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Private Tours: Cape York

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From$8,900
Price
From$8,900
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1785

google logoCockatoursCockatours
4.9 Stars - Based on 135 Guest Reviews

Upcoming Tours

9 Days
Cairns
Horn Island
Max People : 4
Tour Details
Explore the Australian outback with a Cape York local & ecologist.

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.

quality and sustainable tourism logo    

Depart:

Cairns

End:

Horn Is. (fly back to Cairns)
Price Includes:
  • Accommodation: 7 out of 8 nights!
  • 1 camp. Sleeping equipment: tall tent, mattress, sheets/blanket, pillow
  • Breakfast, lunch & dinner (+5 dinners out)
  • 1 x helicopter flights, 1 x water ferry
  • All entrance fees to National Parks
  • Incredible wildlife opportunities!
  • Return flight to Cairns
4wd ute with tent setup next to river
The Isuzu D-Max takes is rigged perfectly for the bush and takes us to incredible places!
Highlights:
close up of a giant tree gecko
Please read before booking!

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.

What to expect

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:

  • be prepared to disconnect. The outback has limited facilities, a great time to embrace nature!
  • team work; everyone helps clean, cook, pack & set up
  • we offer amazing camping meals to suit large groups - our meals are raved about!
  • we have limited access to shops, services or phone reception (Cape York is mostly Telstra only)
  • our itinerary is a guideline. We may alter the tour throughout the season if we feel there is a better option or an activity is not worth your time
  • we have a great reputation to uphold and endeavour to provide an amazing tour every time!
Tour Specific Notes
  • Bring water bottles (or small backpacks with bladders) with a capacity up to 3L for some of the hikes. Staying hydrated in the tropics is critical to feeling good, avoiding headaches and enjoying your tour!
  • You must have hiking shoes (preferably with ankle support) for this tour. If you are an experienced hiker/bushwalker, go with what you normally wear and are comfortable with.
  • Please bring a head lamp with you. They will save you an enormous amount of angst at night time around camp. You will also need them for cave walks. We have a couple of models we recommend and stock in our ‘truck shop’ for $30-40. Clients in the past have replaced their BCF specials with these and been stoked with them. We make no profit on these, we just want our clients to fully enjoy their camping experience!
  • There are lots of walks on these tours. You never have to do a walk, however, to make the most of this trip, completing all (non-optional) walks is highly recommended. We would highly recommend a decent level of fitness or starting morning/afternoon walks at home before this tour commences. You should be able to walk at least 3km over uneven ground, with elevation change to make the most of this tour.
Itinerary
All itineraries are subject to change due to unexpected conditions, circumstances or driver's decision based on what is best for the group.
itinerary for cape york private tour
Click on the image to load the itinerary.
Your Guides
  • Rossy, the Cockatours owner, will be running this private tour! This is a very special tour, carefully crafted for you by Cockatours owner, Rossy. As a youngster, Rossy lived in Bamaga, before moving to Mission Beach. Over the years he visited on many personal and work trips. He also lived in Coen and worked as an ecologist in Cape York for 6 years, helping Indigenous rangers from Coen and Aurukun manage their feral pig populations to improve the health of their country and wetlands and reduce sea turtle nest predation by feral pigs. For the past 5 years he has run tours in Cape York & the NT. He is a passionate photographer and offers lessons to help people learn how to use their camera and understand photography. He is passionate about reptiles and was once a snake catcher in Townsville, but these days prefers to take photos and reduce risk!
Rossy the Guide Next to cycad
The Vehicle
The vehicle used for private tours will be our 2022 Isuzu D-Max. This is an exceptionally capable 5-seat, 4WD ute equipped with all the necessities for Cape York. The vehicle is kept impeccably clean and is suitably comfortable for your travels. The aircon works very well and the windows are tinted to reduce the heat and glare.
There is a fridge on board which you can store some personal drinks and nibbles in. There is ample USB and cigarette lighter charging available. Drinking water is also available on the vehicle.
The Isuzu D-Max is our latest addition to the fleet and will be setup for touring in mid-2023.
4wd ute with awning out beside river
The new Isuzu D-Max
wet red dirt road in cape york
FAQ's

We highly suggest reading through our Frequently Asked Questions before sending through an enquiry or making a booking. 

Click here to visit our FAQs page. 

Camping Checklist

We have provided a handy camping checklist for you to help with your preparations.  This list was built from suggestions from past clients!

Click on the image to load the file.
camping packing list for cape york tours
1 Review
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Dianne Boucher

Dianne B.

Solo Traveller

This year in July, I experienced another adventure of a lifetime on a Private Tour visiting some truly remarkable , hard to get to places , cultural experiences and the Old Telegraph Track my travelling companions were 2 like minded mature ladies and the Cockatours owner and driver Rossy a ecologist , he has so much knowledge & passion for the wildlife and respect for the environment.

I have previously done the Cape York & Gulf Savannah Tours with Cockatours, so once again I emerged myself in the wonders and the unique flora & fauna of Cape York.

I would highly recommend Cockatours it is the best value outback camping tours around
Thank you Cockatours for the experience’s and memories that will stay with me forever.

October 25, 2023

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