Far North Queensland, on the coastal strip north of Cairns: one river, two park sections and a single sealed road running up to Cape Tribulation. What sits where, and how long each leg takes.
Updated 28 October 2026
In shortThe Daintree Rainforest is in Far North Queensland, on the coast north of Cairns and Port Douglas. Daintree National Park covers 73,500 hectares in two separate sections: Mossman Gorge, about 20 minutes from Port Douglas, and Cape Tribulation, which begins at the Daintree River and runs north to the Bloomfield River. Cairns to the river is around two hours of driving.
73,500 haarea of Daintree National Park in two sections
about 95 kmlength of the coastal Daintree region
about 2 hoursdrive from Cairns to the Daintree River
about 45 mindrive from Port Douglas to the Daintree River
Main sights of the rainforestBoardwalks and lookoutsVillages and servicesVisitor centre and river crossing
The Daintree spreads over two national park sections either side of the river, with the ferry as the only vehicle link to the Cape Tribulation side.
Where is the Daintree Rainforest, in plain terms
The forest lies in Far North Queensland, on the coast north of Cairns and Port Douglas, inside the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area. Listing as World Heritage dates from 1988 and was granted on all four natural criteria, including hundreds of species found nowhere else. On the ground it reads as a corridor: the coastal Daintree region runs roughly 95 km, and the river that gives it its name runs about 140 km through the forest.
Scale is what trips most visitors up. Douglas Shire Council puts the rainforest at 120,000 hectares, or 1,200 km², and calls it Australia's largest remnant of tropical rainforest, while the national park inside it accounts for 73,500 hectares in two sections that do not touch each other. The Wet Tropics area wrapped around both covers 894,420 hectares of mostly tropical forest.
Daintree rainforest map: the two park sections and the river
The map on this page shows the geography that actually governs a visit: two park sections, the Daintree River drawn between them, the gateway towns, and the single road that strings the northern side together. Mossman Gorge is the southern section, reached from Mossman. The Cape Tribulation section is the northern one, about 17,000 hectares, starting on the north bank of the Daintree River and ending at the Bloomfield River.
That river shapes the whole day. It has no bridge, so every vehicle crosses on the cable ferry, and everything plotted north of it belongs to a different kind of travel: patchy mobile reception, one fuel and grocery stop, settlements of a few hundred people.
South of the river: Mossman, Mossman Gorge and its Cultural Centre, Daintree Village with 147 residents, and the south bank where most wildlife cruises leave from
North of the river: Cow Bay with 309 residents and the Rainforest Discovery Centre, Diwan, Noah Beach, Cape Tribulation
Past Cape Tribulation: the Cape Tribulation to Bloomfield Road towards Wujal Wujal, 363 residents, and on to Cooktown, 4WD only with creek crossings
South of the river: Mossman, the gorge and Daintree Village
Mossman is the last town of any size heading north, and the gorge sits a short way inland from it, about 20 minutes from Port Douglas and 75 minutes from Cairns, with no water crossing involved. This is Eastern Kuku Yalanji country, and the park is managed jointly by the Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rather than by a tourism company.
Entry to the gorge itself is by shuttle from the Cultural Centre car park, since no footpath links the two. Buses run every 15 minutes between 8:00am and 5:00pm, seven days a week except Christmas Day, and the last one leaves the gorge at 4:30pm. Kuku Yalanji guides lead the Ngadiku Dreamtime Walk of about 1.5 hours, departing at 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm and 2pm.
Daintree Village is the other southern name on the map and is easy to mistake for a base inside the northern forest. It has 147 residents, sits upstream on the south bank, and most Daintree River cruises depart from that side of the water, including the small electric boat moored on the south bank near the ferry approach. Plan a cruise for the day you arrive or leave and you avoid crossing the river twice for it.
North of the river: Cow Bay, Diwan and Cape Tribulation
On the map the river reads as a hard edge, and the cable ferry marks the one point along it where a vehicle gets from the south bank to the north. The operating window is wide: 5am to midnight, every day of the year, Christmas Day included. Capacity is the narrow part, with about 27 standard vehicles per run and roughly 15 minutes per cycle once loading and unloading are counted. From 9am to 4:30pm the right-hand lane is held as a priority lane for locals and some commercial vehicles, and in peak season the queue can reach back along Cape Tribulation Road, so check conditions on the day.
