guide offers. Cruises run all day, so you can pick a time that works with your schedule.
David and his little dog Dougie were our tour guides on board the boat, and we saw beautiful yellow sunbirds, stunning blue kingfishers catching fresh prawns, flying foxes, sea eagle, jabiru, egret, heron, huge resident saltwater crocs, snakes, frogs, and kite. All the tour guides know the crocodiles by name, and they were incredible at spotting the tiny crocodile hatchlings.
Make your booking online before you arrive, because even though tours run all day they’re always busy and often booked-out.
10. The Daintree Ferry
The only non-optional stop on your Port Douglas to Cape Tribulation road trip is the Daintree Ferry. It’s the only way of getting to Cape Tribulation by car without going the long way around via Cooktown.
You are not required to pre-book ferry tickets, and it is a fairly seamless experience. All you have to do is queue up in your car, buy a ticket when the attend comes to your window, and wait in line until you are directed onto the ferry.
You can pre-purchase tickets online, but I found it just as easy to purchase one on the day. A return ticket for a standard car is $47, and you can stay as long as you like on the other side. Just make sure you don’t lose your ticket, because this is how you’ll get back across the river on your way back!
Once you’ve crossed the River, the fun of Cape Tribulation really begins.
11. Mount Alexandra Lookout
After you drive off the ferry, you’ll get the first taste of the incredible drive through the rainforest. Vines and trees completely shade the sun from the road, and it feels like you’re going to be swallowed whole into the belly of the earth.
The first stop on the north side of the Daintree River is the Mount Alexandra Lookout. You can stretch your wobbly legs and look out across the Daintree National Park with a view all the way to the ocean. When we stopped at the Lookout, we made a cup of tea in Trevor the Travel Van (our trusty hire camper van) and took in the view. It was a busy little place and people don’t stay for too long, but it’s a place worth stopping nonetheless.
12. Daintree Discovery Centre
If you want to learn all about the world’s oldest living rainforest, a rainforest that is still alive today (that you happen to be standing in) then a stop at the Daintree Discovery Centre will be in order. The Daintree Rainforest is over 180 million years old, meaning that dinosaurs did, and still do, roam the forest floor. It is truly unbelievable that such a niche ecosystem can survive and thrive in one place for so many years.
The Discovery Centre is open every day from 8.30am to 5pm. Entry costs $39 for adults, and $19 for children aged 5 to 17 years. The great thing about the Centre, and what makes the cost more bearable, is that your entry ticket is valid for 7 days. You can come back to explore as many times as you want during the 7 day period. If you don’t want to pay the admission fee, I would recommend skipping the Centre entirely – there isn’t much to see there without paying to enter.
13. Cow Bay Beach
For a quiet and less crowded road-trip stop, head down to Cow Bay Beach. It is a slight detour, adding a total of 10km to your overall road trip length. The beach is absolutely stunning, with incredible red rocks, forest that meets the golden sand, and a tidal inlet. Go for a stroll along the beach and set up a picnic lunch – this might just be one of the most tranquil places at Cape Tribulation.
14. Daintree Ice Cream Company
One thing you can’t miss on a road trip to Cape Tribulation is to taste the amazing tropical ice cream. All the exotic tropical fruits are grown on site, and the ice cream is made on site too.
Choose from unique fruits like black sapote, yellow sapote, wattleseed, dragonfruit, Davidson’s plum, mangosteen and so much more. The Daintree Ice Cream Company offer their signature 4-flavour combination, so you can try a little bit of everything. If you have a freezer to store it, and self-control not to eat it all in one go, you can even buy extra to take away in a bigger tub.
All the fruit is organically farmed on their onsite orchard, and you can walk around the grounds to check out all the fruit trees. Each tree even has a little sign that says which fruit it produces.
Floravilla also make and sell delicious ice cream, and they have a huge variety of flavours. Their ice-creams are pre-packaged so I found them a little icey, but their flavours were to die for.
15. Daintree Rainforest Village
If you’ve maximised your day and haven’t made it all the way to Cape Tribulation yet, there is a great campground you can stop at called the Daintree Rainforest Village caravan park. It is a small caravan park with powered and unpowered campsites, and is set amongst incredibly manicured grounds and surrounded by the lush rainforest.
