4WD & Outback Tours

Looking for 4WD and outback tours from Cairns? Beyond the rainforest and the reef, Far North Queensland’s outback is reachable on a genuine 4WD adventure – these trips range from a single day to multi-day touring with overnight stays.

Adult $239 |Child 4-16yrs $179
Family 2A+2C $750
Departs Daily Cairns, Palm Cove & Port Douglas

Discover the Daintree Rainforest with Cairns’ most trusted small-group tour operator, showcasing this World Heritage-listed wonder for over 40 years. Travel aboard Billy Tea Safari’s custom 4WD vehicle deep into the rainforest, then cruise the Daintree River in search of crocodiles and other unique wildlife. Join your guide for a rainforest boardwalk walk, stroll along the pristine sands of Cape Tribulation Beach, and cool off with a tropical fruit Daintree ice cream before heading back to your accommodation.

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Daintree Rainforest – 4WD Cape Tribulation Rainforest Day Tour

Adult $239.00 | Child $179.00 (4-16yrs) | Family 2A+2C $750.00

7:00 am

6:00 pm

Chillagoe outback cave tour limestone formations Queensland

Adult $239|Child 4-16 yrs $179|
Family 2A+2C $750
Departs 7am – 6pm

Join this exclusive small-group 4WD tour that travels inland to Chillagoe, North Queensland’s Outback. Enjoy morning tea at Skybury Coffee Plantation in Mareeba, spot kangaroos, emus, wildlife galore! Drive past diverse dry tropical farmlands. Pass through historic mining ghost towns and small outback communities. Visit the local Aboriginal Rock Art and Balancing Rock. Explore the famous Chillagoe Caves and see the once-booming Chillagoe smelter ruins, enjoy an Outback Aussie lunch in a 100-year-old pub.

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1 Day Chillagoe – Aussie Outback 4WD Tour

Adult $239.00 | Child 4-16 yrs $179.00 | Family 2A+2C $750.00

7:00 am

6:00 pm

Discover Cooktown on this exclusive one day tour for a 4WD adventure taking in some of Australia’s most amazing scenery and natural beauty. This is Cooktown’s only one-day tour option and sells out quickly, book early to secure your spot

On your Cooktown Day Tour, you will travel in a purpose-built 4WD, air-conditioned coach, catering specifically to small groups of 16 passengers. Cross the Daintree River, traverse the 4wd Bloomfield Track and return along the Mulligan Highway, the Outback of Far North Queensland

$399 per person -May – October 2026
Depart Cairns Mon, Wed & Friday – 6.30am
Palm Cove – Cnr Viviers Rd & Captain Cook Highway at 7.00am
Port Douglas IGA Bus Stop Captain Cook Highway at 7.45am

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1 Day Cooktown Tour 4WD Drive Adventure

$399.00 From Cairns, Palm Cove and Port Douglas

6:30 am

7:30 pm

Explore Cooktown, Daintree Rainforest and the Outback of Far North Queensland on this fully inclusive 3 day Adventure. Small group of 2-11 passengers in air-conditioned comfort.

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3 Day Cooktown Cape Tribulation Atherton Tablelands

Adult $2125.00 Twin Share | Adult Single room $2370.00 | Aust Pensioner Twin share $2015.00 | Aust Pensioner Single room $2345.00 | Child $1755.00 Share with Adult

7:00 am

5:00 pm

Single Day 4WD Trips

The Chillagoe Outback 4WD Tour covers limestone caves, Aboriginal rock art and river crossings with an outback pub lunch, while the Daintree 4WD Cape Tribulation Day Tour tackles the rugged, unsealed Bloomfield Track through World Heritage rainforest.

Seasonal: The Cooktown 4WD Adventure

The Cooktown 4WD Adventure runs as a small group trip with a maximum of 12 passengers, available May to October only – worth checking before booking outside that window.

A Taste of the Outback Without the Full Day

The Outback Tasting Tour from Port Douglas combines an outback setting with local produce tasting, a good option if you want the outback experience without committing to a full day.

Multi-Day Touring

For travellers who want to go further, the 3 Day Cooktown Cape Tribulation Atherton Tablelands tour and the 3 Day Cape Tribulation and Cooktown Wanderer both run multi-day 4WD touring with overnight stays across some of the region’s most remote country.

What to Expect on a 4WD Tour

All of these tours are guided, so you travel as a passenger in a purpose-built 4WD vehicle with an experienced driver-guide – no 4WD driving experience is required.

Here’s why thousands of customers trustCairns Discovery Tours.

🗓️ Flexible Cancellations

Enjoy peace of mind with our flexible booking policy. Most Cairns Tours can be cancelled up to 24 hours before departure with a full refund. (Helicopter tours are 48 hours) We make exploring Cairns stress free, so you can book with confidence.

