Crocodile Express are the original Daintree River wildlife cruise company, operating since 1979.

The Daintree River is teeming with life, everything from birds, fish, snakes, insects and crocodiles make this mighty river home.

Crocodile Express were the original company to offer tours along the river, but these days there are a number of companies that which offer up close and personal viewings of the region's most infamous residents.

The cruises provide a safe and secure way of getting close to these powerful predators, as well give you an insight into the age-old ecosystem of the Daintree National Park.

The Daintree is the largest rainforest in Australia, covering more than 1,200 square kilometres.

It was added to the World Heritage List on December 9, 1988.

The area is home to more than 3,000 species of plants and 315 mammal species, 13 of which are indigenous only to the Daintree area.

Thanks to the structure of the surrounding mountains, the landscape of the Daintree has remained largely unchanged allowing many plants and animals to remain unchanged from the time of the ice ages.

There are 19 primitive plant families that can be found around the world and most of them also survive in the Daintree National Park.

There is the extremely rare understorey tree called Noahdendron nicholassi discovered in 1981 and the Idiospermum australiense which was rediscovered in 1972 and is the only one of its kind in the world.

Daintree National Park is also home to a number of rare animals including Bennett’s tree kangaroo which has returned to the trees and is only found in this area.

The spotted-tailed quoll, a cat-sized marsupial, is an endangered species, one of the country’s truly carnivorous species and only found in the Daintree.

There are also a number of interesting bird species found in the Daintree area including the buff-breasted paradise-kingfisher during the summer months as well as the pied imperial-pigeon.

The orange-footed scrubfowl is another rare bird that can be found on the rainforest floor with their compost mounds where their eggs are incubated.

Cassowaries, the second-largest flightless bird in Australia, are also found in the Daintree.

The Daintree remains as one of North Queensland's most alluring tourist attractions, with thousands of visitors flocking to the area every year.

But responsible management means the area remains relatively free of major commercialism, instead favouring low-impact and eco-tourism options which helps ensure the fragile ecosystem remains intact.

The Daintree is located about an hour and a half's drive north of Cairns on the Captain Cook Highway.

Public transport is limited, so it's advised you either hire a car or take one of the many tour options into the area.

If you are hiring a car, a small fee applies to cross the Daintree River on the ferry.

For more information about the Daintree National Park and other tourist attractions in the Cairns region, please check cairns.com.au

 

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