Green Tree Python
Australia’s Cape The Cape York Peninsula is truly one of Australia’s last true untamed places. This remote, wet, tropical region is a York Peninsula; wildlife mecca and plays host to more endemic species than anywhere else Green Tree Pythons in the country. The list of highlights to the area is too long to mention in full and More! but regular favorites include Green Tree Pythons (our focus), Canopy Monitors, Coastal Taipans, Scrub Pythons, Saltwater Crocodiles, Giant 13 Nights/14 Days Tree Geckos, Southern Cassowary, Palm Cockatoos, Spotted Cuscus and many, many more!
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This herp-oriented trip is a once in a lifetime experience for many; the Cape York Peninsula is extremely difficult to access due to its remote and rugged location, and many of the species that call this area home are as secretive as they are rare. Thanks to our dedicated and experienced local guides, this trip is your chance to experience them first hand in nature!
Tour Overview
Day 1: Arrival Cairns (CNS), transfer to BIG4 Cairns Crystal Saltwater Crocodile Cascades Days 2, 3: Mareeba, Cedar Park particular area is also great for Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Rainforest Resort Striped Possums! Lodging at Cedar Park Rainforest Days 4, 5, 6: Mount Lewis National Resort Park, Kingfisher Park Lodge Meals: Dinner Day 7: Cape York Peninsula, Lodging at BIG4 Cairns Crystal Day 4, 5, 6, Mount Lewis National Milkwood Lodge Cascades Park: Days 8, 9, 10, 11, 12: Iron Range National Park, Greenhoose Day 2, 3, Cedar Park Rainforest Day 4 will see us move into our Day 13: Kingfisher Lodge Resort: new accommodation at the world- Day 14: Transfer to and departure famous Kingfisher Park Birders from Cairns (CNS) Lodge. This area is not only great
Our next two nights will be spent in for spotting rare and unique bird 13 Night/14 Day Itinerary: the town of Mareeba. Here guests species, but it also happens to be will have the unique opportunity to located at the base of Mount
get up close and personal with Lewis. The unique high-altitude Day 1, BIG4 Cairns Crystal Cascades: some of Australia’s cutest rainforests of Mount Lewis play residents, the Mareeba Rock host to an incredible amount of Wallabies. Our two nights in this cryptic Amphibian and Reptile Guests will be picked up on the first area will be spent in search of species in which we will spend our day of the tour from the Cairns some of Australia’s most unique fourth night in search of, this area International Airport, before being gecko species, including the is also home to some incredibly transported to their Northern Leaf-tailed Gecko and the rare mammal and bird species accommodation for the night. monotypic Chameleon Gecko. including the Golden Bowerbird, Lunchtime will be spent getting to This particular area is also home to Lesser Sooty Owl, Blue-faced know one another, discussing the a plethora of native amphibian and Parrot Finch and the Daintree River itinerary and gauging everyone’s mammal species including the Ring-tailed Possum. personal interests. Our first night Endangered Northern Quoll and the will be spent in search of seldom seen Long-tailed Pygmy Day 5 will see us once again head Australia’s largest snake, the Possum. up into the Mount Lewis mist, this Amethystine Python. This time in search of one of Australia’s
Page 2 • Australia’s Cape York Peninsula; Green Tree Pythons and More! most infamous elapids, the Red- bellied Black Snake. Our fifth night will be spent at the spectacular Mossman Gorge in search of the beautiful Jungle Python. In this location we will also be in with a chance of seeing one of Australia’s most unique and emblematic species, the Platypus!
Day 6 will see us rise early before heading to the banks of the Daintree River where we will board a boat and cruise the river in search of Saltwater Crocodiles and basking snakes. Our river guide will Mangrove Monitor also point out some rare and unique bird species including the highly sought-after Little Kingfisher endemic species. Our seventh the best herp regions in the and Great-billed Heron. night will see us arrive at the base country, being home to some of of the famous Black Mountain. Australia’s most highly sought- This mountain is made up by a after reptile species, including our Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner collection of thousands of primary target for the trip, the Lodging at Kingfisher Park Birders individual black boulders (some of spectacular Green Tree Python. Lodge which are as large as a house), The drive from Cooktown to Iron
which play host to 3 species of Range will be a great opportunity Day 7, Cape York Peninsula: reptile found nowhere else in the for our guests to get up close to world, the Black Mountain Skink, some of Australia’s most famous Day 7 will see us start our Black Mountain Gecko and the reptile species, including the expedition into the Cape York Black Mountain Boulder Frog. We Coastal Taipan and the Frill-necked Peninsula. The first stop on our are likely to turn up all three on the Lizard. journey will be the town of night. We will also keep our eyes Cooktown. This town is draped in peeled for the endemic Godman’s Our next four days will see us history and luckily for us is also Rock Wallaby who also resides on scouring the Iron Range National home to a collection of unique the mountain! Park in search of its hidden gems. Amethystine Python The list of species we are likely to Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner see during this time is exhaustive Lodging at Milkwood Lodge and includes prizes such as; Green Cooktown Python, Amethystine Python, Black- headed Python, Water Python, Day 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Iron Range Coastal Taipan, Northern Tree National Park: Snake, Common Tree Snake, Brown Tree Snake, Brown-headed
Snake, Black-striped Snake, Day 8 will see us make the journey Northern Death Adder, Saltwater to our final location, the endemic Crocodile, Yellow-spotted Monitor, filled Iron Range National Park. Canopy Monitor, Mangrove This park is quite possibly one of
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Monitor, Rusty Monitor, Spotted- tree Monitor, Giant Tree Gecko, Hoskin’s Ring-tailed Gecko, Cassowary, Palm Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Magnificent Riflebird, Yellow-billed Kingfisher, Spotted Cuscus, Common Cuscus, Giant White-tailed Rat, Striped Possum…. The list goes on and on.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Lodging at The Greenhoose
Day 13, Return to Cairns:
Juvenile Green Tree Python Our 13th day will see us rise with the sun and make our journey Day 14, Departure from Cairns: south towards Cairns, this day will include a lot of driving though we Day 14 will see us saying our will be sure to break up the trip with goodbyes before dropping our plenty of stops to look for reptiles. guests to the Cairns International If we are lucky, we may even get Airport (or if they are extending the chance to stop and look for one their stay they can choose to be of the world’s rarest parrot species, dropped at their respective hotels). the critically endangered Golden- shouldered Parrot! Meals: Breakfast
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Included in this itinerary: Lodging at Kingfisher Park Birders
Lodge Airport pick-up and drop-off
(Cairns, CNS), in-country accommodations, ground
transportation, tours, meals, guide
and entrance fees are included.
Not Included:
Personal items such as alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, gift shop, Frill-necked Lizard laundry, etc. are not included. Natural Selections Tours, LLC 109 Eaglewood Way Travel insurance: Athens, GA 30606 We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance. In the event that [email protected] you need to cancel your trip due to medical or other reasons, this www.naturalselectionstours.com insurance will protect you.
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