For the real "I'm a Celebrity get me out of here!" experience (Cape Tribulation)

Member Name: jenniferjain

Product:	Cape Tribulation
Date:	11/01/09 (46 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Amazing location, lots of new sights, isolation

Disadvantages: Humidity, isolation

Cape Tribulation is a small town in Queensland, Australia within the Daintree National Park. It is reached by sealed road from the Daintree River ferry, and is as far north as you can drive in a normal car. The town is only accessible via the ferry, which operates 6am-midnight every day except Christmas Day and Good Friday. However the road north from the crossing can be closed if there has been heavy rain.

Because of its isolation it is somewhat off the beaten track for tourists, although very popular with younger backpackers. There is a feeling that a lot of the people now living there and working in the tourist industry started off as travellers and ended up settling there. Because of this they are all very enthusiastic about their home, and it is easy to understand how one could be tempted to visit and then remain there.

When we visited in November it was very damp and humid, with not many chances to escape the temperature. We were often relieved to drive somewhere in our air-conditioned car.

Everything is rather expensive, as it has to be transported from Cairns. I'd recommend taking some snacks and bottled water along (and to take any rubbish away with you out of consideration for the residents who have to dispose of it).

The town is very compact. We used our car to travel though, as if you are going to be out at night there is no street lighting and it would be easy to get lost (not to mention the jungle creatures that are around at night!).

Accommodation

There are not a lot of accommodation options in Cape Tribulation, and none that would be called luxurious. We stayed for two nights at the Rainforest Hideaway (www.rainforesthideaway.com). This bed and breakfast accommodation is formed of several cabins built by the owner. We stayed in an en-suite room to the main building, the other
cabins are detached (one apparently has a bathroom which is open to the elements on one side, for a true jungle showering experience!). It was a bit rustic, with no air-conditioning and very damp. It was also very noisy at night with the sounds of the jungle. But it was certainly an experience, and nothing could compare to really feeling that you were right in the heart of the rainforest. The breakfast was amazing, including a selection of exotic fruits that we had never heard of before, let alone ever tasted.

Dining

The first night we ate at the Cassowary Cafe. The menu was somewhat limited, especially for us fussy vegetarians. The setting was nice though and the service was friendly. It was also
air conditioned which was a bit of a relief. The second night we ate at PK's Jungle Village Bar and Restaurant. This was cheaper, and clearly aimed at backpackers. We had a simple pasta, followed by a short walk down to the beach. There are also a couple of other restaurants in the town.

Activities

There is lots for tourists to do in Cape Tribulation! The first day we went jungle surfing - strapped in a harness and travelling along wires through the trees. This was really fun, and also educational as the guides told us all about the forest as we
went around, even trying to interest us in eating green ants which apparently tasted of lemons (we declined).

In the centre of town is a swimming hole - a creek where all the backpackers hang out to swim with fish and even turtles.

At the Exotic Fruit Farm you have the chance to try some exotic fruit which is not grown commercially, either because they are too delicate to grow and transport, or not worth it because the edible part of the fruit makes up such a small percentage of the fruit. This is a real shame, because most of them were delicious! We also had a tour around the orchard to see the fruit being grown, which was really interesting.

There are several marked walks, around boardwalks and along the beach. Lots of opportunities to see crabs and other wildlife, including a leech which bit me at some point, although I didn't realise until I wondered where all the blood was coming from!

We were also brave enough to try the Jungle Safari - this took place at night in the pitch dark. We had a guided walk through the jungle, looking for wildlife. We saw lots of creatures that we would have preferred not to know they were there - huge crickets with far reaching antennae, big spiders and enormous lizards. It was fascinating although terrifying at the same time!

In summary, out of all the places that we visited on our trip around Australia, this was the place that was most different to our previous experiences and expectations. We were really
glad that we had made the effort to travel a little further, and possibly a little out of our comfort zone. A two night stay was long enough for us to get a feel for the place, and I wouldn't rule out returning, although part of the fun of being there was that we didn't know what to expect. I would fully recommend a detour here for visitors to Cairns, as it really was an amazing experience.

Summary: An amazing place to visit