Crocodiles are common in this area, and a cruise on the Daintree River will give you the opportunity to see them. Between the Daintree and Bloomfield Rivers, the forest slopes of Cape Tribulation National Park plunge into the waters of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

The Cape York Peninsula is one of the world's last accessible wilderness areas. Beginning at Cooktown (were Captain Cook set foot on Australia for the first time in 1770), the Cape has prolific wildlife living in rugged mountains, eucalypt, mangrove and rainforests, woodlands, headlands, grasslands, swamps and mighty rivers. Its 11 million hectares extend 1000 km north of Cairns to the tip of Cape York Peninsula, covering an area roughly the size of California or the United Kingdom with a population only in the thousands.

Vast areas of the Cape York Peninsula are designated Aboriginal land, and the rich Aboriginal and Torres Strait heritage is alive and well. Travellers will see much of it on their way through to Cape York. Of special importance is one of the world's most significant collections of prehistoric art in the escarpment country surrounding Laura.

How to get there & tours in the region

By land is the only way to get there. The road is sealed until Cape Tribulation, but from here the dirt roads start and strict rule apply. Now you need a four-wheel drive vehicle or off road motorcycles.

As road conditions continually change after every wet season from washed out river beds to newly formed and upgraded sections of roadway and back to badly corrugated and rutted sections the driver must be ever vigilant to the constant changing road conditions. All self-drive trips into this area must be well planned and catered for. You should have some experienced with 4-WD vehicles, especially if you plan to drive all the way up to Cape York.

Alternatively one can do an organised, guided tour in the area. Tour operators have the experiences and a good knowledge of the area. The tour operators cater for all types of needs with camping and accommodated safaris with full catering being available.

For those who do not want to face the dusty bumpy roads there is nothing more exciting than to sit back in the comfort of an aircraft to explore this remote area. In the wet season access is only available by air as the Cape becomes completely cut off by swollen rivers and impassable roads.

A weekly mail service is the only way residents of the Cape York area can get fresh supplies and their mail. This mail run is classed as the "Longest Mail Run In The World" and provides a vital link with the outside world during this isolated period. Visitors can experience a day in the life of a "Postie" with limited passengers being carried.

Climate

There are only two seasons on Cape York Peninsula the "wet" and the "dry". There are no organised tours to Cape York during the wet season. The wet starts around end of October. Latest from mid November thunderstorms herald the beginning of the monsoonal rain. The parched land is replenished and the once dry rivers and creeks again flow. It is from now until perhaps April or May that the roads will become impassable and the only way to visit the Cape York region is be by aircraft. This is also the cyclone season, with the right conditions they can form anywhere out to sea and cross the coast in varying intensity. At the end of the wet season the South East trade winds return drying the land. The once parched land is now green & lush and the wild flowers flourish. Cape York tours are starting again in May.

Diving

Some Dive Operators based in Cairns, do offer live-aboard from/to Lockart River which is half way to Cape York. Those trips are not available all year round. They usually start or end with a flight to Lockart River, were you board or disembark the dive vessel. There are no day boat operators in this area.

Diving areas offshore from this region include:

• Far Northern Reefs
• Northern Coral Sea
• Ribbon Reefs

Hotels, Resorts And Land Tours

Please refer to our product index for details of accommodation and non-diving activites for this region. Accommodation options for this region include the following although the Daintree-Cape York region is also easily accessible for visitors basing themselves in Cairns and Port Douglas.

• Cape Tribulation Beach House
• Or book directly Cape Tribulation