Immerse yourself in the wild landscapes of tropical Queensland, discovering some of the region’s most sought-after wildlife and capturing the essence of one of Australia’s most notable regions, on this unique photography tour.
This photographic tour has been carefully designed to offer exceptional and unique photography opportunities in the Australian state of Queensland, a land of contrasts from the world’s oldest tropical rainforests, to vast areas of dry savannah. This range of habitats supports an unrivalled wildlife diversity and allows us to photograph some truly bizarre and wonderful species.
We begin in the ancient rainforests of Daintree, where we photograph the typically elusive southern cassowary alongside a host of other spectacular birds, and hope to see Bennett’s tree-kangaroo and the mighty saltwater crocodile. Here, we also enjoy macro photography opportunities presented by the stunning rainforest and captivating species within. We spend time focusing on the region's ground-based macropods (wallabies and kangaroos), and stop in Mareeba, which is known for up-close encounters with the charming Mareeba rock wallaby, wallaroo and eastern grey kangaroo.
Meanwhile, the spectacular geological landscape and lava tubes of Undara Volcanic National Park provide further intrigue. Home to a surprising diversity of species that take shelter in the dry rainforests and cooler caverns of this extraordinary region, we enjoy some particularly interesting photographic opportunities. We also hope to see a wildlife spectacle as thousands of bats emerge from the tunnels at sunset.
Our final area of focus is the Atherton Tablelands, known for its exceptional wildlife encounters, including one of Australia’s strangest species: the platypus. This stunning area also offers the chance to see the charismatic Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo, golden bowerbird, and a wealth of reptiles and amphibians. In the evenings, night walks and photography sessions reveal the region’s remarkably varied nocturnal wildlife, such as striped possum, sugar glider, lesser sooty owl, and so much more.
Typical Itinerary
-
Day 1:
Fly to Singapore
-
Day 2:
Transfer Through Singapore & Fly to Cairns
Upon arrival in Cairns, we transfer to the Pullman Cairns International hotel in time for dinner, and enjoy our first night’s stay in Australia.
Accommodation: Pullman Cairns International, 1-night
-
Day 3:
Transfer to Daintree National Park
This morning, we meet after breakfast and head north out of Cairns towards Daintree National Park. Thought to be the world’s oldest tropical rainforest, Daintree covers more than 1,200 square kilometres of Queensland.
As we begin to explore this incredible ecosystem, we can enjoy our first wildlife encounters and photographic opportunities. The area and nearby private reserve offer the best chance to see and photograph the magnificent southern cassowary, which is undoubtedly the highlight here.
This afternoon, we check into our accommodation before enjoying the wildlife and forest surrounding the property. After dinner, our attention turns to the nocturnal wildlife and possible macro photography opportunities.
Accommodation: Ferntree Rainforest Lodge, 2-nights
-
Day 4:
Visit Daintree National Park & Cape Tribulation
We have a full day to explore the stunning forests of Daintree, beginning with wandering along the Jindalba, Maardja and Dubuji boardwalks in the morning. Here we will try to find and photograph a plethora of exotic fauna and flora. Alongside the cassowary, we hope to find many more vibrant birds, including the colourful wompoo fruit dove, Papuan frogmouth and azure kingfisher.
Meanwhile, it's an excellent area to find some spectacular reptiles, including Boyd’s forest dragon, white-lipped tree frog and green tree snake. We also hope to find the elusive Bennett’s tree kangaroo, but they can be particularly challenging in this thick forest habitat.
As the heat of the day rises, wildlife activity reduces, and we return to the lodge for a chance to keep cool and relax before dinner. For those who are interested, there's another chance to head out after dark in search of a wealth of nocturnal species.
-
Day 5:
Daintree River Cruise & Wildlife & Raptor Care Queensland
This morning takes us onto the waters of the Daintree River, where we look for an entirely different cast of species. Our primary focus here is photographing the saltwater crocodiles, often seen along the riverbanks. The cruise also offers some excellent bird photography opportunities, and target species here include azure kingfisher, black bittern, black-necked stork, white-bellied sea eagle and shining flycatcher.
