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The Wet Tropics stretch from Townsville to Cooktown encompassing approximately 9000sq.km of rainforest interspersed with farmland, rivers and tropical savannah, not to mention coastline and coral cays. Such an array of habitats explains the region’s high diversity of flora and fauna. With more than 450 avian species recorded, including 13 endemics, its Australia’s twitching mecca, and you don’t have to venture far from Cairns to enjoy a rich bird watching experience in a variety of environments.
Our birding tours are 100% tailored to our guests. Our three major wilderness and birding areas are the Atherton Tablelands, Daintree Rainforest and Mareeba Savannah Country. All three encompassing unique scenery and birdwatching opportunities. Upon booking this experience, our team will reach out to discuss target species.
Take a private tour with one of our expert guides as we cover a vast variety of birding hotspots in Far North Queensland
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After the boat tour and lunch, we did a hike in the Rainforest which led us to Cape Tribulation. The beach was amazing! This is where the rainforest meets the sea. One of the most amazing beaches we have seen. You could imagine Captain Cook's boat off the coast.
The day ended with a stop at the Daintree Ice Cream Company. The fruit that the ice cream is made of, is grown right on the property. Delicious!
It was a wonderful day. Jim was knowledgeable, professional, and easy to spend the day with. Highly recommend.






I would highly recommend Far North Queensland Nature Tours and James to anyone who really wants to experience the amazing wildlife found in this part of Australia.




Matt was simply a phenomenal guide. A little about me: I'm a college professor of wildlife management in the United States. I have a very high bar for trips like this, where my primary goal is finding and seeing wildlife. I understand that wildlife are wild and not all sightings are guaranteed, but Matt knew all the hotspots, knew all the other local guides we bumped into (and they worked together, sharing information on wildlife sightings, simply great comradery), and had such an innate understanding of where wildlife would be and when that we saw nearly everything we were looking for.
Please do not let my expertise scare you away if you are a relative novice, however. My group contained 8 people, myself, a colleague of mine, and 6 retirees with experience ranging from little to moderate. Matt did a fantastic job juggling these different skill-levels and expectations, still allowing me (the proverbial expert I guess) to have a fantastic time even among folks who weren't looking for such an intense experience.
If you are looking for a professional guide with a small company to get a personal experience finding various species of wildlife, while also being mindful of keeping your money local, this is the group for you. I really can't say enough good things about FNQ Nature Tours, my experience was excellent.


Matt was a very warm, engaging and knowledgeable guide leading our diverse group of eight members. All very different and fun to be with. Lots of birds, including a couple of cassowaries, possums, platypus and a tree kangaroo. Great accommodation and good food. Highly recommended.





He had a great sense of humour, and his knowledge was endless; combined this made for an entertaining trip to our first stop!
We saw a platypus, a mother and young tree kangaroo, and a colony of flying foxes at our first stop.
The next stop was an amazing fig tree, where we were also up close with Wild Turkeys, and a Boyd’s Forest Dragon.
We then stopped at a pub, where we had a great meal and waited for dark.
Once it was dark, we set off spotlighting where we saw 3 different types of possums.
It was a fantastic tour, which gave much more than I expected, and I cannot recommend this company enough.






James guided me through the forest, showing how to take great photos of the native fauna and flora while explaining the ecosystem, its evolution and challenges ahead.,
James is an outstanding guide and a wonderful “compagnon de route”.
I do recommend this tour. It is worth every minute.
Carlos




Paul and Glennys


We would highly recommend this tour to anyone with an interest in our local wildlife. It's a truly beautiful area with lots to see.

We started by taking a boat ride on the Daintree River. It was a small private boat with a very knowledgeable guide/ captain. We saw birds and crocodiles and learned a lot about the area.
Next we went to a small cottage in the forest for lunch. The menu emphasized local foods, particularly a great selection of local fruits. They offered kangaroo, which we didn’t sample.
Finally we went into the park and explored the scenery. James was very knowledgeable about the area’s history and significance. We took a walk on a boardwalk through the forest to the beach. We were always on the lookout for wildlife and were rewarded by catching a glimpse of a cassowary through the trees. We also saw several very large spiders, but let’s not dwell on that.
We would highly recommend this tour company and its owner, our guide James.






lake region. Matt and Rowen were perfect guides. Their knowledge about the rainforest wildlife and foliage was amazing. Each time a bird called Matt identified it, and he constantly had his binoculars out searching for tree kangaroos, dragon lizards, platypus and a possum unique to the area. We had mixed results, seeing several species but not all ..and clearly it was not for lack of trying. All in all a day well spent.


We saw many different animals on our walks in the rainforest and the night tour was a magical experience like no other. Just to name a few, we saw stripped possums, the Papuan frogmouth owl, many species of frogs, and even a spotted python on our way back home. I also managed to film a Boyd's forest dragon catching a cicada mid-air up close! The Solar Whisper crocodile cruise through the daintree river was also amazing and we saw many baby saltwater crocodiles and spectacled fruit bats. On top of all that, the dinner included in the tour was also absolutely delicious and the views at Cape Tribulation were wonderful.
Truly one of the best ways out there to explore the Daintree rainforest and we are already planning our next trip back out here!
Thank you so much Matt for making this trip amazing and teaching us so much!


He really opens your eyes and ears to the rainforest. It soon it feels like each and every living thing is a member of an epic orchestra; he makes you realise that each thing is perfectly designed to play their key part in their own unique way, and they all come together to create the beautiful music that is the wet tropics of FNQ.
What James and his team have created at FNQ Nature Tours is incredible! His passion and drive to protect and conserve the wet tropics and champion others to do the same really hits home from the moment you step into his vehicle.
He gave me such an immersive experience of his world. The animal and plant interactions were unreal!! Our experience with a jungle carpet python will forever remain one of the best moments of my life. He gave me 4 days of constant adventure, excitement, fun, education and relaxation. Perfectly balanced and perfectly tailored.
But out of all of our epic experiences, seeing James still get so stoked about an experience and seeing him still surprising himself was one of my highlights. These guys are truly passionate about what they do.
FNQ Nature Tours has allowed me to experience the most intimate feeling of connectedness with nature and on such a profound level. What a rare gift to be able to give people hey!
This experience surpasses all my other travel adventures. I honestly cannot speak highly enough of James, as a guide, a business owner and as a friend. His vision and his mission are strong!
Thanks for the memories mate










The dinner by the beach was superb as well.
A truly memorable experience








In addition to birdwatching, we learnt a lot about the local wildlife and the areas we visited. We couldn’t be happier with the trip, which was well organized and tailored to our needs. Highly recommend this tour.


The whole trip was exceptional - Matt was an enthusiastic, positive, caring and flexible guide with a great deal of knowledge and many stories to tell. We saw everything we had hoped to. Highlights - the 20 minutes or so watching the mother and young tree kangaroo stroll through the trees and slide down the trunk in great view only a few metres away, cassowary, golden bower bird, displaying rifle bird, black necked stork on the Daintree River dawn cruise. Loved the rock wallabies, the red backed fairy wren amongst hundreds of other birds. Great nocturnal possum and owl sightings as well. The accommodation was charming and eating at all the local eateries a delight.


Cocktails and dinner at sunset on a beautiful beach was an extra bonus.




