Daintree River 'Dawn' Cruise with the Daintree Boatman

Daintree River trip

Excellent morning on the Daintree River with the Daintree Boatman Wildlife Cruises, Queensland – thanks Murray. Heaps of good photos. Hoping I've named them all correctly.

Family of four early morning cruise.

Our family of four had a fantastic early morning cruise with Murray on the Daintree river. He has a great knowledge of the River, the wildlife in the river and the wildlife along the river bank and how it all works in nature. Murray can see things that you would normally miss. The boat is great, the addition of the electric motor means you glide along with no noise giving you a better experience on the river. We would love the chance to have another river cruise with the Daintree boatman again .

Once in a lifetime

I had done the river cruise before and always enjoyed it. This time we took German family on the dawn cruise with the Boatman. It was outstanding. Murray's knowledge about the river, animals, fauna and history was amazing. He knew where to look for the crocs and we ended up having Barrett, the 4.5mt long resident croc swimming next to us for about 200mt. It was once in a lifetime. Saw more crocs, snakes. Incredible birds and Murray's running comment. Our German family was in absolute awe. Thank you for an unbelievable morning and a river cruise none of us will forget. 11 out of 10.

Two wonderful tours on the river

We were able to take the dawn and evening tour with Murray, both of which I recommend if you have the time. If you are in Daintree, tours are probably the number one activity so I recommend spending as much time as possible on the river. Both cruises were very unique because the river is at totally different heights from the morning to evening. One thing that stayed consistent was Murray’s knowledge of the flora and fauna, and the comfort of the boat. Having also taken a tour with a different operator, I can say you will appreciate the small group sizes and comfortable boat offered by Murray. Everyone was able to view the wildlife. On our tours we were fortunate enough to see a wide variety of birds (the keen birders were quite excited) as well as fruit bats, tree snakes, a python, and several crocs. In the morning, the crocs were swimming quite close to the boat. In the evening, they were sitting out in the sun, as expected.

Great wildlife cruise

A great cruise despite the weather - Murray managed to make it enjoyable in a rainstorm. His spotting skills were incredible so we got to see some very special birds, crocodiles and a snake. Highly recommended.

Don't miss out!!

Murray is the best! He loves this river and all that call it home. He knows every bird and call, he's on top. We had the best trip seeing the Crocs, there was a feast for them and it was really exciting to see them move about. We saw 7 which is really rare. Lots of birds to enjoy as well. I wish I would have done the night tour as well.

The peace and quiet of nature on the river

My husband and I recently did the early morning cruise with the Daintree Boatman. We saw lots of birds during the cruise and Murray was very informative about all the different species. We saw one crocodile resting on the bank of the river. The scenery was awesome and it was very peaceful travelling up and down the river. The cruise was enjoyed by both of us.

Highly Recommended Daintree River Cruise

Murray is a thorough professional who shares his local and birding knowledge in an interesting and informative way. The boat itself is extremely comfortable for a small group. Murray is sensitive to the needs of photographers and maneuvered the vessel to try to get the best angle for certain shots. We were a family group ranging in age from 10 to 79 and all of us really enjoyed the experience.

A great way to start your day

After getting up at 4:30 AM in Port Douglas to make it to Daintree Village for a 6:30 boat trip I had my fingers crossed that the weather would stay favorable. I was not disappointed. With only small numbers on the boat there was perfect 360 degree views. Murray hunted high & low up & down the river & his commentary was expert & informative both about the birds & the river environment. We nailed an extensive list of birds including sundry kingfishers & a chase after a great- billed Heron. It was an excellent way to start the day . My only regret is I was also booked for the afternoon sunset cruise but circumstances contrived to force me to cancel. I would not hesitate to do this trip when I am in the area again. Note the photos were taken with my point & shoot camera and are not included for their artistic merit

River cruise cancelled

Unfortunately our cruise was cancelled due to recent flooding in the area; we were really looking forward to this! I wish there were another company that offered a comparable birdwatching experience based on reviews! I left a 5-star rating as there is no option to leave this blank.

