DAINTREE NATIONAL PARK-Australia

This giant coastline of lush, verdant rainforest, which stretches from the Coral Sea into Queensland, houses some of the world's most remarkable animal and plant species. There are more primitive flowering plants in the Daintree than in the whole Amazon basin, not to mention Australia's biggest collection of butterflies, birds, bats, frogs and insects. The area is perfect for adventure-seekers, with guided walks in the forest, diving courses and sailing trips to the Great Barrier Reef.

WHERE TO STAY

• DAINTREE ECO LODGE & SPA

  20 Daintree Road, Daintree(00 61 7 4098 6100)
  The lodge comprises 15 tree-house villas. The plantation-house-style restaurant offers crocodile, emu and kangaroo on the menu and the extra-sticky date pudding is a triumph. The multi-award-winning Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa also has an extensive range of treatments based on Aboriginal plant knowledge.

• SILKY OAKS LODGE

  Mossman River Gorge, Mossman(00 61 7 4098 1666)
  With only 50 private tree houses, guests enjoy almost total seclusion. Recently P&O, which owns Silky Oaks, actually removed 10 tree houses to give people more space. Having dispensed with outside walls, the main resort complex is open to the rainforest. The Mossman River, which flows through the property, provides a soothing backdrop. At the Silky Oaks spa, guests can choose from an extensive menu of treatments, including a Desert Salt Scrub, a Mala Mapi mud wrap, an exfoliating facial with wattleseed and lemon myrtle or a Munka scalp masque using native mint and wild peach.

• THIRTY-ONE DEGREES

  31 Oak Beach Road, Oak Beach, Port Douglas(00 61 2 9331 2881)
  Positioned where the World Heritage rainforest meets the glistening Great Barrier Reef, this beach house is in a great position for an all-round tropical experience. Simple and spacious, the lounge-dining area opens out onto a poolside terrace, leading onto the beach. The interior features modernist decor, crisp whites and glass walls. Also includes a roof terrace, and a fully kitted out marble kitchen. Space for four, with a minimum stay of three nights.

• WHERE TO EAT

  SALSA BAR & GRILL
  26 Wharf Street, Port Douglas (00 61 7 4099 4922;www.salsaportdouglas.com.au). This award-winning restaurant serves a wide range of imaginative international dishes, including Hiramasa kingfish tartare and Coffin Bay oysters, and macadamia and herb-crusted wild barramundi. Also offers a number of vegetarian dishes.
  
  ON THE INLET
  3 Inlet Street, Port Douglas (00 61 7 4099 5255; www.portdouglasseafood.com) serves excellent seafood and is surprisingly good value. The open-sided patio is perfect for long, tropical evenings. Try the whole baked snapper or the local 'bugs' which are a type of crayfish

• HOW TO GET THERE

  AIRPORT
  The nearest airport is in Cairns.
  
  AIRLINES FROM THE UK
  Qantas (020 8600 4300; www.quantas.co.uk) flies daily from Heathrow to Cairns, via Singapore and Sydney or Brisbane. British Airways (0844 493 0 787;www.britishairways.com) flies daily from Heathrow to Cairns, via Singapore or Hong Kong and Sydney or Melbourne.

  Daintree National Park is a two-hour drive north of Cairns Airport. Coral Reef Coaches (00 61 7 4098 2800;www.coralreefcoaches.com.au/) has a twice-daily bus service from Cairns to Cape Tribulation, which will detour to Daintree on request.

  TOUR OPERATOR

  TONY'S TROPICAL TOURS
  Port Douglas (00 61 7 4099 3230; www.tropicaltours.com.au; email:info@tropicaltours.com.au). Tony Healey is one of the most experienced Daintree guides. Cooper Creek Wilderness, a forest usually off limits to visitors, is a highpoint. Tours are conducted in modern off-road vehicles.
  
  DAN IRBY'S MANGROVE ADVENTURES
  Mossman (00 61 7 4090 7017; email: www.mangroveadven.citysearch.com.au; email:danirby@austarnet.com.au). Mangrove tours on a specially designed punt; evening tours on the Daintree River are brilliant.
  
  REEF & SAIL
  Marina Mirage, Port Douglas (00 61 7 4099 6000; email: info@mediterranean.com.au). Sail to the Great Barrier Reef on board the Tallarook, a classic 90ft timber yacht and former navy vessel that has been converted into a specialist dive-boat. Day trips include lunch. Snorkelling equipment will be provided.
  
  MARINA MIRAGE
  Port Douglas (00 61 7 4098 5000; www.habadive.com.au; email:enquiries@haba.com.au). A long-established operator offering day tours and specialist diving courses. Fast, efficient dive boats and young, enthusiastic staff. Snorkelling day trips include lunch and equipment, and introductory scuba diving lessons are also available. 

  Always consult the Foreign Office before travelling.

  WHAT TO DO

  DAINTREE NATIONAL PARK
  Make sure you visit this incredible slab of biodiversity, which stretches from the Coral Sea deep into the Queensland hinterland, and houses some of the world's most remarkable animal and plant species. Unlike on a conventional museum tour, you will enjoy a very personal sense of discovery. Daintree National Park was added to the World Heritage List in 1988. For a full list of reputable guides, see our section on the best Tour Operators.
  

  WHEN TO GO

  Avoid the rains between December and March and go to Queensland in the Australian autumn: it will still be hot but less humid.

TRAVEL INFORMATION

Visas: Every nationality except New Zealanders need visas. Tourists visas are generally valid for six months. Visas for less than three months are free.

Public holidays: New Years Day; Australia Day (Jan); Anzac Day (25 April); Good Friday; Holy Saturday; Easter Monday; Christmas; Boxing Day (except for South Australia).

Good buys: Aboriginal art, antiques, craft and design.

Local dishes: 'Modern Australian' food is an amalgamation of Mediterranean, Asian and Californian cuisine.

Good reading: The Songlines, by Bruce Chatwin, is a beautiful, elegiac and comic account of his experiences among the central Australian Aborigines.