We woke up in Cape Tribulation Beach. The weather was cloudy but the rain finally stopped after pouring down the whole night. Before starting the Daintree rainforest tour, we wandered on the deserted beach along the Daintree Rainforest hoping to snorkel the crystal clear waters.
Unfortunately, Box jellyfish, the most venomous animal in the world, were found in coastal waters present during the Australia summer. Their sting produces an excruciating pain accompanied by an intense burning sensation which can lead to death if not treated immediately. Not keen on taking any risk, we skipped the morning swim and head back to the campervan to prepare our Daintree rainforest tour. The National Park was an adventure playground for the nature lovers we were.
After breakfast, we packed, cleaned up and set off for the awards winning Daintree Discovery Centre, one of the best starting point for any Daintree rainforest tours. The rain started again. Heavily. The roads became increasingly flooded as we were driving through the rainforest. We had to stop and wait as we were concerned our campervan would not be able to cross the stream. At some point, we even had to clear up the route from trees pushed by the strong current.
We eventually made our way to the discovery centre. The centre provided an interactive experience within the oldest lowland tropical rainforest in the world. 180 million years old. To put this into context, the Amazon is only 7 million years old!
Though different aerial walkways, lookout towers and activities, we learned a lot, from the primitive flowering plants to the endemic wildlife including the endangered Cassowary.
We continued our Daintree expedition by 3-kilometres walk near the entrance of the Jindalba boardwalk. The tracks were well marked but heavy rains turned them into water streams. Our last pair of shoes got wet in no time. Damn! How many pairs of shoes do we need? We started by the gravel path beneath a towering canopy of palms and ferns which transitions into a boardwalk with numerous viewing platform.
We ended the day in Port Douglas by driving south along the magnificent scenic coastal route along the Captain Cook Highway. We loved the small town, and it made a perfect place to enjoy a relaxing evening after our Daintree rainforest tour.