This afternoon, heading inland, the habitat changes from tropical rainforest to woodland and savannah. We stop by Wildlife & Raptor Care Queensland to learn more about the important conservation and rehabilitation work they undertake for native species in need of help.
We then continue our journey to the rural town of Mareeba, where we spend a couple of nights.
Accommodation: Mareeba Motor Inn, 2-nights
-
Day 6:
Explore the Area Around Mareeba & Granite Gorge Nature Park
Today gives us a full day to enjoy the wildlife around the town of Mareeba, including Australia’s heaviest flying bird, the Australian bustard, and the country’s largest bird, the emu. However, it's a visit to Granite Gorge, after lunch, that's our primary focus, with its habituated population of wild Mareeba rock wallaby.
This rare species of wallaby is confined to a small area of tropical Queensland. The photographic opportunities of this charismatic species are exceptional, allowing us to build an entire portfolio of imagery. Whether we want to capture close-up portraits, wide-angles or animals in their environment, this afternoon promises to be a photographic highlight of the trip.
-
Day 7:
Forty Mile Scrub National Park & Undara National Park
After a morning’s drive, stopping for lunch in the town of Ravenshoe, we arrive at Forty Mile Scrub National Park. This volcanic landscape is home to the huge bottle trees and, in turn, supports a huge variety of birds.
We hit the road again, and our destination is Undara Volcanic National Park. Here, we immerse ourselves in the park’s spectacular volcanic basalt landscapes and settle into our accommodation.
Heading out in the evening with an expert local guide, we enjoy a sunset wildlife tour in search for opportunities to photograph a variety of kangaroos and wallabies, alongside a host of birds. We also visit Baker’s Cave, where we hope to witness an extraordinary spectacle as thousands of bats emerge from the lava tubes at sunset.
Accommodation: Mount Surprise Discovery Resort, 2-nights
-
Day 8:
Wildlife Watching Around Our Lodge
Today is at a more relaxed pace, offering a chance to enjoy some short walks to search for wildlife in the landscape surrounding our lodge (avoiding the heat of the day). Making the most of photographic opportunities, there's also the chance to go through the digital darkroom with your photographic leader.
-
Day 9:
Atherton Tablelands
After breakfast, we make our way to our accommodation in the Atherton Tablelands. Our lodge is situated within a beautiful nature reserve, and we focus our efforts on the wildlife that's found within its vicinity. As light levels fade, we can hope to see and photograph charming red-legged pademelons, which begin to emerge from the forest. After dark, many more mammals come out, including sugar glider, striped possum and Herbert River ringtail possum.
Accommodation: Chambers Wildlife Lodge, 3-nights
-
Days 10-11
:
Explore the Atherton Tablelands
We have two full days to discover the varied wildlife across the reserves and national parks of the Atherton Tablelands. One of our primary goals is to photograph the delightful Lumholtz tree-kangaroo. As a solitary animal, they can be tricky to find, but we hope to capture some striking images of this arboreal species.
Another of Australia’s iconic species, the platypus, is also found here, and we may spend time around the town of Yungaburra to search the beautiful mountain streams. There's some stunning birdlife in the region, and we spend time capturing images of some of the most sought-after species, such as golden bowerbird, Victoria’s riflebird and forest kingfisher.
In the evenings, after dinner, there's the chance to head out in search of the region’s nocturnal wildlife, combining macro life with mammals and birds.
-
Day 12:
Drive to Cairns & Fly to UK (via Singapore)
On our last morning in the
Atherton Tablelands, we spend the morning trying to find any species that have so far eluded us. After returning to
Cairns for lunch, we have a couple of hours before our evening flight from Cairns to Singapore, and onwards to the UK.
-
Day 13:
Arrive UK
Please note: This trip has been timed to coincide with our Australian Wildlife Photography Safari. If you'd like to combine these trips, contact our team today.
