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
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
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
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
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
Reviews
400 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Visit to the rainforest was quite a thrilling experience!
Jyothi V,
Sep 17, 2025
- Viator
4.00It was a well organized tour and quite an experience! Paul's knowledge and passion shone through the whole tour and he made sure we were able to see the creatures that were out there. The dinner (vegetarian) was decent too. We spotted some wild creatures (Possum, Flying Foxes, Forest Dragon, Platypus, Gecko, Wallabies, Bush Turkey). We couldn't see the Rat Kangaroo, Tree Kangaroo, flight of the bats. It was raining for some part of the tour. Feedback that I would like to give is: 1. We spent too much time looking at Platypuses as after spotting 2 it wasn't exciting to spot 4 in total. That time could have been used elsewhere (perhaps flight of bats?) 2. Paul was quite funny but could be more patient in answering questions and not make us feel stupid while asking questions. 3. In the description of the tour rain ponchos were mentioned but he had umbrellas instead. It was raining for some part of the tour and I didn't have a waterproof jacket so ended up getting really wet.
Paul is an amazing tour...
Cam B,
Sep 9, 2025
- Viator
5.00Paul is an amazing tour guide. Very knowledgable and insanely good at spotting animals in any lighting. He provided binoculars, which was a huge enhancement to the whole experience. We got really lucky to see a tree kangaroo and a platypus, among many other animals.
Wonderful Evening with Unexpected Sightings
Daniel D,
Sep 1, 2025
- Viator
5.00Paul was extremely knowledgeable and made sure that we stuck to our schedule, while also ensuring that we got a glimpse of all the critters. Dinner was also a nice touch!
Excellent and...
Ariel Z,
Aug 5, 2025
- Viator
5.00Excellent and knowledgeable guide, fascinating rainforest details. Spotting animals is a hit and miss experience, that’s part of the authenticity of the experience. Paul was a great guide, full of information and really persevered in the search for the elusive platypus. The binoculars, including the quick user guide added a lot to the experience.
Great trip
Benjamin T,
Jul 23, 2025
- Viator
5.00Ok. This company is Paul. Paul lovely the rain forest and sharing it with others. He is the only one doing a night tour. It was fun and we saw a lot. We weren’t lucky enough to spot a rare tree kangaroo or rat kangaroo, but we did see a forest dragon in July! We also saw a couple platypuses, a bandicoot, huntsman spider brush tail possum, ring tail possum, fly foxes and other bats, and a lot of other animals. He also showed us a lot of the vegetation and the life cycle of the rain forest. I highly recommend this trip.
Related Experiences
Operated by Wait-a-While Rainforest Tours