Atherton Tablelands Rain Forest by Night from Cairns

A walk with Nature

Very knowledgeable tour guide, knew about the history of the area. also knew about the flora and fauna of the area. lots of walking during the tour, some in daylight and in the dark. walking by the river looking for platypus, saw two spent quite a while on this, then found bats , wallabies. a great evening meal in a historic hotel with loads of features. well worth the time with plenty to see. this was a small party tour in a minibus would recommend this tour to everyone.

We Saw Wild Platypus

We were picked up in the afternoon and got to stop and look at Wallabys, and we went to look at the Platypus about an hour before sunset (the peak time to view them). We actually got to see 3 or 4 of them, which are extremely hard to spot (many locals haven’t even seen them). We also saw Flying Foxes, a poisonous caterpillar, and we also saw a few Opossums during our night tour in the jungle.

Brilliant wildlife tour.

Great tour and appears to be timed just right to see nocturnal animals in the wild. Paul was an excellent guide and very knowledgeable. We were fortunate enough to see Platypus swimming and feeding as well as flying foxes and various other local flora and fauna. Visiting the curtain fig at night was quite interesting with Paul pointing out an algae that glows in the dark at the base of the tree. Not something you see on the day tours! Walking along a road winding through the rain forest looking for wild life was fascinating. We were supplied with binoculars for use during the tour as well and shown how to use them properly. Turns out I'd been doing it wrong for years. Who knew!! An added bonus, for me anyway, was being up in the mountains at night and no light pollution when you looked up at the sky you got a spectacular view of the milky way. Overall the tour was one of the best and most informative I've been on. Very impressed. I should also mention that apart from the above the tour bus was comfortable and morning tea and lunch was excellent.

Wonderful Wildlife Walking Tour

Great guide and a really good tour for beginning to explore the wildlife of the Cairns area. Would definitely recommend!!

Rain forest tour with Tree kangaroo, platypus and night view of rainforest life.

What a great trip. Paul knew exactly where to go so we came up close to tree kangaroo, rat kangaroo, platypus and so much more. The night time view of the fig tree just took my breath away. His knowledge was bottomless and the pub dinner in a traditional aussie village was outstanding. Thank you Paul for a memorable time.

Do this tour!

Amazing! Had so much fun, learned so much about the wildlife and plants. Got to see a wild platypus and so much more. Would do this tour again!

A unique experience to explore at night!

This was a wonderful opportunity to experience the rainforest through a guided visit with a guide who is clearly extremely knowledgeable and passionate about his work. He has a gregarious and engaging personality that made time go by quickly. He also has a keen ability to spot animals and point them out to us. All necessary equipment was provided and we were instructed on how to optimally use binoculars. On our day, my impression is that we saw less animals than on his average tours, but it is nature and one cannot go in with specific expectations. We did still see plenty of variety. Being able to explore the forest at night was a very unique experience and the finale was definitely memorable. Dinner was also excellent. Would be happy to recommend!

“Awesome “

Paul our driver was absolutely fantastic, we saw almost all the animals he promised and even some that we didn’t expect to see. Dinner was sooooo!!!! Good and they gave you more than you can eat. I had the Parmi dinner and would have it again. My group and I highly recommend this tour, beware there is a lot of walking , but well worth it. Teresa York

Fantastic Night Walk

The evening walk through the forest, seeing nocturnal animals, and the view of the night sky full of stars was an experience I won't forget. The only negative was the trip up and down the mountain on the winding road. I would do this again an again.

amazing guide

paul--the guide--was absolutely incredible! the knowledge he has of the rainforest and it's ecosystem is breathtaking. what a wonderful experience--book this trip!

A Wonderful Afternoon

My husband and I had a wonderful time on this tour! Paul was very friendly and knowledgeable. I was incredibly impressed by how he was able to make the whole group feel comfortable together from the start. His knowledge spans from nature, wildlife, Australian history, and more which he mixes in seamlessly throughout the tour. You learn a lot but it never feels like a lecture. What stood out the most though was his desire to go above and beyond to make sure we had the best experience possible. He took time to teach us how to use our binoculars at the start of the tour. He then kept checking in during the drive up to make sure no one was feeling car sick. We saw the platypus which I thought was fantastic but it since the view was a bit obstructed by a tree limb, Paul brought us back to the area a second time later in the trip. It was during this visit that we were able to really watch the platypus swim/eat. We had a lovely dinner at an Aussie pub and saw lots of animals! If you like wildlife, animals, beautiful light hikes, and learning about the nature and culture you are visiting - you will love this trip as much as we did!

