Cape Tribulation Accommodation / Daintree Accommodation - B&B / Bed and Breakfast in the Daintree Rainforest National Park

Frequently asked questions on Cape Tribulation and the Daintree

Below is a list of frequently asked questions about Cape Tribulation, the Daintree and Rainforest Hideaway, please see if your question is there and if not, feel free to email me with your questions!

Frequently asked questions:

Do we need a four wheel drive?

NO. if you are only going as far as Cape Tribulation you will not need a four wheel drive, only if you plan to head further north on the coast road on the Bloomfield Track you will need one.
In the wet season a four wheel drive can sometimes come out handy when water flows over the causeways in very heavy rain, a bit of extra clearance from the road can make the difference between being able to get through or having to wait a few hours for water levels to recede.
The local council finally managed to seal the road all the way to Cape Tribulation by Easter 2002, it had taken them ten years to lay 36km. of bitumen (the Chinese built their 5000 km. Great Wall of China in ten years too....)

How do we get there?

For info on bustransport and links to online hire car reservations click here.

For maps and driving directions click here.

Cooking facilities?

Our local council puts a few restrictions on B&Bs, including us not being allowed to provide you with laundry facilities, and also no cooking facilities. We are also short on fridge space as council stubbornly refuses to allow mains electricity and with only solar panels for lighting we only have one expensive gas fridge.

Just down the street at Dubuji by the beach there are free gas barbeques and picnic tables.

The Daintree river Ferry ?

To reach Cape Tribulation you will have to cross the Daintree river with the cable ferry.
This ferry runs up and down continuously from 6 am till midnight seven days a week.
The current return fare is $18.- per car. Keep yourself and especially the kids away from the water's edge if you wait here, crocodiles are quick and strong enough to drag horses in to the water so a child is an easy snack.

How far is Rainforest Hideaway from the beach?

The beach is straight down the road, to walk it will take you about 20 minutes, in a car no time at all, see this map, or click here to find us on Google Earth, if you don't have it yet download it for free here.

Mosquitoes?

Surprisingly enough the nights are mosquitoe free! And don't ask me how I did that, that's just the way it is, so enjoy. The house is all open and even at night with lights on no mosquitoes come in, there just aren't any around! We do get a few daytime mosquitoes in wetter times, but they are the type that likes to hover around without actually doing any real biting. Some people tell me on their second day yes, you were right, not having believed me at all when I told them on arrival there are no mosquitoes.

Cancellation policy

Click here to read the cancellation policy.

Can we bring children, do you supply cots?

We don't have cots, and children are welcome as long as they do not stop other guests from enjoying the place, click here for more details.

Check-in and check-out time?

Check in is at twelve noon, ofcourse you are welcome if you arrive on the early bus at 11.00 and do not have to wait at the roadside.

Check-out is at 10.00 am.

Air-conditioners, fridges, TVs, DVD players, hair dryers etc.

Air-conditioners need a huge amount of electricity, and Rainforest Hideaway runs on solar power and batteries. The government won't supply electricity to Cape Tribulation, north of the Daintree river only the mayor and his neighbours enjoy mains electricity.
You will find that the rainforest with its massive evaporation of water always keeps things cool, and only from late November to February we actually need fans. Through the dry season I get more requests for extra blankets than fans and we even use the fire place too on the chilly nights!

Hair dryers also use a massive amount of electricity despite their small physical size, they will crash the solar power system within seconds.
TV could work on solar power but is not provided, most people enjoy listening to the sounds of the rainforest, and one person watching a loud TV would ruin this experience for everyone else, if you can not live without TV then this is not the place for you. Most Aussie TV is pretty boring anyway.
Fridge is provided in the kitchen but due to the absence of mains electricity this is a gas fridge (expensive at $2500.- ) and it is mainly there for your host to keep his food and for your breakfast supplies. While it is usually not a problem if you put a couple of small items in there if you need to keep them cold do not arrive here with a car full of shopping like some people have done and expect to fit it all in the fridge. Due to the prohibitive costs of gas fridges there is only one fridge in the kitchen and no fridges in the rooms.

Tour bookings / trips to the Great Barrier Reef?

There is quite a choice of different tours from Cape Tribulation, your host Rob is happy to advise you on the most suitable ones for you and to book any of these for you, either on arrival or in advance if you want to be assured of a place on the tour.
More info on the tours here, feel free to email me for any more info.

Internet

Internet is no longer available at Rainforest Hideaway, before I had it everyone asked me for it, when I had it nobody used it, and after it was gone again people are asking me again.
You will find internet facilities at the Dragonfly restaurant down the road, though a bit slow, but faster connections are at the bigger resorts, and laptop owners will be pleased to hear they can plug in at the Cape Trib shop or enjoy wireless at Dragonfly and Coconut Beach.

Currently I am planning to have wireless internet set up this season for everyone to enjoy, but no guarantees yet that this will be available.

Mobile phone reception

In most of Cape Tribulation mobile phones do not work, only out on the point on the Cape or out on the ocean, more info here.

Dangerous animals

This is the safest rainforest in the world! Poisonous snaked prefer open grassland and not the rainforest, and the only two species of poisonous spiders in Australia, the funnelweb and redback, do not live around here. So it is actually more dangerous to stay in Sydney with its funnelwebs than in the jungle of Cape Tribulation.
In the water you have to be a bit more careful, from November till May there can be box jellyfish that can deliver painful, potentially fatal stings, so then you are better off swimming in one of the crystal clear creek swimming holes around Cape Tribulation. Rainforest Hideaway has a small rock pool too for you to cool down.

This page is still under construction and more will be added soon.