Cairns & the Tropical North

Cairns & the Tropical North trip ideas

Tully River Full-Day White Water Rafting

Badge of ExcellenceCairns & the Tropical North, Australia

From $133.86

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

12 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

This Tully River rafting trip provides an action-packed full day of adventure in North Queensland, including white-water rafting with experienced river guides and a pub lunch. Paddle your raft through 45 or so rapids — some up to Grade 4 — with the World Heritage–listed rainforest as your scenic backdrop. Tully Gorge National Park boasts one of Australia's most popular rafting excursions, including opportunities to jump from the rocks into the tropical water. Includes hotel pickup and drop-off from Cairns.

Action packed Tully River white water rafting full-day adventure from Cairns
Rapids are graded to 4 -- perfect for all levels of experience
Raft through World Heritage Rainforest
Enjoy a hearty pub meal
English-speaking informative and enthusiastic river guides
Hotel pick up and drop off from centrally located Cairns

What's Included

All rafting equipment (except shoes)
Experienced river guides
Hotel pickup and drop off (except from Tully - The Golden Gumboot)
Meal *Please advise dietary requirements at time of booking*
Feluga Hotel - immerse yourself in a living history of RT and Tully Rafting from the 1980's to now!

Gratuities
Photos (available for purchase)
Rafting shoes (available to hire)
$30 per person Rafting levy

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

The Golden Gumboot
76 Butler St, Tully QLD 4854, Australia
Please meet at The Golden Gumboot if you are self driving for the Tully River Rafting adventure.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

Please advise your accommodation details at the time of booking.

What To Expect

Located approx. 87 miles (140 km) south of Cairns, Tully Gorge National Park is a premiere destination while visiting North Queensland. With tropical water temperatures year-round, Tully River white-water rafting provides the ultimate day trip.

Enjoy a convenient hotel pickup, or make your way to the designated starting point from Tully. Relax during the scenic drive to Tully, traveling through cloud-covered coastal mountains and past clear streams and sugarcane fields.

After a safety briefing and some paddling instruction from your river guide, you're provided with a life jacket, spray jacket and helmet in preparation for a white-knuckle adventure, including rafting over more than 45 rapids. Your guide helps to maneuver the raft over the rapids, which include some up to Grade 4. Ride the unforgettable Alarm Clock, Wet and Moisty, Stair Case and the dramatic Theatre.

Have free time here to recharge your batteries and take in the breathtaking scenery of the World Heritage-listed rainforest before negotiating the afternoon's remaining rapids. Afterward, change into dry clothes and end your tour with a hotel drop-off.

Tully River

5 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Children aged 13-18 years require a parent or guardians counter signature on waiver form
Please bring lace-up shoes (that WILL get wet), swim suit and towel, a change of dry clothes, and waterproof sunscreen
Not wheelchair accessible
Minimum age is 13 years
Not recommended for travelers with back problems

Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Not suitable for anyone who may be pregnant
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 36 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

sunnysummer2019

Thank you to Paul for making our rafting experience a great one! Highly recommended when in Cairns..

Reviews

5.0

468 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 468 reviews

Out of the world

Joshua_M, Apr 2024

Simply outstanding. From the pick up at Cairns to constantly checking on us at every stage, the crew are just amazing. They are witty, engaging and despite the high adrenaline experience - always makes us feel safe during the rapids. A must-do on your trip to Australia.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Woooo! Thank you Joshua! This one is getting printed for the back office 🌟 How good is that. We really do have the best crew! Love to hear you had such an outstanding experience with us, and that they made your day. We look forward to seeing you again for Round #2 of the Tully!

