Tully River Full-Day Rafting: Cairns, Mission Beach or Self-Drive
Overview
Available languages
12 hours
Mobile ticket
Brace yourself for one of the most intense and exhilarating experiences in Tropical North Queensland— white-water rafting on the mighty Tully River. This full-day adventure plunges you into the heart of Tully Gorge National Park, where fast-flowing water, rugged terrain and rainforest collide to create the ultimate rafting challenge.
Led by expert guides, you’ll spend up to 3 hours charging through powerful Grade 3-4 rapids, tackling steep drops, and navigate swirling currents that will keep your adrenaline pumping from start to finish.
After conquering the river, wind down with a well-earned pub dinner, swap stories with your crew, and relive the day’s epic moments. If you're chasing serious thrills, this is the adventure that delivers.
All gear is provided, and hotel pickup and drop-off from Cairns or Mission Beach, or self-drive (Selected at the time of booking), making it easy to jump straight into the action.
River Levy: $35AUD per person is payable on the day of travel
Additional Info
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have a high level of physical fitness
Children aged 13-17 years require a parent or guardians counter signature on the waiver form
Minimum age: 13 years to participate in Rafting
IMPORTANT: Please note that all participants must have a competent swimming ability and be able to understand and follow River Guide instructions in English to take part in Tully River rafting. This is essential for your safety. English speaking and comprehension will be assessed by our River Guides at the time of pick-up. If there are any concerns regarding a guest’s ability to understand instructions or communicate effectively with the guides, participation may not be permitted.
Not suitable for suitable for pregnant travelers
What To Expect
Tully River
Spend up to 3 hours on the mighty Tully River.
El Arish
Enjoy a hearty pub dinner at El Arish.
Options
Tully Rafting - Mission Beach
Hearty Pub Dinner Departing Mission Beach: Pick ups start in Mission Beach at 11:45am Return 8:15pm Pickup included
Tully Rafting - Self Drive
Hearty Pub Dinner Meet at Golden Gumboot: Meet at The Golden Gumboot - Tully at 12:45pm Return 8:15pm
Tully Rafting - Cairns
Hearty Pub Dinner Departs Cairns: Pick ups in Cairns start at 10am Returns 10pm Pickup included
What‘s Included
Meal *Please advise dietary requirements at time of booking*
Experienced river guides
Hotel pickup and drop off from Cairns or Mission Beach (If option is selected)
All rafting equipment and training provided
Shoe hire or sunglass straps ($5pp if required)
Photo package (available for purchase)
Rafting Levy
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
687 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Rocky ride, great fun!
GavinP568,Jun 22, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great fun on the water! Rocky kept the vibe going from the minute we got on the bus and all the way down the river. Endlessly entertaining and his knowledge of the local ecosystem was surprising in its detail. Rocky was proactive with safety, including radioing ahead for an extra thermal layer as my friend was really feeling the cold. Highly recommended. Great fun! Bribe someone to get into Rocky’s raft. You’ll thank me later.
Unreliable execution – excursion canceled the day before at 3:00 PM.
Jens B,Jun 13, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00We received confirmation of the excursion again at 9:00 AM the day before and then traveled to the vicinity of the starting point. At 3:00 PM, we unexpectedly received an email canceling the excursion. Although other options were mentioned as alternatives, they were several hundred kilometers away and therefore not feasible for us. That was absolutely impractical for us and very disappointing. Overall, the last-minute cancellation after we had already traveled there upset us greatly and severely disappointed our expectations. We would have wished for significantly more reliability and better communication here.
What an amazing...
Rebecca G,Jun 8, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00What an amazing experience on the Tully River! The rafting was so much fun from start to finish. The guides were highly trained, professional, and made everyone feel safe and confident while still keeping the adventure exciting. The scenery along the river was absolutely stunning, with beautiful rainforest views and crystal-clear water adding to the experience. The whole team was friendly, organised, and passionate about what they do. If you're looking for an unforgettable adventure in Far North Queensland, I highly recommend Tully River rafting. A fantastic day out and definitely a highlight of our trip!
Great fun!
G4065BCchristinah,May 29, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Well organised, great fun and excellent guides with a lot of attention to safety. The meal at the end was subpar. I would have preferred they distributed snacks and got back to Cairns earlier as it's a very long day. (Of course, this is where they pitch the ($59!!) photos.) The river fee should be included in the price not collected on the bus with a surcharge. I imagine they don't want to include it as it would make the price too expensive.
Awesome trip, worth every minute!
Chris S,May 9, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Jack was our guide, he killed it! Great trip, best white water rafting trip I have ever been on! 2 hr ride was so worth it. Food and watching the slides afterward at the pub, great way to end the day!
Do this tour, its so much fun
Hilary W,May 9, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Amazing and thrilling rafting, great amount of rapids to paddle through Erin was a great guide, made us feel safe in the raft , but made the whole river journey so much fun, this tour is the one thing I would definitely rebook
Spectacular day on the Tully River
layahnayj,Apr 21, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00My husband and I decided to do White Water Rafting rather than a trip to the Barrier Reef as the weather was a little unsettled. We had a fantastic day with Raging Thunder Adventures. Everything was well organised and the staff were very friendly and professional. This was our 2nd time White Water Rafting, the first was in Nepal. We would highly recommend the Tully River as the water is beautiful, the rapids are so much fun and the scenery down the river is spectacular. We were blessed to have Dazza as our guide and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience with him, he was so knowledgeable, personable and professional. After the day’s adventures we had a meal at a country pub on the way back to Cairns. We thoroughly recommend this experience.
Amazing - worth it - would do it again (and again)
Compass688950,Apr 18, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had an absolute blast. Our guide, Julian, was a gem! Funny, confident, and knowledgeable! My dad (81) loved it too. Would do it again in a heart beat!
Great rafting experience
Denise Z,Apr 6, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00The best rafting trip I have ever booked. The rapids were very challenging giving us an adrenaline rush every few minutes. The scenery is beautiful, the water temperature was cool but not that cold that you cant swim. Our guide Jack gave us almost military training before we left which provided us with the skills to challenge the very strong 13km river currents. Great battered fish and chip meal at the pub. An another big plus capturing all the moments for us in the pictures they sold. Well done guys we really had a good time. Highly recommend it.
Exciting and safe rafting experience
Trail08957050156,Apr 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Glad to have Paul as our guide, he is not only professional, but also very encouraging and funny. We were pretty nervous the day before but everything went smoothly! Overall an exciting but safe raft ride! Would recommend everyone to try
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