The hillside above the campsites is absolutely spectacular, and if you climb to the top you can look out across the valley. It was a beautiful place to enjoy slow mornings, practice a little yoga and enjoy a scenic coffee. The campground was so tidy, it had brand new bathrooms, and the staff were really friendly. They have a well-equipped camp kitchen, a service station and shop attached to the campground, and sites start at $45 per night. You can book online or phone them to reserve a spot. I would absolutely love to stay there again one day.
16. Madja Boardwalk
Stretch your weary legs and learn about the rainforest and the wildlife along the Madja Boardwalk. You will see how the mangroves merge with the rainforest as you stroll along the 1.2km circuit. Allow 45 minutes to complete this easy, flat walk. The walk is a boardwalk the entire way and is classed as a Grade 1.
When I visited this boardwalk, I met and got chatting with a lovely traveller who was ‘on her lunch break’, she was patiently waiting for a tree kangaroo or a rare bird to come into view. If you pause long enough, you never know what you might be able to spot.
17. Noah Beach Campground
Noah Beach is the only National Park camping ground at Cape Tribulation. Even though it is very basic, it is right on the beach and has all the amenities you need. The most exciting thing about Noah Beach is that you’re highly likely to spot a crocodile there!
What you can expect at Noah Beach Campground:
- Non-flush toilets.
- Suitable for tents, campervans camper trailers, and small caravans; the sites are quite small.
- Lace monitors are known to scrounge around for food scraps – keep your rubbish secured in your vehicle or on the goanna poles provided.
- It is closed during the wet season each year.
- The beach is just 50 metres from most of the camp sites.
- You can stay for a maximum of 7 consecutive nights. This is because it’s a small campground, is the only National Park campground north of the Daintree River and is very popular.
- You can check out the specifications of each site on the Parks Queensland website.
- Online bookings are essential and should be made well in advance.
Make sure you are crocwise during your stay at Noah Beach. This means you shouldn’t swim in the ocean or the rivers, especially if you’ve seen a crocodile nearby, don’t go exploring in the dark, and travel in pairs or groups when possible.
18. Mason’s Swimming Hole (& Café)
If you’re sick of looking out for crocodiles and wondering where it is safe to go swimming, look no further than Mason’s Swimming Hole. The swimming hole is located on private property and is run by the owners of the café – Mason’s Café.
The swimming hole and café are only open Sunday to Thursday from 11am to 3pm – but it’s worth the wait for a refreshing, stress-free, freshwater swim. Entry to the swimming hole costs a donation of just $1.
19. Cape Tribulation Camping
If you’re looking for a laid-back but lively place to camp in the Daintree, you can’t go past Cape Tribulation Camping. It is an awesome sprawling caravan park with powered and unpowered sites, it’s walking distance to the beach (you can see the ocean from most of the camp sites), there’s fire pits on the beach at night, and crocs up the creek.
There are lovely staff with plenty of local knowledge – when we arrived they pointed us to everything we wanted to know, including where the resident salty (saltwater crocodile) lives up the creek. We had an amazing stay and really felt like we were on holiday there.
What else you can expect at Cape Tribulation Camping:
- Suitable for large caravans, camper trails, vans, tents, motorhomes
- Powered and unpowered sites
- Café that hosts woodfired pizza nights
- Great hot showers
- Laundries
- Drinking water is available from rainwater tanks
- Booking online in advance is highly recommended
20. Crocodiles on the beach
Perhaps of one the coolest things about Cape Tribulation is just how wild it is. It’s a World Heritage Listed ancient tropical rainforest that meets the ocean … and another World Heritage Listed place – the Great Barrier Reef. Because of how wild it is, it is totally normal to spot crocodiles swimming through the ocean and getting some sun on the sandy riverbanks.
I was absolutely delighted to spot a crocodile cruising through the ocean at dusk, right in front of our campsite (at Cape Tribulation Camping). We watched from afar and wondered how we got so lucky to be in this incredible place.
This of course means you should be crocwise when you visit Cape Tribulation. Don’t swim in the ocean or the waterways, especially if you’ve seen a crocodile nearby or been told by others that they’re in the area. Always be aware of your surroundings, don’t walk too close to the edge of the water, and don’t go exploring at night.