Unique experience

This was a unique experience that I would highly recommend. We were scheduled to do the railway and skyrail and it was cancelled due to storms damaging the railway. Initially we were very disappointed because we heard so much about the excursion, but were ultimately very glad for the change. To be able to walk through the rainforest during the day, with Paul our guide pointing out things we never would have seen if we had gone on our own, then doing the same after dark was a once in a lifetime experience. The drive to get there was a bit rough so we were glad we took motion sickness medicine. That is no fault of Paul's driving, simply the twisty road, which was worth it to see all that we did (wallabies, tree kangaroo, rat kangaroo, platypus, 3 different types of bats, tree possum, fireflies that looked like fireworks, kookaburra, and amazing plants and trees). Thank you Paul for an amazing experience!

We saw 2 platypus!

A truly memorable experience! Your guide is personable and shares his wide knowledge of the flora, fauna and geography of Australia in an understandable and interesting manner. We also enjoyed the included pub dinner!

Must do in Cairns

Great experience and I just loved Paul our guide. He was so invested and knowledgable. We saw lots of animals. Great experience.

Do this if nothing else

I think this was the highlight of my whole Australia trip! We saw a wild platypus and tree kangaroo, which I didn’t even know existed! The dinner was great (and included in the cost), and the guide was fun and knowledgeable. Doing the tour at night is better too. Far fewer people and lots of animals!

Mixed

Paul is very knowledgeable about the animals and we saw plenty. His manner however made me feel rather uncomfortable at times.

We were lucky and saw a platypus. Be prepared for a lot of walking. Wear proper footwear and bring rain gear.

Paul picked us up from our hotel in Cairns at the start of our tour. The tour bus was at capacity by the time we left Cairns. Make sure to have good walking shoes or hiking boots and rain gear. We saw beautiful countryside, lovely forest, a tree kangaroo, forest dragons, a platypus (yay!) flying fox, and many other animals. We even met a woman who was with the local bat rescue, looking for bats in distress. She had found one and was looking for others. It was great to see the wild sky puppy population was being actively monitored by the rescue and ones in need of help were going to get it. During the night hike we saw even more animals, the cathedral fig tree, and did some stargazing. Dinner was between the two hikes in a local restaurant. If you have mobility issues, you will get tired/sore and possibly need to sit for a bit, as some of the people on the tour did, as the rest of us continued walking up and down, back and forth on the river trail, looking for the elusive platypus. Just keep that in mind if you are thinking about booking. The website says it is an easy walk but a few people truly struggled with it. We were continually on the move trying to find the platypus and passed other groups that waited in a chosen area for up to 40 minutes before they saw a platypus that came to them. Paul said that he believed constantly moving from one area to another created a better chance at finding one. We spent a long time without seeing one and then left for dinner. After dinner, we made another attempt and finally, it was our chance to observe the little cutie after the sun had set. This is a decent tour but can be difficult for some.

Experience of a Lifetime!

Paul was an excellent tour guide of the rainforest with extensive knowledge of all the animals living there. The day was organized very well! It started with driving into a local area to show us how to properly use the binoculars provided and checked out many wallabies in the area. We then drove up a mountain with a crazy winding road and a quick stop at a lookout, then into the tablelands with a stop for some tea and biscuits and then a fascinating walk through the rainforest. We saw the Boyd’s forest dragon and a bowerbird along with some unique bird call identifications. We then drove to a great spot around Yungaburra where Paul succeeded in finding platypus with his knowledge of how to locate them! We also saw turtles, wallabies, flying foxes and a kookaberra. Afterwards we had dinner at a local pub where you could choose from many food options; our meal was delicious and filling! After that as the sun was going down, we returned to the platypus spot and had an amazing viewing of micro bats and flying foxes. They flew over us while standing on a rope bridge and we listened to the loudest bug (cicada) in the world! Coming up next was our favourite part when we drove to a quiet road and walked down while Paul used his eagle eyes and ears to look for nocturnal wildlife and would shine a brighter light on it when he spotted anything. During this part we spotted possums and a white tailed rat and heard sooty owls which made hilarious scream-like noises. He also spotted the elusive echidna! The tour was finished with a boardwalk tour deeper in the rainforest where we were shown the incredible curtain fig tree that was really neat to see at night! Because of the unusual dryness during the start of the wet season, Paul told us it was more quiet than usual- but even so, we had a great time, learned a lot and was truly an experience of a lifetime! We would recommend bringing water as we forgot to bring any and only had some at dinner. My mom and I aren’t in Australia for long, but we highly recommend this if you are staying in the area!

