Day 3 - Today our main target will be Southern Cassowary, we will be getting up early and heading South to Etty Bay where they are sometimes found walking around in the open and maybe even on the beach making for great photo opportunities. After a morning at Etty Bay we will then make our way up the mountain onto the Atherton Tablelands and our accommodation for the next two nights, Crater Lake Rainforest Cottages.

Our afternoon will be spent around the lodge itself which is an incredible birding spot, here we have chances of seeing Spotted Catbird, Bridled Honeyeater, Yellow-spotted Honeyeater, Emerald Dove, Victoria’s Riflebird, Red-necked Crake, Chowchilla, Golden Whistler, Grey-headed Robin, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Wompoo Fruit-dove, Barred Cuckoo-shrike, Grey Fantail and maybe a Boyd's Forest Dragon.

Mammals around the property include Red-legged pademelon and Musky Rat-kangaroo.

Accommodation - Crater Lake Rainforest Cottages (http://www.craterlakes.com.au/)

Meals included: (B, L, D).

Day 4 - Today we will spend the day exploring the Southern Tablelands, sites include the two stunning Crater Lakes of Barrine and Eacham which are great for the local rainforest birds, Mount Hypippamee National Park holding some of the local high elevation rainforest birds, Hasties Swamp famous for its ducks and water birds and the huge Curtain Fig Tree which is great for birds like Grey-headed Robin, Pied Monarch and Victoria’s Riflebird.

Mammals we will be looking for include some of Australia’s most iconic mammals like Lumholtz Tree-kangaroo and Platypus.

An optional night out spotlighting could find us a huge list of possible mammals, these include Lumholtz Tree-kangaroo, Coppery Brush-tailed Possum, Ring-tailed Possum, Herbert River Ringtail Possum, Lemuroid Ringtail Possum, Green Ringtail Possum, Giant White-tailed Rat, Musky Rat-kangaroo, Northern Brown Bandicoot, Sugar Glider, Feather-tailed Glider and the northern race of Yellow-bellied Glider.

Accommodation - Crater Lake Rainforest Cottages (http://www.craterlakes.com.au/)

Meals included: (B, L, D).

Day 5  - A final morning birding around the Crater Lakes before heading North to the beautiful Sweetwater Lodge which is perfectly located in one of Australia’s premier birding areas, Julateen. This area is fantastic for species like Noisy Pitta, Pale Yellow Robin, Lovely Fairywren, Northern Fantail, Square-tailed Kite, Pacific Baza, Yellow-breasted Boatbill, Barred Cuckoo-shrike, Graceful Honeyeater, Spectacled Monarch, Black-faced Monarch and Pied Monarch.

Accommodation - Sweetwater Lodge, Julatten (http://www.sweetwaterlodge.com.au/)

Meals included: (B, L, D).

Day 6 - This morning we will be getting up early and heading up to one of Australia’s best birding spots, Mount Lewis. Here the birding can be challenging but very rewarding with species like Bower’s Shrike-thrush, Grey-headed Robin, White-throated (Little) Treecreeper, Fernwren, Mountain Thornbill, Tooth-billed Bowerbird, Large-billed Scrubwren, Atherton Scrubwren, Chowchilla, Bridled Honeyeater and one of Australia’s best birds the male Golden Bowerbird, hopefully tending to his Bower.

The afternoon will be spent in some dryer habitats looking for White-cheeked Honeyeaters, Yellow Honeyeater, Brown-backed Honeyeater, Square-tailed Kite, Brown-backed Honeyeaters, Noisy Friarbirds and maybe a Cotton Pygmy-goose.

Accommodation - Sweetwater Lodge, Julatten (http://www.sweetwaterlodge.com.au/)

Meals included: (B, L, D).

Day 7 - This morning we will be heading to Mount Carbine to look for some of the local dry habitat birds. Here we have chances of seeing Australian Bustard, Great Bowerbird, Squatter Pigeon, Pale-headed Rosella, Red-winged Parrot, Tawny Frogmouth, Black-throated Finch, White-throated Gerygone and the Northern race of Brown Treecreeper.

After lunch at Mount Malloy we will be making our way up to the Daintree where we will take the ferry across to Cape Tribulation and explore the area. Here we have another chance for Southern Cassowary and some great Rainforest birds like Noisy Pitta and Wompoo Fruit-dove.

Accommodation - Redmill House (http://www.redmillhouse.com.au/)

Meals included: (B, L, D).

Day 8 - At dawn we will take a private boat cruise along the Daintree River with one of the best local guides around, Murray Hunt the Daintree Boatman. Here we will be scanning the trees along the river for great birds like Wompoo Fruit-Doves, Papuan Frogmouth, Double-eyed Fig-Parrots, Macley’s Honeyeater, Superb Fruit-dove, Azure Kingfisher, Little Kingfisher and if were lucky a Great-billed Heron. Depending on the time of year we also have a chance to see one of Australia’s rarest ducks the Spotted Whistling-duck.  After three hours along the river we will return to Red Mill House for a late cooked breakfast on their veranda.

The rest of the day will be spent exploring the area including Stewarts Creek road which is great for Tawny Grassbird, Pale-vented Bush-hen, Noisy Pitta and maybe a Superb Fruit-dove.

Targets - Same as above

TOUR - Morning Private Boat Trip on the Daintree River (http://www.daintreerivertours.com.au/)

Accommodation - Redmill House (http://www.redmillhouse.com.au/)

Meals included: (B, L, D).

Day 9 - The final morning of tour we will be enjoying another amazing morning on the Daintree River with Murray, after breakfast on the balcony we will slowly make our way back to Cairns.

Depending on your flight will depend on how much more birding will be done along the way.

TOUR - Morning Private Boat Trip on the Daintree River (http://www.daintreerivertours.com.au/)

Meals included: (B, L).

Cost -  $18250.00 AUD - All inclusive for two people | Twin or Double Accommodation 

Single Supplement $900.00

Contact me about this tour | Terms and Conditions