Private Daintree Mossman Gorge Exclusive Nature and Wildlife Focus

Brilliant day

This was a fantastic experience. Mel was very knowledgeable and incredibly enthusiastic. It was a delight to spend time with someone who was getting as much joy out of the experience as we were. From the crocodiles (and their soap opera lives) to the amazing flora and fauna of the Mossman Gorge to the wonderful swim in the cold, soft water, the whole day was fascinating and memorable.

See the Daintree with Mel. What a great experiences!

We went out with Mel who was very personable, attentive to our needs, and knowledgeable. We loved the wildlife boat ride with the crocs and kingfishers. She found us a cassowary which was great.

FNQ Tours - great way to see Cairns and the Daintree

FNQ was set up for us by our travel agent, and they did a bang-up job. Brett arrived at our property and first took us to go on a crocodile spotting tour with Solar Whisper Nature and Crocodile Cruises. David, the tour guide, was so informative and although it was raining and there was a cyclone a couple of months ago, we saw two crocs. We were dry and had good visibility in his quiet, solar-powered boat, along with a doodle called Dougie. After that, we went to lunch at the Daintree Tea Room. We had a very good meal, which we chose beforehand, and was ready for us upon arrival. The owner gave us a presentation of the native fruit in the area, which was very interesting. Next, we were scheduled for walkabout, however, I wanted to see the large bats, so Brett took us there, and we did a little change and I wanted to see some wildlife, and Brett took us to the Port Douglas Wildlife Habitat (upon my request) and we saw so many birds and animals from the area that we were likely not to see on the tour. Brett had a lot of knowledge about the animals we saw. We were able to hold a koala! At the end of the tour, Brett treated us to an ice cream in Mossman. Understand, this was not a typical tour for FNQ, but it was perfect and bespoke for us. I am sure the regular tour is amazing, just as ours was. I definitely recommend FNQ.

Nature and education with expert guides.

Our guide Melanie was exceptional. She is passionate about her job and it shows in her guiding. We had a phenomenal day in the gorge, with a swim in the Mossman River, and enjoyed seeing the star salty, Scarface 14ft long and 1,100 lbs, on the solar whisper cruise on the Daintree River. Dan is more informed about crocs after 24 years of observation than any academic. Lunch in the middle of the rain forest was special. We had a great sampling of local fruits and a very informative presentation about the origins of everything we were served. If value is what you are looking for, there is nothing more valuable than a FNQ Tour.

Like no other place on earth!

My wife and I booked a private tour with James and it's not to be missed. Daintree is filled with plants and animals not seen anywhere else in the world and James was an expert in locating and pointing it out. Not only is he extremely knowledgable, he's also extremely passionate about his work, which makes the trip more fun. He loves his work and we loved exploring with him!

The trip of a lifetime

I can't recommend FNQ highly enough. What a wonderful experience! Because FNQ did not have a tour scheduled for the dates I was planning to be in North Queensland, I ended up booking a private tour (focusing on Daintree and Atherton Tablelands, but not Mossman Gorge). I am so glad I did. Our guide, Matt, was able to give us an amazing experience, showing us animals I never thought I'd be seeing in the wild (cassowaries! platypus! tree kangaroo! saltwater crocodiles! and that was just our first day!) Matt arranged for us to meet with local wildlife conservation specialists (such as the Tolga Bat Hospital, Tree Roo Rescue, and Wildlife and Raptor Care Queensland), and we were able to learn so much about efforts to conserve north Queensland's amazing wildlife. Because we were a small group, Matt was able to customize the itinerary and adapt on the fly (e.g., he added a bonus night walk for us, which was fantastic). As with any wildlife experience, it's best to approach it with an open mind and patience, because you never know what the day will give you.

