Our adventure is filled with beautiful surprises and unforgettable moments. However, one surprise we want to avoid is guests discovering they are not physically suitable for the tour.

While the overwhelming majority of our guests thoroughly enjoy the experience with ease, it’s important to note that our tour is physical in nature, and requires a certain level of fitness and mobility. Most people who lead an active lifestyle and have a reasonable level of fitness will have no issues participating in our tour.

Before you book, we want to ensure that all our guests have a safe and enjoyable time. To do so, we have some basic requirements that all participants must meet.

Water Confidence

Our river tour is an immersive water experience. Therefore, it’s essential that all adults are comfortable in water and  able to swim.  This doesn’t mean you need to be an Olympic swimmer, but you should be able to handle yourself confidently in a water environment. If you’re unsure about your water confidence, consider how you feel when you’re in a swimming pool or at the beach. Can you enter the water without fear, move around comfortably, and exit without assistance? If so, you’re likely to be just fine on our tour.  We provide life jackets free of charge, however they are not a replacement for knowing how to swim.

Treading Water

While the river is generally shallow enough to stand up in, there may be times when you’ll need to tread water. This means staying afloat in one place, using only your own physical ability. You don’t need to be able to do this for hours on end, but you should be able to tread water without assistance. This is a basic safety requirement for participation in our tour.

Paddling

Our river sleds are controlled by paddling, similar to how one would paddle while laying on a surfboard. While you don’t need to be a professional athlete, you should have enough upper body strength and endurance to paddle for short periods. If you’ve ever tried to paddle on a surfboard, you’ll have a good idea of ​​the kind of effort required. This is a key part of navigating certain sections of our river and enjoying the full experience.

Carrying Equipment

Each guest will be responsible for their own river sled, which weighs approximately 3kg. You’ll need to be able to carry this equipment over short distances, and they have convenient handles to make this easier.

Navigating Uneven Terrain

Our tour includes walking through a river bed mostly made up of sand, with some sections of round, loose rocks, as well as a rainforest trail with uneven ground. This requires balance, stability, and the ability to walk on irregular surfaces. If you’ve ever walked along a pebbly beach or walked along the uneven surfaces of a dry creek bed, you’ll understand the kind of mobility required. This ability to adapt to changing and uneven surfaces is crucial for safely navigating our river and rainforest trail.

Exiting the River

Our tour can finish in multiple locations, depending on the amount of water in the river. At the end of the tour, you may need to exit the river by climbing up a few steps made from strong tree roots, similar to climbing a ladder. This climb is approximately 1-2 feet high. It requires some lower body strength, upper body strength for grip, and the ability to climb without assistance. If you’re comfortable climbing a small ladder or a steep set of stairs, you should be able to handle this part of our adventure.

Self Assessment

Your safety is our top priority, and we rely on you to assess your own abilities honestly. It’s crucial to understand that overestimating your abilities can not only impact the overall experience for the group but also create a safety risk. Our tour guides are always there to ensure everyone navigates our river experience safely. However, if a guide needs to divert their attention to provide extensive assistance to one individual, it can slow down the tour and limit the time we have to enjoy all the wonderful aspects of our river adventure.

Please note that refunds are not guaranteed if our guides decide on the day of the tour that you’re unsuitable to participate. This decision would be made based on safety considerations and the need to ensure an enjoyable experience for the entire group.

We are committed to providing a safe and enjoyable experience for all our guests. As part of this commitment, there are certain requirements and restrictions that we must adhere to. We understand that these may not suit everyone, and we apologize if any of these prevent you from being able to participate in our tour.

Mobility and Injuries

Our tour requires a moderate level of physical ability. It is not suitable for individuals with:

• Limited mobility

• Current or chronic injuries affecting walking or movement

• Difficulty navigating uneven terrain

• Issues with balance or stamina

Participants should be comfortable walking on varied surfaces, including steps and small obstacles, for up to 3km over approximately 1.5 hours.

Pregnancy

Due to the risk of falling on the stomach, sudden jarring movements, and impacts, our tour is not suitable for anyone who is pregnant. We understand that situations can change after bookings are made. If you become pregnant after booking your tour, please let us know as soon as possible. We will be more than happy to reschedule your tour for a later date or provide a full refund.

Weight Limit

Our maximum recommended weight limit is 110kg/243lb. This is due to the limitations of our equipment. If you are near or over this weight, a good level of fitness and mobility is required to participate in our tour. We encourage anyone with concerns about this to  contact us  directly so we can discuss the specifics of the tour, and the challenges that may arise.

If you have any concerns or questions about these requirements, please  contact us  before booking.

From Port Douglas, the tour takes approx. 3.5 returns including transfers.

We aim to spend up to 2 hours in the rainforest, but this can vary based on group size and also how fast the water is flowing in the river. Smaller groups may finish earlier, based on reduced time taken for pickups/getting ready.

Generally yes!

However, it depends on how much rain and also where the rain is falling. 1-5mm of rain will hardly wet the ground in the tropics, so please don’t worry if this is the forecast.

Your safety is our top priority. We continuously monitor river conditions through cameras, a river height gauge, and radar systems. This allows us to assess in real-time if the river is safe for our tours.

It’s important to note that rain must fall in a specific area to affect our river flow. Heavy rain in Port Douglas or Cairns doesn’t necessarily impact our tour location.

If river levels change, we will contact guests to ensure all participants are suitable for a potentially faster version of our tour. In cases where the river rises too high for safe operation, we will cancel the tour and attempt to reschedule or provide a full refund.

If you have any concerns, please  contact us  for an update on the river conditions. Rest assured, we’re constantly vigilant about weather conditions and will never compromise on your safety.

Following  Cyclone Jasper  in December 2023, the fish population in the river has been lower, but the river is slowly healing. While  snorkeling is temporarily paused , fish are gradually returning to the upper sections of the river. There’s still the opportunity to spot various species of fish, turtles, and even the elusive platypus. If you’d like to  snorkel , let your guide know, and they can provide a mask. Once the fish population has sufficiently recovered, we’ll officially add snorkeling back to the tour.

The water temperature varies between 16-22C (60-71F) year round. We provide an extra thermal layer during winter, gloves are also available to use.