Small group, very personal - a real wildlife pro

We had a wonderful experience with Murray on our Daintree River cruise! The small group (6) and nimble boat, along with Murray’s encyclopedic knowledge and spot-on instincts for finding wildlife, made it an unforgettable tour. Though it was not prime croc-spotting season, he found two, along with two beautiful Common/Green Tree Snakes (how he spotted them I can’t fathom). He also located and identified a large number of birds for the hard-core birders that made up most of our tour group.

Not to be missed

This was simply amazing! Three of us took Murray's tour. My mate and I have birded all over the world. Murray knows his birds, knows his river and is an extremely clear and precise guide. Even my non-birding wife was blown away by our 2 hours with Murray. Whether you are a keen birder or just interested in wildlife, I can't recommend this trip highly enough. The Daintree is magical early morning, there's plenty to see and we had the added interest of seeing Barret (ask Murray about Barret). Many thanks, Murray, your tour was a highlight of our two weeks in Queensland and NT.

Amazing experience

This was a wonderful experience led by Murray, whose knowledge of the wildlife and ability to find and explain, was second to none. Highly recommended

Highly recommended for anyone interested in nature

Our cruise with Murray was absolutely fantastic. The boat is small and quiet and the views all round are superb. Murray is immensely knowledgeable and found so much for us to see that we would never have seen alone (frogmouths, snakes, fig parrot). We had wonderful views of three crocodiles and Murray conveyed masses of information while we quietly cruised along. Highly recommended for anyone interested in nature!

A great trip for birders and general nature lovers

Excellent tour , plenty of interest for general nature enthusiasts and expert spotting of birds for the keen birders. We had great views of some of the star target species like Great-billed Heron, Black-necked Stork and Papuan Frogmouth plus a few nice surprises including Buff-banded Rail. Murray was keen to know what species the birders particularly wanted to see, and if he didn't manage to find them he gave good advice about where to look. A very comfortable boat trip, my wife who is not such a keen birder thoroughly enjoyed it too, a very peaceful and serene experience. Geoff Upton, UK

Highlight of the holiday

I am so pleased I took the 6.30am private wildlife (birds, crocs & snakes) photography tour. It was the highlight of the holiday, gliding along the serene river. Murray, the Daintree Boatman, is brilliant at spotting wildlife and will tailor the tour to what you want to see. I got some fabulous video of beautiful birds on my camcorder, fantastic memories of a wonderful trip. Highly recommended.

Lovely to see the river wake up in the early morning

Tour was wonderful. Informative about reptile, bird species and the ecology of the river. The tour was not rushed and considered the needs of all onboard from the bird enthusiasts with professional zoom lenses on their cameras to the average nature admirer with a phone camera.

Boatman delivers the Goods!

I'm a very enthusiastic bird/ wildlife photographer and the Daintree area has some of the most stunning birds residing there. So, when I had the chance to join Murray on his dawn river cruise, I could hardly refuse. Murray is a very experienced and knowledgeable guide. He took our small group out and within minutes had us in front of my key target species, the Great-billed Heron. I had only ever seen this bird from a great distance, and here on the Daintree River, we were in front of it in minutes. Slowly moving along the river we came across very large estuarine crocodiles, Stunning Kingfishers and many other birds that we were able to photograph from the comfort and safety of Murray's vessel. A very enjoyable and memorable time with the Boatman.

Daintree boatman/ Holiday highlight !!

This was the best wildlife cruise I’ve ever been on. I took my Mum who was in her late 80’s and she really enjoyed it too and was easily able to get into the boat. Beautiful bird life including an Azure and Sacred kingfisher were highlights, as were the green tree snakes poking their heads out of hollowed logs. Big crocs and a baby croc too. I can’t recommend this cruise with Murray highly enough !!

Wonderful experience.

I went on 2 dawn cruises on 11-12 August. Having done many other such cruises in tropical Australia, , I thought that this ranked with the best. Murray was good at spotting things of interest (orchids, birds, snakes, crocodiles) and patient in helping us to see them. His commentary was all informative. Personally I'm most interested in birds, and least interested in crocodiles, but realise that tastes differ. The scenery is breathtakingly beautiful.