A Wonderful Day in Daintree Park

We spent a full day with James touring the Daintree Forest. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and particularly liked that James was flexible and adjusted the tour based on our interests. We started by taking a boat ride on the Daintree River. It was a small private boat with a very knowledgeable guide/ captain. We saw birds and crocodiles and learned a lot about the area. Next we went to a small cottage in the forest for lunch. The menu emphasized local foods, particularly a great selection of local fruits. They offered kangaroo, which we didn’t sample. 🥴 Finally we went into the park and explored the scenery. James was very knowledgeable about the area’s history and significance. We took a walk on a boardwalk through the forest to the beach. We were always on the lookout for wildlife and were rewarded by catching a glimpse of a cassowary through the trees. We also saw several very large spiders, but let’s not dwell on that. We would highly recommend this tour company and its owner, our guide James.

Fabulous day in the rainforest

See the crocodiles "scarface" and "elizabeth in their natural habitat, informative walks in the rainforest. James is knowledgeable and personable.

Priceless Experience!

We booked the private tour to celebrate our honeymoon and boy did it not disappoint! James was an incredible tour guide and we learned so much about the wildlife, rainforest and overall Queensland history. He was extremely passionate and knowledgeable and kept us engaged the entire time - we didn't want to go home, we wanted to keep searching for cassowaries! We also had the pleasure of searching for crocs with Dave & his sweet pup Doug and saw the mighty Scarface as well as many 'cute' baby crocs & wildlife. Out of our two week honeymoon traveling throughout Fiji & Australia, this was by far our favorite day!

Best ever birding trip

Don't think twice about this one, just do it !! These guys are so enthusiastic, professional and hell bent on giving you a good experience. I had 2 days with them, Atherton Tablelands and Tropical Wetlands. Fantastic knowledge of their surroundings and wildlife. I was there specifically for birds but got educated about all the local wildlife and got impromptu photography lessons too. Picked up at hotel, dropped off there and fed all day too! Saw everything I asked to see and a whole lot more. Have no idea how to improve on this ! Awesome. Go do it.

Experience the flora and fauna of an ancient rainforest up close with a knowledgeable guide

If you want to experience the flora and fauna of this incredible ecosystem with a guide who knows its life history intimately, book this tour now. I cannot overstate how incredible this experience was! Matt knew so much about everything we were seeing and was able to explain it in the detail I wanted (I'm a biologist) and was also able to explain it clearly to my kids as well, which is a particular skill. He was so fantastic with the kids and was even able to get my son to smile when he was determined to do grump face for photos. He knows how to really tell the story of the Daintree, and it's clear he is passionate about conserving it. He is an ambassador for the Southern Cassowary and although we weren't lucky enough to see one (you need to sort of plan to do an outing specifically to look for those, and we had not done that), he explained how important they are to the health of the rainforest. He is great at spotting birds and crocs, and the river cruise was absolutely amazing... four different kingfishers (Azure, Little, Forest, and Sacred) in rapid succession, plus a Papuan Frogmouth. We also spotted crabs, mudskippers(!), and of course saltwater crocs. The baby croc chilling out on the mangrove root above the water (a "dropper") was a special treat. He also spotted a Black-necked Stork for us on the way to the river cruise as well as an Osprey nest on the drive north. Matt got us up close to see golden orb-weaver spiders as well as a St. Anthony's cross spider. He showed us green tree ants (and their incredible leaf nests!). Matt also introduced us to the wait-a-while palms, and my 8yo twins are still talking about those trees months later. It's testament to his ability to engage people of all ages and help them care about the living things around them. Yes, this is a pricey tour. I waffled on whether to book it, but it was worth every penny, and I would not hesitate for a moment to book another with FNQ Nature Tours (in fact, I'm hoping to contract with them in the future as part of a study abroad experience for my students). My family will never forget this experience!