Great experience

DEON_V, Apr 2024

Great adrenalin rush highly recommended, Viator did not include $30 levy in booking, so don't book with them, book direct with Thunder Tulley Rafting.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Awesome review Deon - thank you! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 We're stoked to hear that you had a fantastic adrenaline rush with us! Thank you for highlighting the levy, it helps future adventurers joining us! Just to clarify for those about to book, the $30 levy is listed under the "What's Included" section (with a X = not included) of our Viator booking - and it's payable on board. Thanks again for choosing us, and we look forward to welcoming you back for more thrilling adventures in the future! 🌊😊

Hidden $30 fee

Caleb_M, Apr 2024

Just want to mention that there is a A$30 "river levy" per person that is not mentioned anywhere on this website, nor in the 2-3 confirmation texts that you get from the rafting company. Even thought the $5 shoe rental is mentioned frequently somehow this never come up until you're on the bus headed out of Cairns. The rest of the tour was very professional, but it's shocking to me that a significant increase to the price like this is somehow overlooked.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you Caleb! We appreciate your feedback and hope your comment helps others locate the Levy on the Viator website - you can find it highlighted in the "What's Included" section on the right hand side. We aim to ensure all costs are transparently communicated prior to the tour, however understand this can easily be missed as you excitedly plan your trip. Your comment highlighted to me that we have made an oversight in not mentioning it in the confirmation texts for those who may have missed this information during the booking process. Thank you! I have reviewed our communication processes to address this issue this morning, with the Levy now included in all future texts - just in case. We're glad to hear that you found the rest of the Tour professional. Thank you for choosing us, and helping us improve - and we hope to see you again soon 🚣‍♂️😊

Terrible experience

Jane_G, Feb 2024

Terrible experience. Despite my wife testing positive for COVID-19 and promptly informing both the tour operator and Viator, they refused to provide a refund, preferring to risk infecting others. This lack of humanity and terrible service is unacceptable. We deserve a refund for our safety and the safety of others. What happened: I booked a full-day white river rafting tour on the Tully River through Viator for our honeymoon trip in Australia. Prior to the tour's commencement, my wife developed a slight fever, and I promptly informed the tour operator about her condition. The following day, she received a positive result from a COVID-19 test kit, confirming her infection. Immediately upon realisation, I again notified the tour operator and reached out to Viator, providing the positive test result and inquiring about a refund. Additionally, I drove to the designated meeting point in Golden Gumboot, Tully, and explained my wife's health status to the team leader of Ranging Thunder (the tour operator), showing him the positive test result. I made it clear that while we desired to participate in the tour, we could not do so for the safety of every member. As a result of the infection, my wife was required to quarantine and was still experiencing fever. Subsequently, we moved on to our next destination. How did the business respond to your request to resolve the issue: To my surprise, despite providing all the necessary information to both Viator and the tour operator, including appearing at the tour meeting point to further explain the situation, my refund request was denied as it fell within the penalty window of 24 hours. They offered to arrange an open-dated ticket for us to reschedule the tour, but this was impractical given that we are not locals and unlikely to return to Australia anytime soon after this unpleasant experience. Both Viator and the tour operator appeared to believe that the other party was not authorised to grant the refund, as evident from the email correspondences.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Hi Jane. We are aware of your unfortunate situation on the day and had offered what we could in which you could not accept. Our terms and conditions clearly state the cancellation policy which was accepted by your party prior to travelling on the tour. The tour agent also has terms and conditions regarding late cancellation and last minute cancellations. You also had the option to recover those lost funds via your travel insurance which we would have gladly helped you attain. We hope your wife recovered and was able to enjoy the rest of time in the region.

Intense rafting

Pam_M, Feb 2024

I have never done this before, and was completely terrified most of the time. The guide was excellent and did a wonderful job, very competent. Would highly recommend if you are up for thrills.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thanks for overcoming your fear and taking on this adventure with us!

Very Cool Experience

Crystal_L, Jan 2024

We had a lot of fun going through the level 4 rapids. Even though the rapids were level 4, everyone made sure the trip was safe. The temperature was very mild and gave us a nice rest from the hot summer heat.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Its good to be on this tour with the opportunity to cool down with all that water! :)

Great fun in a stunning environment.