Very cool

Probably one of the best cruises ever thanks Murray. Legend mate. Got a good view of a heaps of crocs, cut snakes, bats, birds and ducks.

Croc tour

Weather wasn’t very kind on the morning of our sunrise tour with lots of rain falling.Still managed to see 5 crocs,some tree snakes and many birds. Would recommend this tour.

What a morning!

What a morning! More crocs than you could poke a stick at. Tree snakes up close for those interested. Hidden birds found by careful searching and all with informed and informative commentary. If you are a birder go on the low tide and if you want crocs go in winter. However that being said I've never had a bad time out with Murray, the Daintree Boatman and I've been out many times and have the next trip set for soon too.

Top trip worth your time.

We had specific target birds and Murray found them all. His knowledge of birds and wildlife along with the area was exceptional. He was extremely professional. If you are looking for birds this is the trip for you.

Loved it

Only 9 people on the boat ranging from children, croc lovers and bird watchers. There was something for everyone and Murray the guide was so knowledgeable and found many species of bird, snake and croc!

Expert bird guide through the daintree

Murray was an excellent host on the boat cruise, expertly guiding us to the bird species we were targeting and bringing vast knowledge of the flora and fauna of the area.

Despite bad weather, we had a wonderful cruise on the Daintree

We had two wonderful tours with Murray on the Daintree River last week. One private and one public. We had very challenging conditions with rain on both trips but Murray did everything possible to cater for the conditions. I particularly took the private tour to photograph birds. Despite the rain, I came away with one of my favourite images from the holiday-an Azure Kingfisher perched in the rain. We still saw a good variety of birds and no shortage of crocodiles with fantastic information to go along with the animals we saw on the trip. I would say don't be too despondent if the weather is bad, you just might come away with some interesting images!

Would highly recommend this small group tour!

This small group tour was well run, and catered to the interests of all passengers on board. It was obvious right from the start that our guide was very familiar with the river and the local wildlife, and where it all might be found. He was also very knowledgeable regarding the Daintree River and surrounding areas. The tour ran overtime, but none of us cared as our guide kept finding new things for us to see around every corner. What we really liked - the small boat was electric, so as we glided around the river it was really silent and peaceful, and didn’t disturb the wildlife. We got so close to small animals - birds/even tree snakes. And we also got relatively close to 2 crocs. Just fantastic. Highly recommended 😊

Best experience in Northern Queensland

Amazing tour in an incomparable place. Experienced, professional and knowledgeable guide! Size of the boat is perfect for a tranquil experience. We spot several birds and reptiles, including 5 full grown crocs.

Awesome trip with the best on the river

If you want to see wildlife on the Daintree, do yourself a favour. Don't even consider any other boat tour. Murray's experience and intimate knowledge of the river sets him apart from the rest. Keen birders will love the trip. On this particular trip we saw four types of kingfisher including the Little Kingfisher, three sightings of Great Billed Heron as well as Papuan Frogmouths, Shining Flycatchers, Darters and a White-Bellied Sea Eagle even put in an appearance. That's on top of three saltwater crocodile sightings and a very close look at a Green Tree Snake. Highlight of the trip for me was a baby saltwater croc about 50cm long. Murray's boat also has an electric drivetrain which is a boon for silently drawing close to skittish wildlife. We've been visiting the Daintree for years now and always make time for a trip with the Daintree Boatman. You have to take what mother nature delivers, but it's certainly always interesting. If there was a sixth star available, I'd award that too.

Wonderful personalized river cruise. Magical!

Wonderful early morning river cruise with Murray. Loved the way he took the time to find different things for us to see. His extensive knowledge made the cruise so interesting. As best he could, he tailored the cruise to his guests' interests, which was really thoughtful. It isn't a one box fits all experience. Highly recommend. You will love it!!

