Daintree River Croc tour

We’d read good things about the Solar Whisper cruises on the Daintree River, so decided to give their one-hour trip a crack. These electric boats are whisper quiet, which apparently gives you a better chance of spotting the local wildlife without scaring them off with engine noise.

Our guide knew his stuff - proper local knowledge about the croc population in this stretch of the river, not just generic tourist spiel. He explained how the saltwater crocs have made a remarkable comeback since hunting was banned in the 1970s. Back then, they were nearly extinct in these waters, but now there’s a healthy breeding population that’s gradually working its way back to pre-hunting numbers.

We managed to spot several crocs during the cruise, ranging from a smaller juvenile to a couple of impressive adults that were easily four metres plus. The guide could identify individual animals and had names for the regulars (Scarface, Charlotte and Bungeye to name a few) - apparently some of these big fellas have been using the same stretch of riverbank for years. It’s fascinating watching them in their natural environment, just lying motionless in the shallows.

What struck us was how perfectly adapted these ancient predators are to their environment. They can stay submerged for over an hour, regulate their body temperature by moving between sun and shade, and when they do move, it’s with surprising speed and grace for something that looks like a floating log most of the time. They do not operate weel if the water temp varies outside 28 to 32 degrees, so we are unlikely to see them in the south for some time.

The electric propulsion system really does make a difference - we were able to get quite close to several crocs without them bolting for deeper water. The silence also means you can hear the sounds of the rainforest properly: bird calls, water lapping against the mangroves, and the occasional splash of something hitting the water.

An hour felt about right - long enough to see plenty of wildlife and get a proper understanding of the ecosystem, but not so long that you’re just cruising around looking at the same bits of riverbank. If you’re in the Daintree area and want to see some impressive reptiles in their natural habitat, Solar Whisper definitely delivers the goods.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ at A$35pp.​Read more