You will see Roos and platapus + more

A true wildlife tour. You will Walk about 5 miles over the entire trip we saw platypus wallabies lizards The wildlife only comes out after dark so day tours that promise wild life can’t deliver. We also saw flying foxes leave the trees a bandicoots tree possums. The platypus was the highlight she swam right up to our bank. You will never see the animals without a guide who cares as much as Paul.

Unique Cairns experience

Amazing tour! Really felt like an authentic experience and we saw some incredible wildlife. Paul was super knowledgeable and funny, a very valuable skillset for a guide! Would highly recommend to anyone wanting to experience Cairns of the regular paths

Atherton Tablelands by night is a must!

A different way to see the Atherton tablelands and it’s animals, possums, pythons, lizards, birds, bandicoots and a variety of Roos, we were lucky enough to spot a tree kangaroo, and of course the sweet platypus worked hard to entertain us and with the benefit of the night sky and stars - perfect!

The best part was animal...

The best part was animal search in the night, our guide was very good in finding them. Also looking to stars in the dark night.

Excellent knowledgeable guide.

Excellent knowledgeable guide. Several stops to see an assortment of animals, birds, mammals. We saw 3 different platypus, several species of possum, wallaby, birds & more. The meal was excellent with several choices. We walked over 10k steps! Would book this again!

Perfect Nocturnal Tour

The tour was perfect, the tour guide and all the other tourists were very friendly. We got to see a female platypus and lots of other animals on this tour, the dinner at the hotel in Yungaburra was delicious. This tour is definitely a must when visiting Cairns.

Rainforest night tour

We are from AZ absolutely love the tour! We saw platypuses and other green possums and all sorts of bats (flying like birds). This was one of the best tours we’ve been on! Doug was extremely knowledgeable! I would recommend this tour!

Very insightful

An excellent tour hosted by an excellent knowledgeable tour guide. We saw many animals in there natural habitat BUT I strictly advise anyone with mobility issues not to go on this tour. Also your shoes may get covered by mud so be prepared. No need for torches or binoculars as all is supplied. If your fit or semi fit I highly recommend this tour.

Worth doing to see some nocturnal wildlife in their native habitats

Our guide was very good at spotting wildlife. He used a headlamp to spot the reflection in the eyes of animals that would otherwise be hidden. He knew the signs and patterns to be able to locate the elusive platypus. We weren't able to find any tree kangaroos but saw a variety of possums, wallabies, a couple of lizards and spiders, and cool plants. Bonus stargazing experience.

Platypus!

This was my favorite tour during my short stay in Cairns. Wildlife watching can be unpredictable, yet this tour truly delivered in allowing us to see some of Australia's elusive mammal species like the tree kangaroo and the duck-billed platypus (2 of them!). The tour guide, Paul, was knowledgeable and provided lots of useful information about the culture, history and ecosystem of the region. He was also a great driver navigating the incredibly windy Gillies Highway (do follow their advice to take motion sickness medication!). In all, we saw about 10 mammal species, along with some birds, lizards and turtles, so a great experience overall!

