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This small group tour is a rich smorgasbord of art, heritage, fine food, iconic wildlife and the best of the region's reef to rainforest experiences, led by expert guides and narrators all the way. With a maximum of eight couples or 14 guests, this intimate fully-guided adventure will take you to places the ordinary tourist never sees to spend quality time in nature, with people passionate about the region, its conservation and culture.
Your journey starts ascending into the cool climate Atherton Tablelands on one of the world's longest cable-car journeys over majestic mountains and breathtaking scenery. Your guides will take you on a journey to swim in waterfalls, look for elusive Tree Kangaroos, Platypus and maybe even a wild Cassowary. You will dine on local produce and journey to the Port Douglas coastline in the company of internationally-acclaimed conservation-photographers, who will be there to guide and entertain you with stories. Here, your luxurious accommodation (one of the National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World) is nestled among its own nature reserve. Local Aboriginal guides will take you on a journey through their culture, art and music, exploring secret waterholes and learning their unique connection to country. Only you will have exclusive use of the fastest and most environmentally-conscious vessel operations on the whole Great Barrier Reef. Here you'll meet the team who have developed coral growing technology with local Universities, and join marine biologists to participate in the program and see how it's effecting change. You'll learn from experts about how the reef works and explore their favourite spots in outer and inner-reefs with the chance to swim with turtles, see clownfish and maybe even whales and dolphins.
Highlights
- Skyrail onto the Atherton Tablelands over breath-taking rainforest scenery and waterfalls.
- Exclusive use of an outer-reef charter vessel.
- Stay in a National Geographic Unique Lodge of the World on a private nature reserve.
- Travel with internationally-acclaimed conservation photographers.
- Eat local rainforest meals created by world-renowned ethnographers plus a private tour of their lifetime work.
- Dine al fresco and watch glow-worms after swimming in a privately-owned waterfall.
- Search for Tree Kangaroos, Platypus and Cassowaries.
- Travel with and learn from custodians of the country.
- Snorkel on some of the reef’s best locations in the company of local qualified marine biologist guides.
- Chance to swim with turtles and see whales and dolphins.
- Plant your own coral reef and contribute to research.
- Participate in an Aboriginal art workshop and take home your own hand-painted souvenir.
- Contribute to habitat rehabilitation and offset your tour’s carbon and biodiversity impact.
Our Environmental Impact
In keeping with the core philosophies of Diverse Travel Australia & Wildiaries, this tour is run as environmentally- and culturally-sustainable as possible. There will always be an impact from any trip but we aim to minimise this as much as possible and contribute back to biodiversity.
- Our trip is locally-run.
- Most meals use locally-sourced produce.
- Our accommodation at Thala Beach is based in private nature reserves.
- Several of our partners are actively restoring native rainforest vegetation.
- All Aboriginal cultural elements are led by members of the Kuku Yalanji.
- Our reef vessels are among the most fuel efficient on the reef.
- Our suppliers operate ethical wildlife viewing policies.
- A portion of the fee goes directly into reef research with UQ, as well as planting temperature-resistant corals to regrow areas of reef.
- This tour is expected to create about 54 tonnes of Carbon. We are contributing $20 per tonne to Greenfleet. Our first preference is that this will be invested in the Gurrbum Reserve, or equivalent project. Gurrbum is connecting Cassowary habitat in Mission Beach. This has both carbon and biodiversity benefits and is also contributing to a greater impact project, with investment from numerous partners.