A terrific day out for our family - wildlife, rainforest, expert guide

This was, quite simply, an amazing day out. Right from the point we were collected by James in the minibus, we knew we were in good hands. He's a local, having lived here for around 30 years. With young kids of his own, he knew just how to treat our teens. The wildlife and scenery were stunning - from the Mossman Gorge rockpool (definitely worth braving the 20 seconds of initial cold in midwinter to enjoy a refreshing dip) and the eye-opening crocodile boat cruise with local expert David, we were bowled over. We saw rare lizards, birds, adult and baby crocodiles (so cute, so lethal). James was very clear and informative, explaining the different flora and fauna, landscape, and great spots for photography. Understandably, this is not a cheap trip - but neither was it a cheap experience. But spread over our family, the FNQ tour was very good value. The insights, enthusiasm, special locations, and local knowledge all contributed to a wonderful day. James was kind enough to incorporate our own personal modifications of the 'plan', to allow us to have a day right up there with the best days we've ever had on holiday as a family.

Amazing Guide and Tour

What an amazing tour and tremendous guide in Matt! I would highly recommend this tour and this company to ANYONE looking to see this amazing part of Australia. Matt went above and beyond for our group of 5, even accommodating a senior member of our family that required a wheelchair for part of the tour. He was funny, smart and just made the entire day a pleasure. He's even a pro photographer and got some shots we didn't - Book with confidence!

Best Day Ever

We just wish we could leave James more stars, 5 is just not enough he was that good. We are a family of 4. We did the river cruise and Mossman Gorge tour it was absolutely incredible. Couldn’t fault any part of the entire day from pick up to drop off was faultless. Thank you for a great day and experience.

Fabulous and unforgettable!

We had a fantastic day out with Matt and our 4 kids! Matt was great fun and was very happy to answer a lot of questions from us all. We really appreciated the kids learning more about how to love and respect the rainforest. The crocodile Cruze with David was unforgettable. On our walk were so lucky to see 4 cassowaries, a mother, father and 2 chics together! The lunch was delicious with a dip in the fresh water pool before we sat and ate together. Thanks for introducing us to John Williamson, we very much enjoyed dancing to his tunes in the van! A delightful day we will never forget. Thank you!

Personal attention tour, small company

Small company private tour. The owner James was our guide for the day. Grew up in the area so he’s superb knowledgeable , very personable. We went on river boat Solar Whisper to see wildlife, then into rainforest and all he way to Cape Tribulation. I can’t comment on price because it was a gift from family. Highly recommend. He only does small groups and tailors your day to your interests.

Outstanding private tour!

We were blown away by how well organised our tour was. Matt, our guide, full of knowledge; also happy to have a laugh along the way. He made sure we experienced the best hidden spots of Daintree Rainforest away from the crowd of tourists. Delicious lunch in a stunning location, cherry on top was swimming in a pristine natural pool. Dave from solar whisperer, extremely kind and knowledgeable contributed to our journey spotting crocs, snakes and birds along the Daintree River. Spotted 3 cassowaries on the way back too! Thanks guys, we’ll make sure to recommend you to anyone who wants to visit the far north of Queensland.

Cool Crocs and Amazing Adventure!

We had a great time and James was a great tour guide. His passion and enthusiasm for the wildlife and nature was admirable, and we learnt heaps of interesting facts. From the moment we got into the car, it was obvious this was going to be a good trip. Our solar boat cruise was the highlight, especially seeing so many modelling crocs and Doug the dog. Our cruise guide was a fantastic spotter, and we were so lucky to see some young crocodiles, tree snakes and frogs. The hike in the Daintree was also incredible, most notably James’ knowledge about the forest and the native plants. The lunch provided was also delicious, particularly learning about and trying some seasonal and exotic fruits. Overall, would recommend, especially for nature lovers and those keen to try something different!

Brilliant day

We had such a great day with Kelvin. His knowledge and hosting was exceptional and we loved his passion for his job! From the time we were picked up until we were dropped off we felt like we were in the best hands. Can’t wait to visit again soon!

Great private tour!

A really enjoyable day! Our guide Matt was awesome. Very engaging, passionate and knowledgeable. Even our unenthusiastic 13 year old son had a great day. Saw heaps of crocs from babies to the big daddy so the kids were happy. So much beautiful plant life, wildlife and birdlife and really special to see it all in an intimate private but guided experience.