Rainforest Hideaway - Cape Tribulation bed and breakfast accommodation & sculpture trail in the Daintree rainforest of tropical north Queensland Australia

car hire cairns to cape tribulation
Bed and breakfast accommodation in Cape Tribulation
car rental to cape tribulation

car hire cairns to cape tribulation and bus transport


The road between Cairns and Cape Tribulation is a very scenic drive

Getting to Cape Tribulation is easy nowadays since the road has been sealed all the way, and several door-to-door bus services run daily between Cairns, Port Douglas, Daintree village and Cape Tribulation.
All car rental companies now allow their hire cars to go past the Daintree river up to Cape Tribulation.
In 2010 another milestone was reached where bridges were built over several creeks where the road used to get cut in heavy rain, so Cape Tribulation now has
ALL-WEATHER-ACCESS!!

The most enjoyable way to travel to Cape Tribulation is your own hire car, so you can explore the many atractions between Cairns and Cape Tribulation.
A lot of things are within walking distance and most tours pick up from Rainforest Hideaway, but a rental car will give you the freedom to explore at your own leisure the places where the bus doesn't stop.

And it is easy to find your way here, Sheridan Street cuts through the Cairns city centre, as long as you get on this road then you just keep heading north, there is only one way road up!

cairns to cape tribulation hire car
The Captain Cook Highway from Cairns to Cape Tribulation

Hire Cars - To explore further north of Cape Tribulation you definitely need a four wheel drive. If Cape Tribulation is as far as you want to go, a normal (2WD) rental car is all you need, as the road has been sealed all the way since April 2001. Refer to the maps page to see how to get here, but just about all the Cairns car hire places will give you a free map anyway.

Vroomvroomvroom is the best place to start your search for a cheap hire car.
Ofcourse you can search all the major car hire companies one after the other but you'll find it saves you a lot of time to simply type in your car hire location and dates, and get presented with an overview where you see all available cars next to their prices to compare on one page. Can it get any easier?

 

budget car hire from cairns to cape tribulation
Example of how easy Vroomvroomvroom makes choosing a car and comparing prices.

Budget Car Hire needs little introduction, the name says it all: car hire at Budget Prices with a car hire company with an international reputation, and this sites makes it even easier to find yourself a cheap hire car, campervan, or four wheel drive.

click here for budget car rental

 

Thrifty Car Rental is another international car hire business with a reputation for cheap rental cars.

click here for budget rental cars

 

RentNewCars.com.au is an Australian company that exclusively distributes Europcar & Thrifty's Australian fleet of 16,000 new vehicles and offers access to over 200 locations around Australia via the RentNewCars web site.
I have contacted Thrifty and Europcar in Cairns and both have assured me their cars can be taken up to Cape Tribulation. They will have your car ready at Cairns airport or pick you up to take you into their depot in the city, which is only a few minutes from the airport, and give you a map and directions to find your way to Cape Tribulation.

 

If you choose a local Cairns company; some car hire companies that my guests have been not too happy about are A1 Carhire and especially Cairns Older Car And Ute Hire.

 

Flights to Cairns / Cape Tribulation

Unless you live in north Queensland you will have to fly to the nearest international airport Cairns first. or if you own or charter a small plane you can land at the unsealed airstrip at Cow Bay.

Airlines that fly straight in to Cairns from overseas are Qantas, Emirates and Air New Zealand, you can go to their websites and look for a cheap flight to Cairns, or visit this Cheap Flights to Australia page for an overview of what is available in budget airfares to Cairns.

budget airfares england to australia

 

click here

 

qantas airfares to australia

Flight Centre - Australia's #1 Travel Agency

Bus to Cape Tribulation


The good old days before the road was sealed

Several bus companies do a door to door service from Cairns accommodation, Cairns airport, Port Douglas accommodation and Daintree Village to Cape Tribulation.
Depending on the number of people in your party and the duration of your stay in Cape Tribulation it may be just as, or more, economical, to hire a small car as the bus fares are not all that cheap.

Please note that imetables and prices are subject to change from time to time.