21. Dubuji Boardwalk
From our camp at Cape Tribulation Camping, we walked along the beach to watch the sunset. While we walked we watched the sky slowly fade from blue to purple, then pink to orange before fading into starry darkness.
The light of the moon lit up the sky, and we stumbled upon the Dubuji Boardwalk. With our nature senses tingling, we took the turn off the beach into the forest and followed the boardwalk. We strolled underneath the huge fan palms and spotted frogs and spiders, and we kept our eyes peeled for the elusive tree kangaroo.
You can access the Dubuji Boardwalk from the carpark as well as the beach, just follow the signs to reach the start of the walk. All up it’s a 1.2km loop circuit which takes about 45 minutes to complete. The walk is a wooden boardwalk the whole way and is considered a Grade 1 easy walk.
There are interpretive signs along the way where you can learn about the rainforest and its inhabitants, and get a feel for the significance of this magical World Heritage area.
22. Rainforest Night Walk
If you want to get all the local knowledge of the native wildlife, and spot nocturnal creatures with ease, then you can check out the rainforest at night on a fully guided night tour with Jungle Escapes. All their guides are passionate biological scientists with extensive knowledge of the wildlife and the area.
Bookings are essential for these tours, and you can enquire online or over the phone. Tours cost $50 per person.
23. Cape Tribulation Treetops Adventure
Where in the world can you zipline through a 180-million-year-old tropical rainforest? Cape Tribulation is where. Swing from the vines like you dreamed of as a kid and take in the humid forest air right under the treetops.
The fully guided 2 hour zipline tour will take you through the rainforest in complete safety. Adults cost $139, and children aged 3-17 years cost $99. Booking in advance is recommended, you can book online at Treetops Adventure.
24. Cape Trib Farm Fruit Tasting Tour
If you just can’t get enough of the sweet tropical fruits, then take a fruit tasting tour at Cape Trib Farm. Taste some of the seasonal tropical fruits that are grown onsite and learn about how each fruit is grown and harvested.
Tours start at 2pm and finish at 3.30pm, and booking in advance is essential. Adults cost $50 each, and children ages 4 to 14 cost $35 each. All you’ll need to bring along is a comfortable pair of walking shoes.
25. Kulki Boardwalk & Lookout
For an iconic view over the beach and rainforest at Cape Tribulation, head over to the Kulki Boardwalk. The boardwalk is an easy Grade 1, 600m return walk which takes about 10 minutes to complete. Take light steps and be as quiet as you can, you might be lucky enough to spot a cassowary or a tree kangaroo, and you just never know when you’ll see kingfishers, pythons, frogs, or spiders.
26. Mount Sorrow Hike
For a hardcore end to your Port Douglas to Cape Tribulation road trip, you could hike the Mount Sorrow Trail. With such a foreboding name it’s no wonder the AllTrails reviews are so mixed.
The Mount Sorrow Trail is a 7.1km out-and-back hike that is considered hard. Allow 3 to 4 hours to complete the walk, and don’t attempt it in wet weather – the trail is very steep and will become extremely slippery and muddy during and after rain. There’s stinging nettle, steep scrambles with nothing to hold onto, and there will be leeches after rain.
If you’re up for a true adventure – then go for it! Just make sure you read the AllTrails reviews first, and check the weather forecast before you go.
27. The final stop – Emmagen Creek
Emmagen Creek is as far as you can go at Cape Tribulation in a 2WD vehicle – after that it’s 4WD only. The last bit of the road to Emmagen Creek was quite bumpy and winding, and there were moments where we thought Trevor the Travel Van might not be able to handle it. Alas, we had come too far to turn around, so we pushed on.
There are some gravel pull-over bays you can stop in when you arrive at the creek. Make sure you pull all the way off the road when you stop because 4WDs will be passing as they cross the creek.
It’s the perfect place for a quick dip, but just make sure you look out for both cars and crocodiles. Stay a while to take in the noises and smells of the rainforest before you start your journey back to Port Douglas.
Thinking of taking a road trip south from Port Douglas instead?
Read this list of 13 Awesome Things to do near Etty Bay that will extend your epic road trip in this stunning region!