Fantastic birdwatching tour

I went on a mid afternoon and early morning tour focussed on birdwatching. Murray was a fantastic and knowledgeable guide, finding everything we were looking for, including several practically invisible frogmouths, and multiple great billed herons. He gave advice on the best time for a tour to see birds based on the tide, but we still saw heaps of birds both at high and low tide. Although it wasn’t the focus, we also saw other interesting animals like crocodiles, bats and snakes. I would definitely recommend this tour

Disappointed

Booked this tour based on high ranking previous reviews. Immediately told after boarding, and left the wharf, that being spring tide we’d be unlikely to see crocodiles (main point of tour). Sure enough, no crocs or snakes in the whole 2 hr trip. Great information for birdwatchers, plenty of birds spotted, identified, and good information provided. Would have been nice to know the Spring tide (no crocs info) when we booked. (I don’t know any other boatman who doesn’t know when a springtide is coming ….) If you want birdwatching, take this trip. If you want crocs, try low tide (and cooler weather). Have no idea when you may see snakes.

A brilliant mornng spent along thr Daintree River with Murray

Murray was brilliant. He was very knowledgable about the river and its fauna and flora and went out of his way to ensure every bird and animal found was seen clearly and easily photographed. A big advantage, however, was the small size of the boat and the number of guests. This allowed Murray to get the boat quite a long way along a small side creek away from the main river and the hustle and bustle of larger, busier vessels. This also ensured that there was little noise to spook the animals and birds. A great tour Murray. Thanks very much.

Great Experience cruising daintree river with Murray

Extraordinary experience with Murray on a private morning tour cruising the daintree river. Saw about 5 crocodiles during cruise including Lumpie a appr. 4m croc, tree snake, water dragons and a variety of birds! Thanks to the Daintree Boatman Murray! Melanie & Ralf

Fabulous experience, great guide, excellent boat.

Excellent opportunity to view birds, snakes, and the tropical river environment complete with low cloud and mist - such an essential element of the tropical environment. Murray’s boat is well set up for highly personalised small group tours and he adapts the tour to align with guests interests rather than follow a pre - set itinerary. As a result he often runs the trip a bit longer than scheduled if he has found something of real interest late in the tour. The electric auxiliary motor is brilliant for quietly sneaking up the narrow tributary streams where there’s better chances of finding wildlife. This was a repeat trip for us after a gap of a few years and both tours were great for bird photography - no hesitation in recommending the Daintree Boatman trip (particularly the dawn tour) to anyone interested in viewing or photographing tropical riverine birds and possibly the (non - venomous) tree snakes. Murray is a great host and guide with broad knowledge of the river, the environment and the wildlife. Because he spends so much time on the river he was able to take us to a spot where he has previously seen Azure kingfishers, and after a short wait and search, there they were for us! Brilliant!

Excellent Tour with Top guide

My wife and I went out with Murray Hunt on Daintree Boatman Wildlife Cruise at the end of November. The early morning cruise departed before other boats highlighting the serenity of the river. The boat was smaller than other boats allowing us to travel into the narrower Barratt Creek. Murray is very knowledgeable about the area wildlife and history. He worked hard and succeeded in showing us crocodiles (not so easy in the wet season). Daintree Boatman is much more than a crocodile tour and Murray is a passionate host. He recognizes the bird calls and showed the keen birders as well as us amateurs an amazing variety of birds. He also showed us and imparted information on the local area trees and flora. We do a lot of nature tours and Daintree Boatman was among the finest we have experienced.

Daintree Early Morning Cruise

Murray , the Daintree Boatman, is a superb guide to the magical wildlife to be seen on the Daintree River. I have been fortunate to have been on several of Murray’s cruises , everyone was superb. Over a 2 hour period of the cruise , or longer if the Daintree keeps delivering , Murray provides a wonderful commentary on the flora and fauna of the Daintree and shows his tremendous spotting skills and knowledge of bird song. If you are planning a trip to this part of the world I would put the Daintree Boatman on your must do list. You will not be disappointed.

Brilliant birding and more

Murray's enthusiasm was infectious - right from the start when he pointed out White Spotted Whistling Ducks (a seasonal highlight) landing on the bank opposite and we had only just left the jetty. He must have eyes in the back of his head! This set the bar high for the rest of the trip and we were not disappointed. Sightings came thick and fast - kingfishers, shining flycatchers, gerygones, frogmouth, orioles, python, tree snake and rounded off with another highlight - a Heron. Murray, you left us breathless on your beautiful river. We cannot recommend your Sunrise Cruise highly enough. Thank you for a fantastic morning.

