The Best Daintree Village Vacations, Cruises, Hotels

Where Is Daintree Village? Travelling north along the scenic Captain Cook Highway, Daintree Village is 116 kilometres north from Cairns. This spectacular one and a half hour drive takes you through the coastal villages of Ellis Beach and Wangetti to Rex Lookout for a sweeping view south along the coast to Cairns that simply must be photographed.

Travelling on through the rich red soils of the Mossman cane fields, the verdant rainforest clad ranges are a constant background to this vibrant tropical north scenery. 30 kilometres north of Port Douglas, the highway leaves the coast at Wonga Beach for a 15 kilometre drive through the forests of the Dagmar Ranges, and then into Daintree Village.

Local Attractions

Daintree Village has a permanent population of 100 people, but the visitor is well catered for with:

Timber Museum & Workshop - Watch Gerry and Graham bring out the natural beauty of local timbers in unique furniture, clocks and designer pieces. Admission is free

Daintree Eco Adventures - Locally owned and operated and offering a selection of full day tours, guided rainforest walks, and river cruises.

The Daintree General Store - The friendly locals at the General Store know where everything is and how to get there. They are also the local Post Office, a bank agency (with EFTPOS), the place to get take-away food, and, if you're thirsty, they can help you out with a range of take-away beers, wines and spirits. General provisions, ice, bait, souvenirs and tour bookings are also available.

Harlows Bridge - A shady picnic spot and swimming hole that is so great, even the locals use it!

Wonga Bell Orchid Garden And Nursery - Owned and operated by Bob and Joan Gray. Drop in for a chat and let them show you there spectacular collection of orchids.

Wonga Beach Horse Trail Rides - What better than a horse ride along a pristine tropical beach.

Fishing - Cast a line from the jetty, hire a boat, or see the friendly folks at Fishing The Tropics for a fishing charter or tour.

Wildlife Watching - Walk around the village and see some of the animals that inhabit this lush tropical region, go on a daylight bird watching tour, a guided rainforest walk, or a self guided village bush walk with views of the river.

Browse - Also in Daintree Village are Daintree Arts & Crafts, Daintree Original Fashions, Clay & Heather's Daintreasures, and Pamela's Sunbird Studio where you can see works by leading local artists.

River Cruises - Several operators run a variety of cruises both up and down the Daintree River that depart from the Daintree Jetty, and cover all of the options from just sitting and letting the scenery go by, through to informative nature tours, and fishing trips. Some of these include:
Chris Dahlberg's Specialised River Tours
Daintree Wildlife Safari
Fishing The Tropics
Far North River Safaris
The Daintree Lady
Daintree Connections
Mangrove Adventures
Daintree River Trains

Restaurants - The village is particularly well equipped for those who like a bite to eat. A large range of cuisines are represented, using fresh local seafood, the best of Australian beef, and locally grown tropical fruit and vegetables.
Big Barramundi Gardens
Daintree Village Coffee Shop
Jacanas Restaurant
Baaru House at the Daintree Eco Lodge
Daintree Tea House at Barrat's Creek Bridge
Joy Bell Restaurant set in restored railway carriages
Daintree Palms Hotel - On Wonga Beach and a good place for a cold beer as well
Accommodation

Only 100 people live here, but a lot more than that come to visit the wonders of this region. Daintree Village has a caravan and camping ground, budget cabins, several Bed and Breakfasts, including Red Mill House, exclusive guest lodges such as Cloud 9, home holiday rentals, and the four and a half star Daintree Eco Lodge 3 kilometres from the village.

Overlooking the wonderful rural scenery of the valley is Kenadon Homestead Cabins with the majestic Daintree Range as a wonderful scenic backdrop, while a little further afield is the Daintree Wilderness Lodge.