The Daintree River is a river that rises in the Daintree Rainforest near Cape Tribulation in Far North Queensland, Australia. The river is located about 100 kilometres northwest of Cairns in the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Wet Tropics of Queensland. The area is now primarily a tourist attraction.
The river rises on the slopes of the Great Dividing Range within the Daintree National Park below Kalkajaka at an elevation of 1,270 metres AHD. The river flows in highly meandering course generally north, then east, then south and then east, through the rainforest where the water is fresh. At this convergence point, an abundance of wildlife congregate, particularly fish. The river is joined by two minor tributaries before flowing through the Cairns Marine Park through thick mangrove swamps where the water is highly saline; and then empties into the Coral Sea, north of Wonga Beach. The mouth of the Daintree River opens onto a giant sandbar that shifts with each changing tide. The river descends 1,270 metres over its 127-kilometre course.
The catchment area of the river occupies an 2,107 square kilometres of which an area of 33 square kilometres is composed of estuarine wetlands.