Sun Palm Coaches leaves Cairns daily at 07:00 and 13:00, arriving in Cape Tribulation around 10:25 and 17:25. They pick up from Cairns airport, some Cairns accommodation, all Port Douglas accommodation, (they only go into Daintree village on demand) and drop off at Rainforest Hideaway. One way fare Cairns to Cape Tribulation is $75.- p.p. The return trips leave Cape Tribulation at 07:00, 10:30 and 18:00, getting into Cairns at 11:00, 14:00 and 21:30. See their website for bookings or ask your host to book the bus for you.
If you fly in to Cairns airport someone with your name on a sign will be waiting there for you, even when your flight has been delayed.

Sunpalm's schedule:
bus to cape tribulation

Country Roads Coach Lines - This bus does a run all the way from Cairns to Cooktown, so is a good option if you plan to head further north after your Cape Tribulation stay. They depart Cairns at 07:00 in the morning, arriving in Cape Trib about 10:10 but not every day, only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, at the time of writing this page the one way fare Cairns to Cape Tribulation was $46.- See their website for up to date info and prices.
The return journey leaves Cape Trib at 10:10 on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and arrives in Cairns around 13:30.

If you book on a package deal bus, such as Cape Trib Connections, Tropics Explorer, and Jungle Tours etc. ask where they will drop you off, most of these drivers stubbornly refuse to drop you at Rainforest Hideaway and will leave you at another resort and even though the town of Cape Tribulation is small enough to walk around a hike up the hill to Rainforest Hideaway with your suitcases may not be that comfortable.
Tropical Horizons is the only one I know that seems to care about its customers and that will give you a tour with stops along the way up and down and that will usually drop people off at Rainforest Hideaway.

Driving directions:

From Cairns: find Sheridan Street, the main road that goes through all of Cairns, and start heading north, Sheridan St. becomes the Cook Highway.
From Cairns airport or Port Douglas: turn right when you get to the highway and head north.
On the north side of Cairns you will go through at least a dozen roundabouts, if you are new to Australia remember that traffic entering the roundabout gives way to traffic that is already on the roundabout. On these roundabouts follow the signs for Mossman and Port Douglas.
After about one hour from Cairns you will pass Port Douglas on your right hand side, and another 15 minutes or so later you will pass through Mossman.
Keep heading north after Mossman and following the signs to Cape Tribulation. After 20 minutes or so you will see the sign below, indicating you will need to turn right to the ferry;

sign on the way to cape tribulation
On the highway about 25km. north of Mossman turn right at this sign
daintree ferry crossing on the way to cape tribulation
Cross the Daintree river on this ferry,
it runs continuously from 6 am till midnight.

Once you are across the Daintree river it is another 36km. to Cape Tribulation, due to the speed limits and winding roads this can take you close to an hour, even without stops. Keep your speed down to save the wildlife, especially the cassowary.
On arrival in Cape Tribulation you will first see the signs for the Cape Trib shop/info centre, and 500 metre further the sign "Welcome to Cape Tribulation".
About 200 metres past this welcome sign turn left into Camelot Close, there is a sign on the corner pointing to Rainforest Hideaway.
If you arrive at night keep an eye out for the Ferntree Resort sign, this is the only one lit up on this corner.
Proceed up Camelot Close past the Dragonfly and Ferntree until you see the sign Rainforest Hideaway and the frog mailbox on your left.

drive past here with your hirecar to cape tribulation
This sign will tell you that you have arrived in Cape Tribulation.
Because there is no main street with shops some people drive straight through!
turn right here with your hire car
200 metres further you will see this sign on your left on the corner of Camelot Close, at night the Ferntree sign next to this is lit up.
Turn left here.
entrance to rainforest hideaway B&B
Proceed up Camelot Close until you see this mailbox on your left
daintree treefrog at cape tribulation
daintree rainforest tree frog
Recommended by: AmazingAustralia.com.au | CosmoTourist | Lonely Planet | Trip Advisor

trip advisor reviews on this cape tribulation accommodation
 meet a cassowary at this cape tribulation accommodation

home page of cape tribulation accommodationdaintree accommodationcape tribulation accommodationbed and braekfast in the daintreedaintree-sculpture-trailaccommodation in cape tribulationreservations for daintree accommodationhow to get to your cape tribulation accommodationmap of cape tribulation daintree
Rainforest Hideaway Cape Tribulation Accommodation & Sculpture Trail - 109R Camelot Close, Cape Tribulation 4873, Australia Ph: 07-40980108