Atherton Tablelands Rain Forest by Night from Cairns
Overview
Available languages
8 hours
Mobile ticket
See Australia's unique animals and birds in their natural environment on a rainforest wildlife-spotting tour in the Atherton Tablelands. Led by an expert nature guide, your small-group nocturnal tour visits a number of locations including lush tropical rainforest and a volcanic crater lake. See tree kangaroos, lizards and musky rat kangaroo by day, and search for platypus at dusk. Enjoy afternoon tea at Lake Barrine and dinner at a country restaurant, then go spotlighting for possum, bandicoots, owls, bats and tree kangaroos by starlight on this fascinating nocturnal wildlife tour.
Additional Info
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Please wear closed toe shoes and a jacket for night time.
A moderate amount of walking is involve. Low fitness level required
Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
Please bring insect spray as this is not provided
What To Expect
Lake Barrine
After our drive from Cairns up the scenic but very twisty Gillies Range Road we arrive at Lake Barrine. A beautiful volcanic crater lake surrounded by the Rainforest. Firstly we take a break for afternoon tea and there is no better setting than Lake Barrine to enjoy it. Afterwards we take a slow walk through the surrounding forest searching for Forest Dragons and Musky Rat Kangaroos!
Atherton Tablelands
There is no better place close to Cairns to see some of the rarest animals in Australia in the wild. We spend the majority of our tour exploring the region searching for wildlife. Walking through the oldest tropical rainforest in the world is an amazing experience by itself. You will be immersed with all the sights and sounds within it. In the late afternoon coming up to sunset we then go searching for the Platypus. The thrill of catching sight of this amazing creature will always stay with you. We do not stop looking until we run out of time to make sure you get the best possible chance of success. That is why we really do see them 90% of the time :)
Options
RainForest by Night ex Cairns
RainForest by Night Cairns: Atherton Tablelands Rain Forest by Night from Cairns Pickup included
What‘s Included
Local guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Afternoon tea
All equipment (binoculars, spotlighting gear, rain ponchos, reference materials)
Dinner
Air-conditioned vehicle
National Park fee
Drinks, unless specified
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
441 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Fantastic and fun tour!
Kevin S,Jun 12, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Our guide was fantastic! He was extremely knowledgeable on Australian history, animal, and plant life, skilled in finding animals, and very fun and personable. We saw more than we had hoped to see including the wild platypus. The food for tea and dinner was great and was a fantastic local place away from tourist centers to get a real feel for the area. We could not have hoped for anything more than what this tour provided.
The Best 10th Birthday Party Has No Cake — Just a Tree Kangaroo and a Joey
O8254SIsaraw,Jun 1, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Paul (or Hey, You!) is exceptionally well versed in his skills of knowing where and when to see the animals. We spotted a kangaroo tree mommy with a joey in her pouch, just at eye-level! I can see Paul was sharing with everyone in the forest who were not in his tour - that's shouts passion. My turning 10-year old daughter who never disturbs wildlife chose to let the wallabies enjoy their day — Paul's energy taught her that. This is an invaluable 10th birthday memory. Definitely was not disappointed joining his Daintree Rainforest tour as I saw the platypus in its true-est form going back to its burrow, with Paul's live documentary narration. Better than Sir Attenborough's doco anytime! He buys us dinner for a budget of $37 and we were well-fed before our night tour. And don't stress about capturing every moment — put your phone away and be present. Paul documents the entire tour himself and delivers a beautiful montage of photos taken throughout the night. We were fully there, and still came home with memories we could keep. Kept us safe and sound all the way back in time for bed before 10pm. We will do it all again without hesitation!
A must do experience in Cairns
Debbie J,May 28, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00This was such a wonderful experience. Our guide Clayton went above and beyond to share background and facts about what you saw during your walks. Such a pleasant and knowledgeable guide!! I can’t recommend this excursion enough-we saw so many local animals that we would have otherwise missed including the platypus!! The tea was lovely and the dinner was a great meal (I recommend the garlic prawns!)
Platypus
U9969BTtimh,May 28, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Excellent and very fun tour with lots of information about the area and the animals. Much more personal than most other tours.
Pretty
Angela A,May 26, 2026
- Review from Viator
3.00Mid May, slightly chilly after sunset. Read the notes clearly; long pants, tennis shoes maybe long sleeves. The road up is very curvy; potential for car sickness. Fast paced. Not many opportunities for photos as it was recommended not to even use your camera b/c the guide would take all the photos for you. Difficult to see where you're going as no lights shown on the foot paths. Unable to get a photo of the giant "curtain tree" due to the rapid movement of the torch/flashlight. Guide was knowledgeable.
Wonderful experience
karin j,May 25, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Paul is a font of knowledge and we had a great day and night and saw platypus and other creatures of the rainforest. Would definitely recommend this tour.
Incredible Animal Experience!
marci6tx,May 25, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I was really excited to come across this tour when planning animal experiences for my teenager. Paul was amazing from start to finish and took care of every detail. We travel quite a lot and this tour was such a good balance of activity, education, adventure and good food ;)! The platypus sightings in the wild were definitely the highlight but we also loved learning about the plants as we walked as well. I was nervous about the night hike portion because I have walked in rainforests at night before and seen creatures I did not want to see haha, but we were on a paved path which was nice. We felt safe while also being able to see more of Australia’s animals in their natural habitats. Paul has an amazing eye for spotting them! As a bonus he also provides you his photos and videos from the day which were WAY better than my own. Highly recommend!!
Fun tour with many animals
Monica S,May 25, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00The tour is wonderful if you want to see some wildlife. It requires a bit of fitness because some of the animals move quickly but, it is well worth the effort to see them in their natural habitats.
Platypus, wildlife and nature in the rainforest
O4822EBalexb,May 21, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Paul was really informative and passionate about ensuring we had the best experience and saw as much of the wildlife as we could..and we did including platypus, possum's, and different wallabies and Kangaroos. Really enjoyed the daylight walks in the rainforest and the nocturnal ones.y 18 year old boy enjoyed it too. Paul's knowledge made it very interesting. Less commercial feeling than other tours. Great alternative to the Daintree which is a long drive from Cairns and other locals value this rainforest area
The most worthwhile Tour to get on in Cairns
dom0410,May 10, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00That was a fantastic and great experience, discovering the rainforest life in realtime . Paul our guide was such a great asset to this tour as without his explanations and stories , the taste would have been different and we most likely would not have seen half of the animals we saw . The tea & coffee stop was really appreciated . The dinner despite very short was perfect and we could taste some local plates. The top of this tour was obviously the animals we could observe along the journey by day or by night. Observing them in their natural place was extraordinary.Listening to Paul's explanation around the animals and all different type of plants was making this experience a great learning as well for us . We wish we could stay longer in the night to discover even more but all good things have an end. Tx again Paul for building up such great memories in our heads... Dom and Maria Rosa
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