The Wet Tropics World Heritage area

Port Douglas possesses an enviable location on the doorstep of two of the worlds most unique and ecologically valuable environements, the UNESCO World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics World Heritage area.

A view towards the Daintree National Park and Thorntons Peak in the Wet Tropics World Heritage area, and Snapper Island (far right) located in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area

The Wet Tropics World Heritage Area - Click to enlarge

To gain a World Heritage listing from UNESCO an area must have "Outstanding Universal Values' - in simple terms this means that the area is of such natural and/or cultural significance that it must be protected for the world's current and future generations. UNESCO is a United Nations body with more than 195 countries as members.

On our Port Douglas Rainforest and Outback tours we pass through and visit stunningly beautiful sections of the Wet Tropics World Heritage area. Our expert guides share with you the beauty and significance of these forests and their wildlife.

The Wet Tropics rainforest near Port Douglas include the Mowbray, Kuranda, Mt Lewis and Daintree National Parks. On our tours we visit a sections of the Wet Tropics World Heritage area known as the Crater Lakes National Park and the Curtain Fig National Park.

The Wet Tropics rainforests stretch 450km from Townsville in the south to Cooktown in the north, hugging a narrow coastal mountain range adjacent to the coast. It passes cities and coastal towns including Cairns, Innisfail, Cardwell, Port Douglas and Mossman.

The Wet Tropics is unique in that it is the only place in the world where you have 2 World Heritage areas side by side, the Wet Tropics and the Great Barrier Reef. You can literally hike in the Wet Tropics World Heritage area in the morning and snorkel the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef in the afternoon!

The rainforests found within the Wet Tropics is the oldest continuously surviving rainforest in the world. The area is a living museum containing plants and animals that have barely changed in millions of years through to much more highly evolved flora and fauna.

---

In an Australian context, the Wet Tropics covers less than 0.2% of Australia, but contains 30% of the marsupial species, 60% of bat species, 25% of rodent species, 40% of bird species, 30% of frog species, 20% of reptile species, 60% of butterfly species, 65% of fern species, 21% of cycad species, 37% of conifer species, 30% of orchid species and 18% of Australia’s vascular plant species. It is therefore of great scientific interest and of fundamental importance to conservation.
- UNESCO

A Lumholtz Tree kangaroo, rarely seen and very shy

Although the entire Wet Tropics area only encompasses 0.26% of the Australian continent it has Australia's great plant and animal diversity with many of the species found in the area found nowhere else in the world. It is also recognised for its outstanding natural beauty with its stunning rainforest vistas, waterfalls, river gorges and wild rivers.

A visit to the Wet Tropics World Heritage area is a must-do for any visitor to Port Douglas or Cairns.

On our Wildife tour and our Rainforest and Outback tour we take you to beautiful sections of the Wet Tropics World Heritage area where you get to see for yourself just how special and unique these rainforests are. Departures from both Cairns and Port Douglas are available.

Port Douglas is truly blessed to be in such close proximity to the rainforests of the Wet Tropics World Heritage area!

Click here to contact Blue Adventures to find out more about our Rainforest tours & Wildlife tours.

---

Exploring the Wet Tropics and Lake Eacham with a Blue Adventures guide