Far North Queensland

3 - 17 September 2026

15 Days/14 Nights exploring Far North Queensland!

A new and exciting tour to the lush rainforests and dry savannahs from Cairns to the Cape!

* 14 Nights Accommodation

* All meals and non-alcoholic drinks

* comfortable 4wd vehicle

* Learn how to photograph in dark environments

* Witness nature’s most incredible species

* Expert Photographic Tuition

* Morning and afternoon field outings focussing on different species

* Small Guest to Guide Ratio for maximum attention and learning. Most other tours have 1 guide with 7+ guests.

* Maximum 6 guests (min 4)

* ALL SKILL LEVELS catered for

* Guides: David Stowe + Lachlan Hall

$14,595 PER PERSON*

*twin share.
Single Supplement for all nights (except Turtle Creek) additional $900

Proposed Itinerary

Day 1:
Arrivals into Cairns. Birding around Cairns in the afternoon depending on flight arrival times.

Accommodation : Rydges Esplanade Hotel
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Day 2:
Birding around Cairns including the famous Esplanade, Centenary Lakes, and botanic gardens, where we will target species such as shorebirds, Mangrove Robin, Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Varied Honeyeater, Orange-footed Scrubfowl, Little Kingfisher and more.

Option 2 - take a boat cruise out to the Great Barrier Reef and the iconic Michelmas Cay! Here we should see a variety of terns and boobies as well as some shorebirds.

Accommodation : Rydges Esplanade Hotel
B,L,D

Day 3:
An early start driving to Etty Bay for a chance to see the prehistoric looking Cassowary in the early morning. We will spend as much time here as we need before heading up to the Atherton tablelands with some birding along the way.

Accommodation : Atherton NRMA Holiday Park
B,L,D

Days 4-5:
Basing ourselves in Atherton means easy access to famous birding locations such as Lake Eacham, Mt Hypipamee, Curtain Fig Tree, Hasties Swamp and more. We will also be visiting a private property with a bird bath and feeder, as well as doing some spotlighting for mammals such as Green Ringtail, Striped Possum, and Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo
Targets will include Victoria’s Riflebird, Golden Bowerbird, Spotted Catbird, Macleay's Honeyeater, Platypus

Accommodation : Atherton NRMA Holiday Park
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Day 6:
This morning we will leave the tablelands and start heading towards Musgrave. We’ll spend the morning at Granite Gorge looking for Squatter Pigeon and the adorable Mareeba Rock Wallaby, as well as White-browed Robin and maybe Spectacled Flying Fox.
The drive to Musgrave is about 6 hours. Depending on what time we arrive, we may visit Artemis station to have our first look for the endangered Golden-shouldered Parrot.
Accommodation : Musgrave Roadhouse
B,L,D

Day 7:
Today we will venture towards Rinyirru NP and more dry Savannah country looking for the epic Red Goshawk, as well as honeyeaters, finches and more. Depending on how tired everyone is we might try for some spotlighting for owls too

Accommodation : Musgrave Roadhouse
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Day 8 - 11:
Leaving Musgrave we have a 5 hour drive north up Peninsula Development Rd to the fabulous new Turtle Creek Ecolodge. This completely off-grid retreat is borders Kutini Payamu National Park and is home to most of the endemic species of this region, including Magnificent Riflebird, and Palm Cockatoo. We will be searching for the stunning sexually dimorphic Eclectus Parrot, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, White-streaked Honeyeater, and Fawn-breasted Bowerbird, as well as Green Python, Marbled Frogmouth and Spotted Cuscus

Accommodation : Turtle Creek Ecolodge
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Day 12:
Our final morning searching for missed targets, before heading back towards Musgrave for a one-night stay here to break up the journey. Our target in the afternoon will be the Golden-shouldered Parrot again at Artemis Station.

Accommodation : Musgrave Roadhouse
B,L,D

Day 13:
Morning birding around Musgrave/Artemis before a 4.5hr drive to Mossman. Targets today will depend on what time we get away from Musgrave and how much light we have near Mossman

Accommodation : Mossman
B,L,D

Day 14:
This morning we will embark on a cruise along the Daintree river focusing on crocodiles, kingfishers and other cool species such as Shining Flycatcher and perhaps Papuan Frogmouth. In the afternoon we will head to Cairns for our final night together.

Accommodation : Cairns
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Day 15:
Our final morning’s activity will depend on everyones flight times and if there is anything we want better images of.
Fly out of Cairns today.

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Photography:
Photography will vary from walking around handheld, through to tripod set ups at feeders, as well as some nocturnal photography.
The nature of the dark rainforests mean tripods, high iso, and slow shutter speeds are the order of the day; a technical challenge that we will help you navigate.

Accommodation:
Accommodation will range from comfortable hotels to more basic cabins (Musgrave), but always as nice as possible.

Walking difficulty/Fitness:
Nothing too strenuous and as always we will never be in a rush. It will be quite warm and humid.

Tour cost excludes:
Flights before and after the tour start/end, travel insurance, tips to tour leaders, laundry, and other items of a personal nature

We always strongly recommend comprehensive travel insurance!