THE Daintree Cruise

A great cruise with Murray, who knows the Daintree like no other. This is THE cruise for real wildlife people or anyone who wants to get up close and personal: small group, small shallow boat with quiet motor allowing close approach and access up the tributaries and under the trees, retractable canopy (packed away when not raining), early start, super-informative guide. Sure, we saw crocodiles (unlike some other boats we saw them behaving naturally - chasing prey, eating some pig, interacting with each other, etc.) but also kingfishers, a snake, orchids, butterflies and lots of other birds and plants. A brilliant cruise.

Beautiful morning on the Daintree river

Beautiful morning on the Daintree river. Murray was very knowledgeable and made the most of the tour. We saw a reasonable amount of wildlife on our tour.

Birding with the Daintree Boatman

Always a good morning birding - worth getting up for ! Murray knows his birds and knows where they are . Thank you . See you next year .Alan

An enjoyable morning cruise

Had a great morning cruise with Murray. We were a little apprehensive at the start as there had been heavy rainfall in the hours before the tour, but we ended up seeing several snakes, crocodiles and birds. The tour lasted for just over two hours and was a great way to experience the Daintree.

For the bird lovers

Murray was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic the river is ancient and is teeming with bird life. We saw a croc and some green snakes.

A must do when in the Daintree

This was my second time doing the Dawn cruise with Murray. He is very knowledgeable about the river, plants, birds and crocs. He went out of his way to find several species of bird for us. He always managed to manoeuvre the boat so everyone got great views. I would highly recommend Daintree Boatman Tours.

An enchanted start to the day on the Daintree river

Expert tour guide familiar with all wildlife, especially birds. A very small group in a small boat. Asked each person what they were hoping to see/learn. No hype. No rushing about. Quiet & serine. We left early and saw more. The views of the river were amazing. Well worth the early start.

An excellent time.

Our main interest was in seeing and photographing birds rather than crocodiles. Our first experience was a bit disappointing as Murray does not cancel trips just because of rain. But our second and private trip produced the goods. As well as setting us up for pleasant landscapes/riverscapes he found the hard to find small birds and knew how to place the boat so that we had the best light and angle for the shots.. We came away with several photos we are very happy with, including some of the green tree snake that we would never have found by ourselves. And on top of that he found crocodiles of all ages and sizes too.

A dawn experience of exquisite nature awaits you...

This was my third cruise with Murray and I am not disappointed. Murray shares a wealth of knowledge with his clients about the Daintree ecosystem and its associated wildlife. He has a very sharp eye when it comes to spotting wildlife , from small gerygones lurking in dense foliage to shy fruit doves hiding high up in the canopies. Before his clients are even aware of crocks in the water, Murray has spotted them lurking in the dark waters or lying on sandbars . Slithering tree snakes are so well camouflaged in the trees but if you wish to see one , Murray will do his best to spot one and he has not failed yet when I have been onboard. Overall his cruise is very interesting , fun and allows sufficient time to take photos, admire the sunrise and absorb the true beauty of this amazing wilderness .

Perfect way to start a day

Such a beautiful way to start our day. Murray was lovely and took us on a special journey to see Lumpy, the king crocodile of Barrett creek. We've also spotted beautiful birds and snakes. When the cruise finished, Murray said if we hurry up, we will catch Lumpy crossing under the bridge. And thats exactly what happened, I couldn't believe it when we drove over the bridge and saw him swimming.

What's not to enjoy?

The perfect calm of the early morning is exemplified by the mirror-like surface of the Daintree River and the magic garden atmosphere of Barratt Creek, It's complemented by the soundtrack of the tropics from the Yellow Oriole and the carefree swooping of the Welcome Swallows. Heaven on a stick! We have been enjoying boat trips with Murray for many years and will go again. His knowledge is encyclopedic and his manner is engaging.