PEOPLE come from all over the world to see the Daintree Cape Tribulation area.

World Heritage-listed beauties from ancient rainforests to the Great Barrier Reef are the signature of this amazing area.

The Daintree River, with its picturesque cable ferry, is the entrance to the world’s oldest rainforest. The Daintree Rainforest has been evolving for 135 million years and has an incomparable blend of rare and primitive flora and fauna not found anywhere else on earth. In fact, it’s considered a living record of the evolution of plant life on the planet.

There is so much to see and do, and if you want to do more than just scratch the surface you need to plan to stay for at least a few days. This is, after all, one of the most amazing eco-systems on earth!

If you’re staying for a while, there’s a whole range of accommodation, from camping parks to boutique resorts to unique B&Bs.

Daintree Rainforest Retreat 336 Cape Tribulation Road, Cow Bay Queensland 4873 Phone (07) 4098 9101 Wake up in a rainforest - self-contained motel rooms, great barbecue/social area Email: enquiries@daintreeretreat.com.au Website: www.daintreeretreat.com.au

Enjoy a taste of the rainforest with your accommodation. The Daintree Rainforest Retreat Motel at Cow Bay is set on a hectare of tropical garden (pictured below) with many rainforest trees, shrubs and ferns - not to mention wildlife ranging from mammals to butterflies and birds. You’ll even see the occasional cassowary strolling past.

You can stay in a single unit or if you want to self cater, the family suites have cooking equipment, toaster, crockery and cutlery as well as tea-making facilities. Outside, an undercover gas barbecue is provided free for guests and there’s a saltwater pool. The motel is eco-friendly, and uses solar energy and hot water.

Once you’re settled in, there is so much to do - bushwalking, four-wheel drive adventuring, a river cruise on the Daintree River, crocodile spotting tours, reef fishing or just beachcombing.

You can keep your feet on the ground with a guided walk or go jungle surfing on flying foxes through the rainforest canopy. Day and night walks through the rainforest give you a different perspective on this unique place.

Visit the Daintree Discovery Centre, about 10km north of the Daintree Ferry, and get a bird’s eye view of the rainforest with the aerial walkway and canopy tower.

The Daintree Forest is a rewarding place for birdwatchers. It is home to nine of Australia’s 10 kingfisher species (the kookaburra is the most famous member of this family), seven of the 10 owl species and of course the endangered southern cassowary, the largest bird of the wet tropics.

From Cape Tribulation, you can take a reef trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Or join a 4WD tour to Bloomfield and Cooktown. It’s all waiting for you, north of the Daintree River..