Leave Cairns behind for a day of rainforest swimming, crater lakes and some of Far North Queensland’s most beautiful waterfalls. Stand beneath a 500-year-old fig tree, cool off in Lake Eacham, swim below Millaa Millaa Falls and take on the natural rock slide at Josephine Falls, with transfers, tea breaks and a buffet lunch included.
Depending on where you are staying, pickups begin from around 6.45am, with Cairns City collections generally around 7.30am. Settle into the air-conditioned coach as the coast gives way to the cooler highlands and dense Wet Tropics rainforest. At the Cathedral Fig Tree, meet Traditional Owners, descendants of the Yidinji and Mbabaram peoples, for stories, cultural knowledge and a closer look at the tools and traditions connected to Country. The tree itself is an extraordinary sight, with tangled roots and branches reaching into the canopy around 50 metres above the forest floor.
The rest of the day moves between clear freshwater and lush rainforest scenery. Swim in the volcanic crater lake at Lake Eacham, enjoy a buffet lunch surrounded by Tablelands views, and stop at Millaa Millaa Falls, where white water drops through a curtain of tree ferns into a natural pool. Mungalli Falls adds another peaceful cascade to the day.
At Josephine Falls, a short rainforest walk leads to smooth granite boulders and the natural rock slide, one of the most fun moments of the tour when conditions are suitable. Babinda Boulders brings together another beautiful swimming area with Yidinji stories connected to this special place beneath Queensland’s highest mountain.
If the day’s timing allows, the guide may also stop at Peterson Creek for a chance to spot platypus. The route and swimming stops are adjusted to suit local road, weather and water conditions, helping the guide make the most of the day. The tour returns to Cairns at around 5.30pm.
We had an amazing time with Clint our guide. He was prompt with our pick-up, was a fantastic driver, and we loved that he was involved in the activities too (swimming). The sights were spectacular after the rainfall--lots of green and beautiful. We went recently during a lower touristy season, so we had a smaller group which was nice. Highly recommend seeing the Atherton Tablelands!
We had the most amazing day on this tour! Got to see so many beautiful places and our guide, Damien, was really cool and seemed very involved in the surroundings and was very informative. He made the whole experience so fun. Even the bus ride was fun with great music and Damien telling us about everything we drove past. They also had vegan option for lunch! Would really recommend this tour and the guide :))
Couldn’t have asked for a better day, our guide Esther was awesome, so fun, great energy and knowledgeable, weather definitely was on our side.
We had a great time. The bus was really nice and the tour guide was great! Super cool spots to see and we had a good amount of time to enjoy them.
This Trip was amazing. I loved it. Thank you so much
It was amazing, the guide was fantastic, made the journey so enjoyable and fun, and all of the visits to the waterfalls and the swim spots were perfect. Well worth it
Great trip. We traveled in the most comfortable mini coach-about 20 of us. This is important as you up are in it for 4-5 hours as we travelled from place to place. Gavin, our guide was knowledgeable and passionate about the Tablelands and he had the most amazing playlist. We made stops at 4 areas to swim. I would recommend bringing flip flops as we only had sneakers. Sneakers are good for the walking portions. Bring water as none is provided. Lunch was decent- lasagna. We made a special stop where we could buy the most amazing meat pies. We kept ours and had them for dinner