Jennie_E, Sep 2023

The scenery was exceptional, and the rapids great fun. The knowledgeable and friendly guides made me feel quite safe. I wish we had some photos of us going under Ponytail Falls.

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Cheers Jennie for the review!

Best experience in Cairns!

Joshan_M, Aug 2023

Absolutely excellent day out. We had never been white water rafting before so did not know what to expect. Our tour guide and boat guide Jonny was superb. He was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about Tully and rafting and managed our team very well.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Awesome review! Make sure to come back again with friends and family!

Great experience

Ipgyeong_S, Aug 2023

So professional at taking care about our fun and safety! Friendly staff and wonderful environment:) Be careful, Water could be cold and there was no changing room or shower, but you will enjoy nature itself

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Nature is our best friend. :) Great review and please come back again and enjoy!

Natural environment

John_S, Jun 2023

Being on the river in such a beautiful rainforest the guides and other rafters were friendly and informative

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Great to hear you enjoyed rafting the beautiful Tully River John, thanks for traveling with us! 😃

Great day!

Kelly_P, Dec 2019

Was so amazing, worth the long bus ride! If in cairns, it is a must do! Spent the day going down the Rapids and even when falling out, it was a blast! Lunch was served and delicious! Couldnt have asked for a better day

great adventure

sunnysummer2019, Nov 2019

Thank you to Paul for making our rafting experience a great one! Highly recommended when in Cairns..

Best tour ever

Guy_N, Sep 2019

We had a great time. Fantastic fun rafting with vibrant and knowledgable guides in a spectacular setting. Opportunities to jump out and float downstream, slide into a plunge pool and jump off a 5-metre rock if you dare. It doesn't get any better than this.

Wonderful Day of Rafting

Freedom66278195504, Jun 2019

This raft trip is a don't miss, the warm water is not to be believed. Our guide was wonderful, and was always in control of the raft. The lunch provided was very good, and even though it poured rain for the entire trip, we were not cold. (very warm water 25 deg. C) The rapids were excellent this was a first class adventure

Excellent and fun!!

KinM53, May 2019

Superior rafting experience! Good tea/coffee and breakfast. Nice lunch. Friendly guide. Requires good amount of exercise during the activity. Make sure you understand the safety requirement and protect yourselves and others as I saw few peoples got hurt.

OMG this was one of the most fun...

Krystle S, Oct 2017

OMG this was one of the most fun things I've ever done! We decided to book this trip for our last day visiting Australia. Our river guide was, Marty. We were so lucky to have Marty as our river guide, because in our opinion, he was the most experienced AND entertaining : Rafting wasn't too hard, but still exciting. If you know how to follow directions, then you can definitely do this. The views of the surrounding greenery were amazing! It was worth the trip, and the photographer took great pictures of us that we got to show everyone!

Spent a lot of time on the river...

Donald F, Oct 2017

Spent a lot of time on the river waiting for the other 8 boats. When we were moving it was fun. When we changed out of our wet clothes at the end of the day the girls go behind the bus and the men change in front of everyone on the side of the road. It was pouring rain and I'm standing in the mud with clean dry clothes in one hand and a towel in the other and no where to set the dry clothes. When I complained they said That's how we do it in Australia.

Completely taken care of from hotel...

Tricia K, Jul 2017

Completely taken care of from hotel pick up to hotel drop off. Our guide, Morris, was extremely attentive to my nervousness while making it completely adventurous for my husband and three teenage boys. Then during the rafting trip, you walk into the forest and there is literally a BBQ waiting for you! Just a great day, great photos, great guide!!

This was my favorite experience in...

BronT_A, Mar 2017

This was my favorite experience in Australia. There were just enough rapids to keep the adrenaline level high but not raise the fear factor. Our guide was awesome. In my opinion this is a must do for anyone visiting Australia.

Well it was a work out but it was...

LAAKEA M, Jan 2017

Well it was a work out but it was great the guide was awesome and I just would say be sure to bring sunblock. But the only negative thing is the BBQ didn't have many options.

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