The first of its kind, this itinerary is top shelf! This private tour perfectly blends cultural experiences with wildlife spotting and unique history. We go the extra mile to make this one unforgettable!
Private tours offer a flexibility that will make your trip with friends and family one to reminisce over for years. This tour visits some of the best AND most hard to reach places in a short amount of time. To make it more memorable, we have selected some truly rare places that many other tours don’t visit.
We will spend our time looking for wildlife, whether that be birds, reptiles, mammals, insects or other! You will get to observe animal behaviour up close, while disconnecting and listening to the sounds of the bush. There will be countless opportunities to photograph our wonderful fauna and flora.
In a small group it will be much easier to spot and observe wildlife up close!
Starting from Cairns, you will first head north through “the most extraordinary place on Earth” according to Sir David Attenborough! You will visit a new cultural experience nestled amongst inredible natural beauty where you will have an authentic ‘Welcome to Country’. We then pass through the bottom of ‘Queensland’s Kakadu’, aka Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park, a massive wetland ecosystem host to exceptional birdlife!
We spend two nights in Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) NP, an isolated rainforest mountain range. Here we will find some of the most evolutionary-unique wildlife that Australia has to offer!
We then head north, visiting the stunning Fruit Bat Falls on the way to Pajinka. In the last two days, you explore The Tip of Australia and some surrounding islands by car, boat and helicopter.
Unfortunately, we have had to increase our prices in 2023. We have always tried to keep our prices low for you, however, prices have risen across the board and we must keep up. Fuel prices have risen significantly, increasing the prices of food and other resources in remote areas due to freight costs. Many of our accommodation and tour providers have doubled, and sometimes tripled in price. In 2023, all dinners out have also been included in your tour price.
We also pride ourselves in maintaining our vehicles impeccably and paying our guides well. Our staff are up there with the highest paid tour guides & cooks in Australia. And despite what you may have heard, road conditions in Cape York and the Top End are as bad as they always have been, and there is still a LOT of bad dirt.
We have recently conducted research on all other companies going to Cape York (& a few Gulf Savannah), including motorbikes, tagalongs and tour trucks. We found that we are still the best value in Cape York, whilst maintaining our 5-star rating.
We are just outlining this as we believe in being transparent and we hope you can appreciate the immense value of these remote, outback tours. We hope you will continue to support us, our staff and our dream.
Cape York is Australia’s last frontier. It is remote, wild and wonderful! With this however, comes certain challenges and realities outside the norm. We must adjust our expectations for these regions.
Cape York has limited infrastructure, however it is being improved on. Roads, dust and traffic can be bad. Toilet availability may be sporadic. Accommodation is limited and books out fast. In this remote region, please don’t expect exceptional luxury in your accommodation. Rather, expect modest comfort, kind people and great places and experiences.
Note: The price for this inaugural tour has been discounted as its itinerary may have sections untested. This often means we will try new opportunities on tour if they arise, at no cost to you. However, we hope you appreciate the reduced price and are aware that it may not be ‘perfectly polished’ yet. As a result, the experience will be adventurous and authentic, with your guide striving for excellence.
Cockatours is a family-owned business who aim to create unforgettable experiences for everyone. We would love to share our experience and knowledge of the remote top end of Australia with you and show you places, experiences and wildlife you never thought existed! We run smaller tours with a maximum of 15 (Isuzu) or 19 (MAN) people so it still feels private and we expect everyone to be friendly, considerate and work together as a team to create a positive experience for all.
As a small business, we have the ability to be flexible and use this as an advantage for creating great experiences and adventures. Tours are subject to change due to weather, road conditions, unexpected circumstances and the guide’s decision to best suit the group.
If you decide to join us on an adventure, please note the following:
We are very particular about a few things that make a trip comfortable; good food and sleeping gear are two of those. We do our best to maintain our gear to a high standard and turn over our camping gear frequently.
Our single or duo tents are 6.5 ft high, very spacious and easy to put up. The fly can also be removed, making it a big mozzie dome, for those starry nights so you can watch the stars go over head!
The mattresses are high-quality, high-density dunlop foam mattresses that stack (not rollable) and are comfy! We have sheets and micro-fibre blankets (NO yucky sleeping bags) for bedding and a mattress case as well. The pillows are real pillows and are covered with hygienic pillow covers as well as a standard pillow case. We even supply bath mats for the front of your tent! The chairs and mattresses vary between trucks due to storage space.
We highly suggest reading through our Frequently Asked Questions before sending through an enquiry or making a booking.
We have provided a handy camping checklist for you to help with your preparations. This list was built from suggestions from past clients!
