Mossman Gorge Walk – Rainforest Circuit

Mossman Gorge Walk – Rainforest Circuit

Looking for a quick half day Daintree walk? The Mossman Gorge hike through the rainforest is one of the best quick options you'll find near the Daintree National Park.

Complete with swimming holes, freshwater streams and huge ancient rainforest trees, Mossman Gorge offers visitors a slice of the wonder that is the ancient Daintree Rainforest.

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How to get to Mossman Gorge?

To get to Mossman Gorge you will need your own car. From Cairns City it takes just over an hour following the scenic Captain Cook Highway north to the Daintree. This drive makes up a large part of one of the most scenic drives in North Queensland.

If you're based in Port Douglas it's a closer 22 minute drive.

Once you reach the visitor center, you must park your car in the large parking lot. The road leading to Mossman Gorge Walk is closed to private residences only. There is a small indigenous community here that has asked that the road be closed to the public.

I have pinned the location of the Mossman Gorge Visitor Center below.

Alternative: Full-Day Mossman Gorge & Cape Trib Tour ($185)

Should I take the Mossman Gorge Shuttle Bus?

Once you reach the visitor center, you will notice that there are signs everywhere encouraging tourists to take the Mossman Gorge Shuttle Bus to the hiking area. The cost is $11 per person.

My experience is that it is not necessary to take the Mossman Gorge Shuttle Bus. It's just a short 2 kilometer walk that passes the outside of the indigenous community.

Although the center tries to convince people to take the $11 bus under the guise of “respect for the Indigenous community,” they do not hire Indigenous bus drivers. Plus, the residents were friendly, waving and greeting us as we walked by. This made me suspicious as to whether the center's intentions were really just to monopolize this part of the national park.

If you want to support Indigenous communities, the center runs Indigenous Dreamtime Walks along the Mossman Gorge Walk. These are very informative and a great way to learn more about the indigenous Eastern Yalanji people (Bama) clan and the Kuku-Yalanji people.
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Ready for a bigger challenge near Mossman? Try the Devils Thumb Hike (Manjal Jimalji)

Mossman Gorge Walk – The rainforest walk

After a short walk you will reach the outside of the Mossman Gorge Walk. The first section is an elevated boardwalk with several pull-offs to viewpoints and stream access.

However, the best section of the Mossman Gorge Walk is the entire Rainforest Circuit. It's not a long walk, only taking about 45 minutes, but it's an excellent way to experience the oldest living rainforest in the world.

The Mossman Gorge map can be found here. This includes hiking trails and maps of the entire Mossman Gorge area.

Below are some highlights of the Mossman Gorge Walk and Daintree Rainforest Circuit.

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Explore the oldest rainforest in the world

The Mossman Gorge is very well protected under the Daintree National Park in the World Heritage Wet Tropics Area. If you want a real taste of the Daintree National Park then the Mossman Gorge walk around the Rainforest Trail is an excellent option.

There are several signs along the route that inform you about ancient indigenous traditions regarding the use of the rainforest for survival. There is also a lot of information about the Daintree National Park and names and characteristics of its flora and fauna.

Giant rainforest fig trees

One of the coolest parts of the Mossman Gorge Walk is the giant rainforest fig trees. There's one especially towards the end of the track that is absolutely huge! I'm not sure how big it is exactly, but you can see for yourself from the pictures below.
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Swimming in Mossman Gorge

During the hot summer months there is also the option to swim along the route in Mossman Gorge. There are several stream entry points where you can swim in the refreshingly cool freshwater streams.

The first swimming hole in Mossman Gorge is at the start of the hike, just to the right of the first turnoff from the boardwalk.

There is also another section for swimming towards the end of the rainforest loop.
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Mossman Gorge crocodiles

One of the most frequently asked questions about Mossman Gorge is: “Are there crocodiles?” In general, there are no dangerous estuarine (saltwater) crocodiles in Mossman Gorge.

More photos of Mossman Gorge Walk and Daintree National Park

Looking for more Daintree travel inspiration? Check out a few more photos I took along the route.
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