Beyond the north bank, one sealed road does all the work. Cow Bay comes first, about 10 km north of the crossing, where the Rainforest Discovery Centre opens 9:00am to 5:00pm daily except Christmas Day with last entry at 4:00pm. Diwan follows, 14 km north of the ferry, with fuel and a village store. Cape Tribulation, Kulki to the Eastern Kuku Yalanji, is about 45 minutes on from the ferry.
That road climbs the Alexandra and Noah Ranges and is steep and winding, but it is sealed the whole way and small cars manage it. Cape Tribulation is where the sealed line on the map runs out. North of it, the Cape Tribulation to Bloomfield Road heads for Wujal Wujal and Cooktown as a 4WD-only route with creeks to ford and no allowance for towing at any time, and the inland CREB Track carries the same restriction. Mobile coverage north of the river is patchy, so download maps and confirmations before you cross.
The corridor from Port Douglas
A Port Douglas departure takes the longest legs on the map out of your day before it starts, with the ferry roughly 45 minutes up the coast from town. This 9-hour small-group day links Mossman Gorge, the river crossing, a Daintree River wildlife cruise and Noah Valley on the northern side, and the driving is the guide's problem.
Cairns to the Daintree River ferry is around two hours of driving, and the full Cairns to Cape Tribulation run is about 140 km each way. From Port Douglas the ferry is roughly 45 minutes away and Mossman Gorge only 20 minutes. Those gaps are why many travellers choose Port Douglas over Cairns as a base.
Leg by leg, the corridor breaks down as follows.
Public transport is not a practical way to see the corridor, so most visitors come on an organised day tour or by car. Cairns is the larger base; Port Douglas is closer on every leg, including Mossman Gorge, the ferry and Cape Tribulation.
Both full-day tours on this site cross the river in one run, with the ferry and National Park fees included and a Daintree River cruise built into the day: the Cairns day reaches Cape Tribulation Beach, while the Port Douglas day pairs Mossman Gorge with Noah Valley north of the river. The Getting there from Cairns page sets out what that departure point costs you in driving time.
Leg
Time or distance
Side of the river
Port Douglas to Mossman Gorge
about 20 minutes
south bank
Cairns to Mossman Gorge
about 75 minutes
south bank
Port Douglas to the Daintree River ferry
about 45 minutes
south bank
Cairns to the Daintree River ferry
about 2 hours
south bank
The ferry crossing itself
about 15 minutes including loading
the dividing line
Ferry to the Discovery Centre at Cow Bay
about 10 km
north bank
Ferry to Diwan
14 km
north bank
Ferry to Cape Tribulation
about 45 minutes
north bank
Cairns to Cape Tribulation
about 140 km one way
both, ferry included
Questions people ask
Is the Daintree Rainforest near Cairns?
The forest begins north of Cairns. The southern park section at Mossman Gorge is about 75 minutes away, the Daintree River ferry around two hours, and Cape Tribulation roughly 140 km one way. That distance is why a Daintree trip from Cairns normally runs 9 hours or longer.
Can I reach the Daintree Rainforest by train or bus?
Public transport is not a practical way to sightsee along the corridor. Visitors either join a day tour from Cairns or Port Douglas or drive themselves. On the tours listed here, the river crossing and the National Park fees are already part of the day.
Which side of the Daintree River is Cape Tribulation on?
Cape Tribulation, known as Kulki to the Eastern Kuku Yalanji Traditional Owners, is on the north side, about 45 minutes beyond the crossing. Cow Bay, Diwan and Noah Beach are also north. Mossman, Mossman Gorge and Daintree Village all sit south of the water and need no ferry.
Where does the Daintree Rainforest end in the north?
The Cape Tribulation park section runs from the Daintree River north to the Bloomfield River, about 17,000 hectares, and the coastal Daintree region spans roughly 95 km in total. Sealed road ends at Cape Tribulation; the Bloomfield Road onward to Wujal Wujal and Cooktown is 4WD-only country with creek crossings.
Do I need to cross the river to see the Daintree Rainforest?
Not necessarily. The same national park has a second, southern section at Mossman Gorge, on the Cairns side of the water: 20 minutes out of Port Douglas, 75 minutes out of Cairns, with the Cultural Centre shuttle running into the gorge at 15-minute intervals from 8:00am until 5:00pm. Crossing gives you the lowland forest and coast at Cow Bay, Diwan and Cape Tribulation, which the gorge does not have.
From Cairns the drive to the river alone is about two hours each way. This 9-hour day handles the transfers, the crossing, a one-hour river cruise and the guided walks at Cape Tribulation.
