The Daintree River is home to a large number of salt water crocodiles (‘salties’) that can be easily observed by taking one of the organised spotting tours. These animals – the largest reptiles on the planet, are of huge proportions up to 5 metres in length.
Highly territorial, they will attack anything that they feel is a threat to them, so going with an expert is absolutely critical. Whilst on a 4 week trip to Australia we chose Bruce Belcher Daintree River Cruises for a 1 hour trip. These guys have been running for over 30 years, and it was immediately clear that our guide was hugely experienced and that we were in safe hands.
Their base is very easy to find on the main road between Mossman and Daintree on the south side of the Daintree River, 7km to the east of Daintree village. They are in a quiet location with easy parking. On arrival is time to relax in the tea room until called down to the boat. Each group is a small number (there were around 12 on our boat), and we were all provided with good quality binoculars.
One of the advantages of a company like Bruce Belcher is that they have several boats in operation. They are able to help each other out by communicating with each other on sightings and as such have around a 98% success rate of seeing Crocodiles.
Crocodile Sightings
Our first crocodile sighting came within just a few minutes of leaving the dock, and just a few hundred yards later observing the animal photographed above (this was a female – one of the small ones!). Whilst we were watching from around 20 feet away a huge male appeared and hauled itself out of the water right in front of us.
As well as the crocodiles we saw and learnt about various other wildlife including a snake that had wrapped itself around a tree high above. The guide uses a mirror to highlight things of interest and definitely pointed out many things that would of gone unnoticed.
If you’re in the area then taking time to see the salt water crocodiles in the Daintree river is one of the ‘must do’s whilst in the Daintree Rainforest / Cape Tribulation area.
Also recommended in the area is Mossman River Gorge situated between Daintree and Port Douglas. If you’re heading north to Cape Tribulation then Cow Bay beach is a great spot to visit for a stroll.