AAT Kings - Cape York Frontier Itinerary

Begin your journey from Cairns to Cape York, travelling through ancient rainforest, remote 4WD tracks, and historic Far North Queensland landmarks.

Your Cairns to Cape York tour toward the very top of Australia doesn’t waste any time, immersing you in World Heritage-listed Wet Tropics of Queensland rainforest just moments after departing Cairns. Cross the Daintree River by cable ferry, and you’re well on your way to Cape Tribulation, where the rainforest meets another World Heritage Site: the Great Barrier Reef. But you’re not here to dive into the water – your journey involves going off-road along the rugged, 4WD Bloomfield Track (weather permitting). Steel yourself for this epic ride, which crosses the Bloomfield River near the Aboriginal community of Wujal Wujal. 

Exploring this outback is thirsty work – quench your thirst at the legendary Lion’s Den Hotel. More legends await at Black Mountain, sometimes dubbed the Bermuda Triangle of Australia. We’ll make sure you arrive safely at your next destination, where your Cooktown tour explains how this is the site of Australia’s first colonial ‘settlement’.

Included Meals: Lunch, Dinner

As this journey departs in the morning accommodation will need to be pre-booked for the previous night

Day Prior – flights to arrive anytime into Cairns Airport

Accommodation: Cooktown - 1 Night

Venture deep into the remote wilderness of Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park, where vast wetlands and abundant birdlife reveal the wild beauty of outback Queensland.

Queensland, there’s only one expanse of wilderness bigger than Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park, and that’s the Simpson Desert. Heading west into the outback to explore Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park (weather permitting). The area is big in more ways than one, from its enormous waterlily-covered billabongs to its unfathomable number of birds.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Musgrave - 1 Night

Travel through remote outback towns like Coen and Weipa, where rich mining history, rugged landscapes, and Gulf of Carpentaria sunsets shape life in Far North Queensland.

The historic gold town of Coen may be small in size, but it’s got plenty of country swagger – and lots of cold beer, which is essential in these steamy parts of Australia. More mining (this time bauxite) was the reason the tiny town of Weipa was formed. Today, visitors on Far North Queensland tours come here for the blazing sunsets over the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Weipa  - 1 Night

Spend the morning choosing your own adventure in Weipa before continuing to remote Bramwell Station, deep in the heart of Cape York.

Before you roll out of bed this morning, decide how you want to spend your pre-lunch hours. Perhaps on a Weipa Wildlife & Eco Cruise around the harbour and up the Embley River to Hay Point, revealing Indigenous culture and the abundance of animals that call this part of the Cape home (own expense). Or dig deep on a bauxite mine tour (own expense). How these rocks (the world’s main source of aluminium) are pulled from the ground is head-scratching. As is the size of Bramwell Station, Australia’s northernmost former cattle station and your base for the night.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Bramwell Station - 1 Night

A relaxed and welcoming base in the heart of Cape York, offering comfort and local hospitality amid remote landscapes and rich Indigenous culture.

Cape York Peninsula Lodge is a welcoming outback retreat at the gateway to Australia’s far north. Surrounded by ancient landscapes, rich Indigenous culture, and untamed wilderness, the lodge offers comfortable accommodation, hearty meals, and local insight for travellers exploring Cape York. Whether you’re beginning an epic adventure or unwinding after a long day on the tracks, the lodge is a relaxed, friendly base to experience the spirit of the Cape.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Bamaga - 1 Night

Stand at the northernmost tip of mainland Australia, explore historic Somerset, and enjoy lunch overlooking the stunning waters of the Albany Passage.

Not many people can say they’ve stood at the very top of mainland Australia, just a few hundred kilometres of water separating you from Papua New Guinea. Closer to home is Somerset, a long-abandoned settlement of the larger-than-life Australian pioneer Frank Jardine, who came here in 1864. This was the first European settlement on the Cape York Peninsula; all that remains today are bits of masonry, rusted cannons and a handful of tombstones, including that of Jardine and his wife. Lunch is served on palm fringed Anchorage Beach overlooking the Albany Passage. If there are prettier places to soak up the serenity, we’re yet to find them.

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Seisia - 1 Night

Discover the culture and history of Thursday Island before flying over the Great Barrier Reef back to Cairns.

Rich in Aboriginal culture, history and natural beauty, Thursday Island is the capital of the Torres Strait Islands. Time might stand still here, but you won’t – you’re on a guided tour before heading to Horn Island to board your aircraft, flying over the Great Barrier Reef back to Cairns. Wait, how did this week pass so quickly?

Included Meals: Breakfast

It's recommended that guests fly out the day after the tour returns to Cairns, as it may be delayed getting back into Cairns.

Itinerary Variations
The provider strives to improve trip itineraries. If improvements can be made, or if circumstances beyond their control make changes necessary, the provider reserves the right to vary itineraries and to make substitutions.