Got to see Platypus, learned about rainforest

We learned about rainforest history native animals in tbe wild, hot exercise, had great meal, saw Platypus,

It was what I wanted

This was a really fun excursion. Pickup went smoothly, with good communication beforehand. I recommend reading the details of the trip and visiting their website in advance, so you know what is coming. Travelers prone to motion sickness really should take meds for it before the ~30mins of very very curvy road near start+end. The guide was knowledgeable and the vehicle was good. He spent plenty of time on the microphone explaining things along the way and giving facts. We stopped to see agile wallabies, which was a good taster, then had a quick tea and went into the upland rainforest for a nice walk. And then a short drive to the highlight, Yungaburra, where we were lucky enough to be among the 90% that get to see platypus (2 in our case; both feeding; 1 of them for a very long time). This segment of the trip gave us plenty of time for watching and taking pics. It's wildlife, not a zoo, so you're not guaranteed to see everything, but it's a great site. We strolled around here for a while (it was muddy, so if it's potentially wet bring good shoes!!!!!), catching glimpses of pademelons too. Then off to dinner nearby, which was good food in a nice hotel-restaurant. And then once evening came, back to the same site for a walk to see the bats take off, and look for any other wildlife. Then a few more short drives around the area to walk along the road and look (in guide's torchlight) for more wildlife. We weren't lucky enough to spot tree kangaroos, but the guide was excellent at spotting and (with laser) pointing out 3 species of opossum and some other beasties. And he explained some stars we saw out, including the Southern Cross. Then to a final site, a boardwalk to gigantic fig/strangler vine trees that were hugely impressive. And the relatively brisk drive home. Importantly, the guide was a good driver and that's very important as those curvy roads could be extremely dangerous. I never felt unsafe. Fabulous trip; thanks!

Knowledgeable guide recommended

Our guide knew the sights to see and made it a memorable excursion. We had a small group and were made welcome and managed to tick off all the most sees.

Must do, when in Cairns!

Most fascinated by the ancient rainforests, crater lakes and mountain top pastures Within it, the small county of Yungaburra also encompasses much of the colonial history The treks (day and night), were fun and rewarded with sightings of green ringtail possums, tree kangaroo, and platypuses. Many of the animals in Aussie become active at night, so night treks are essential to appreciate the biodiversity Most exhilarated to have embarked this adventure, with sightings unique to Queensland :)

Beautiful!

The Tablelands are amazing, and our guide so knowledgeable! Bus ride to get there might have to come with a warning haha for someone with extreme car sickness...it was a lesson in endurance. But the rest of the time was outstanding.

Great opportunity to see...

Great opportunity to see platypus. Bumpy journey on minibus, not very comfortable and some muddy paths so you are looking at the ground to watch your step. Wildlife viewing from roads much better. Very knowledgeable guide.

Finding the platypus and tree kangaroo

We went on a tour including an afternoon session, dinner and a nocturnal walk. This all under guidance of Paul, who was funny, entertaining, but above all very knowledgeable. He knew where to find interesting plants and animals. Especially the platypus and tree kangaroo made our day!

Has the potential to be great.

The activity itself deserves a five star but I am only able to give it three. The guide was very nice when he picked us up. But the longer it went, the more he seemed to be getting agitated (for lack of a better word) He was not open for questions or willing to stop to let anyone enjoy something. This was supposed to be for us to enjoy the rainforest. One lady stopped to look at a spider and he because very rude and told her she needed to keep going. She spent less than a minute taking a picture and he was very upset. Myself and another person wanted to take a picture as the sun was setting and we were told to stop and keep up. He was trying to show us all a tree kangaroo and my daughter said she couldn’t see it. He was more agitated that she didn’t see it and she didn’t feel comfortable trying to find it. It was obviously dark and one of the guests had a knee problem. It was uneven surface and I turned on my phone flashlight and was promptly told he was the only one who was to turn on a light. We rushed everywhere and really couldn’t enjoy things. We won’t get to do this again and it should have been for us to enjoy. Not for us to enjoy what he chose for us to enjoy. Everyone is different but there was no chance for anyone to enjoy anything. His driving was extremely fast. The road is very, very windy for quite a long time. He sped through it and several of us were concerned. The tour itself could have been amazing but was not because of his attitude and driving.