💳 Book Now, Pay Later

Reserve your place on our popular Cairns day tours with Klarna’s Book Now, Pay Later option, or just give us a call or send us an email to secure your booking. We will be in touch to arrange payment 7 days before your departure. Perfect for planning your Cairns holiday without upfront costs.

🌴 Local Since 1995

For over 30 years, Cairns Discovery Tours has been proudly locally owned and operated. Established in 1995, we’ve shared the tropical beauty of Far North Queensland travellers from around the world. Based in Cairns, we offer authentic tour experiences backed by genuine local knowledge and long standing connections to the region.

👩‍🏫 Expert Local Guides

Our passionate Cairns tour guides are storytellers, historians, and nature enthusiasts. With deep local knowledge, they bring the Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest, and Cairns’ tropical heritage to life, ensuring an unforgettable and educational experience.

We had such a fun time on a half day tour of Fitzroy island with Cairns Discovery Tours! We managed to do an everything we wanted (Nudey beach, long snorkel and lunch) within the time period we had and we even got to swim with turtles 🐢 an unforgettable experience! This would not have been possible without the fantastic help of Maryanne who booked us in for the tour. She went above and beyond to help us find somewhere to leave our bags during our tour and we wouldn’t have been able to go without her help. We enjoyed the experience so much and we are very grateful to Maryanne for her help and her exceptional customer service! I would definitely recommend booking local for these kind of experiences because that kind of customer care just doesn’t come when you book through third party sites. 10/10 experience ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Highly recommended!

We went on a tour with Discovery Tours today, doing the Mossman Gorge, Daintree / Daintree River Cruise, finishing of visiting Cape Tribulation… Our driver was James, who was exceptional. Giving running commentary along the trip. Guiding his group of people through all the different areas. Thanks James, top job.

In June I came to Cairns on holiday from the UK. It was the biggest holiday I've ever taken and because my health limits what I can do took a lot of planning. Maryanne at Cairns Discovery Tours was brilliant. She helped me choose suitable trips, gave me additional information so I could be prepared, advised on the easiest way to get to the departure point for those trips that don't pick up from my accommodation, etc. I booked all my trips except one with Maryanne. Her knowledge of Cairns was invaluable to me. She spoke to me on Whatsapp to answer my questions (we had to arrange call in advance because of the time difference) and when it occurred to me quite close to departure date that I'd need a way of protecting my head and neck from the sun when snorkelling Maryanne got me a suitable headscarf and dropped it off at my accommodation ahead of my arrival. When a friend decided to join me on some of the trips Maryanne was really helpful to her as well. If I am able to come back to Cairns I'll book as much as I can with Maryanne and Cairns Discovery Tours. The service couldn't be bettered.

We have just done the 3 day/2 night Cooktown and Cape Tribulation Tour with 2 friends. An unbelievable experience due to our fantastic guide Steve, who had so much local knowledge on everywhere we visited, especially historical info on the Palmer River gold rush in the 1800s, and Daintree Rainforest botany. Steve was such a good raconteur with friendly personality, who went out of his way to make our trip so enjoyable. Accomodation at both Cooktown and Cape Tribulation was excellent, with amazing setting of the cabins at Cape Tribulation in the rainforest right by the beach. Everything advertised for the tour and more was an memorable experience. Thank you so much Steve!

I was delighted with the Kuranda tour arranged by this company. The timings worked excellently and it was an eminently well organised tour. The train trip up to Kuranda was great fun and fascinating. Personally, I was particularly interested in the engineering. We had an hour in Kuranda Village, which was enough for me, although I expect some people would have liked to have seen the village and visited the butterfly world, which I think would have been tight. Rainforestation was great, plenty of activity of a variety of natures. I could not throw a boomerang to save my life, but it was fun to try. Then the bus down to Cairns was efficient and friendly, with a superb guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need 4WD driving experience to join one of these tours?

No, all of these tours are guided, you travel as a passenger in a purpose-built 4WD vehicle with an experienced driver-guide.

What's the difference between the 1-day and 3-day Cooktown tours?

The 1-day tour fits the key sights into a single day, while the 3-day tours travel further, include overnight stays, and cover Cape Tribulation and the Atherton Tablelands as well.

Is the Cooktown 4WD Adventure available year-round?

No, it runs seasonally from May to October.

Can I see Aboriginal rock art on a 4WD tour?

Yes, the Chillagoe Outback 4WD Tour includes a stop at Aboriginal rock art sites alongside the limestone caves.

Is there a shorter outback option if I don't want a full day or multi-day trip?

The Outback Tasting Tour from Port Douglas runs around five hours and is a good lighter introduction to the outback.

For questions about bookings, cancellations, group travel and accessibility, visit our Cairns Tours FAQ page.