The tour guide is racist against Asian:

The tour guide is racist against Asian: 1. during tea time, I asked for hot water because there's no decaf option and asked to add some milk so it has a bit flavor, I deliberately only added small portion first and wait until everyone added milk before adding it again. Turned out the tour guide didn't add milk while I was adding it so I gave it to him and there's not much left. He talked to me in a very degrading tone :"you shouldn't take all the milk, what about everyone else" 2. when we were at night road observation and every when over the line he limited, but he called me out in a degrading voice again "Amy you didn't follow my instruction..." I'm asking for an apology and refund to compensate my emotional damage

Wonderful

Knowledge and the experience of the Forrest stars and the nightlife of the tablelands and to be able to see the stars

Well organized and knowledgeable tour guide

Such a well organized tour guide. Very knowledgeable about the plants and animals of the region. He kept a tight schedule to maximize what we saw. From the lizard dragon in the rain forest to the free ranging kangaroos including the more shy pademellon kangaroo. Then the platypus and the fruit bats. And at night, the different possums hanging in the trees along with a spectacular view of the milky way from the southern hemisphere. Highly appreciated his tour. So go and enjoy!

Experience the animals by night

This was a great trip. We saw Platypus, Possums, leaf-tailed gecko, friut bats, wallabies etc The trip up and back from the Tableland was a bit hairy but it was worth it. Lovely meal in the Pub at the Yungaburra Hotel. Yungaburra is where we saw the platypus.

Nice day for a walkabout

Great trip! Paul was a very knowledgeable guide, and the stops were spot on. Seeing some of these iconic animals in the wild was a treat, especially the flying foxes and platypus. Would definitely recommend!

Our guide Paul was very...

Our guide Paul was very friendly and welcoming person. He knew a lot about the animals and the Atherton area. He was very good at finding animals, happy to share his deep knowledge with us, and very passionate about providing great experience for us. Last but not least, I loved the dinner in classic local pub.

A grand day out !

Paul makes every effort to ensure that you see as much wildlife as possible . This is a great day and night trip . We were introduced to the life of the forest and how it has developed over the last millions of years . The high light for us was the platypus that swam right in front of us for ages, Paul predicts accurately where it will emerge so that the experience was very exciting! Don’t think We’ll ever see that again . Dinner was of a high quality and substantial .. accompanied by Paul’s further explanation of the rainforest ! The final view of the fig tree was out of this world .. Paul invests of himself in this trip ; we felt he wanted us to have had a good experience . Would recommend… highly

Perfect experience for nature lovers

Everything was very interesting, both trail through the rain Forest in afternoon and walk at night with possums, lesser sooty owl and boyd Forest dragon. Probably the most memorable was the huge fig tree watched in darkness in the light of spot light. Most importantly, the guide was very competent. Dinner was also very good, in interesting place. I would recommend this excurtion to all liking nature.

Amazing wildlife spotting

Wow, just wow... This is the second time i've done this tour. Has been a few years since last time and it still blows my mind. This time is was so lucky that other people cancelled but the tour was still on. So i had a private tour The experience was beyond anything i could have hoped for. We've spotted a platypus at daylight and a rat kangaroo. Not to mention the animals we saw when it got dark. This tour is a must do for anyone who is interested in the local nature and wildlife spotting. And walking around at nighttime is pretty exciting too . Ive learned so much and was lucky to see the beautiful night sky. Thank you Paul... Untill next time

Amazing wildlife tour

The tour was really good. We saw a lot of wildlife. It was amazing. Also the van was comfortable and the dinner was good

Not a night rainforest walking tour but a night road walking tour

We did not find any playtus and tree kangaroos. Besides that the tour guide is not very patient to the people from the Asia backgrounds who can not understand so well in English. In addition, at night time we are not walk at rainforest instead we are walk on the road where all the cars drive, feel very unsafe, expected night walk at rainforest not night walk at road. Not recommended. There are plenty other tableland tour with similar price can choose. Waste my time and money,

Great trip. Great guide.

Seeing a platypus in the wild was beyond expectations. Flying foxes and possums were also beautiful and the two fig trees were breathtaking. Paul is a knowledgeable and passionate guide who really cares for the amazing ecosystem here. Excellent trip all around.

Fantastic Tour and Guide!

Can’t say enough good things about this tour! Paul went above and beyond to find us a platypus on our tour. Paul was a super fun guide and very knowledgeable about the local flora and fauna. Touring the rainforest at night was such an incredible and neat experience. I would recommend this tour to anyone looking to explore the area/see some cool wildlife and have a great time doing it.

Long day but full of fun and informative

Michelle, our guide/ driver was amazing and fun. She made the day informative and memorable with her love for her job. Thanks Michelle.