Maiala Rainforest Tour
Description
• Immerse yourself in lush subtropical rainforest • Guided wildlife spotting and birdwatching • See wild pademelons in their natural habitat • Ancient trees and rich rainforest flora • Scenic lookouts and peaceful forest walks Escape the city and step into the cool, green world of the subtropical rainforest on this relaxed, small-group nature experience. Designed for travelers who enjoy quiet immersion in nature. At Maiala, we explore a peaceful walking track through an ancient forest, where towering trees, lush ferns, and a rich canopy create a truly immersive environment. The rainforest is alive with sound, and your guide will help you tune into the distinctive calls of species such as the Whipbird, Catbird, and Wompoo Fruit Dove. With patience and a bit of luck, these birds can be spotted among the foliage. In the afternoon, we continue on the western side of the mountain, where scenic lookouts offer beautiful views across the forested landscape.
Tour Options
Itinerary
After picking you up, we drive up to Mount Glorious. The winding road to the Maiala walking track goes through the subtropical rainforest of the D’Aguilar National Park. This scenic drive has spectacular and stunning natural features.
Starting at the Rainforest circuit we will wander through a magical forest of strangler figs, ferns, palms, fungi, and climbing lianas. We will admire the majestic beauty of an old Sydney blue gum, a magnificent survivor of the eucalypt forest that once dominated this area. The characteristic calls of the Whipbird, Catbird, and Woompo Dove will hopefully help you to spot them. Besides the countless little birds, you might be lucky to see skinks, Land Mullets or Lace Monitors.
We will continue towards The Green Falls along the boardwalk and admire giant fig trees, twisted roots and colourful flowers and fungi decorating the forest floor. Pademelons and log runners can be seen creeping out from the shady undergrowth. Near the creeks, we will spot the holes where the endangered Mount Glorious spiny crayfish, a shy, nocturnal creature can be found. There can be water found in the waterfall year-round but is at its best after heavy rain. The walk to the falls is mostly downhill, so be prepared for an uphill return trip.
We continue on the Cypress Grove Track. This is a short walk branching off the Rainforest circuit. The walk weaves through large eucalypt trees, vines, and a small grove of native cypress pines. We may spot white-browed scrubwrens darting in and out of the disturbed leaf litter on the hunt for small insects. We will also be on the lookout to find one of their beautiful nests build in the vines. Often the Catbird can be heard and seen on this track.
We will walk back to the Rainforest on our way to the recreation area. On our way, we will notice open spaces in the canopy. After heavy rain and storms, some big trees fall over. These patches are ideal for a new generation of trees to create a new canopy. We will have our lunch and refreshments at the beautiful picnic area.
At the recreation area, we will get the kettle boiling for some coffee or thee. It is a wonderful place to enjoy a picnic. We can admire the big Bunya Pine and a wonderful Moreton Bay fig. There will be plenty of birdlife around us to admire.
After our picnic, we will walk to the Western Window lookout, where we can enjoy expansive views over the rolling landscape to the west. On a clear day, you can see Cunninghams Gap and Mount Barney, so don't forget to bring your camera! We will continue with a short circuit of the Westridge track and encounter some more impressive trees.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick up can be arranged from your holiday accommodation. Please let me know where you're staying, and we'll take it from there.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Don't book the tour when you are unwell
Reviews(19)
Malala is incredible. The trails are well maintained and not strenuous. Anita’s knowledge and enthusiasm made the walk very informative as she described the various animals, insects, birds and trees.
Hi Robert, Thanks for your great review. I am glad we had a wonderful day in the rainforest and that you enjoyed the tour. Hope you have a great trip in New Zealand and leave Down Under with great memories.
Really nice experience with a great and experienced guide. Rainforest is beautiful and worth exploring for a day. Saw lots of animals and interesting plants. Thanks Anita!
Thanks, Steven, for your kind review and great company. ;)
We had an absolutely splendid day in Anita’s company - she is the owner of Brisbane Nature Tours. Anita drove us from our hotel downtown to the Maiala Rainforest north of Brisbane, where we spent a good portion of the day with our most knowledgeable guide. She was totally amazing and extremely familiar with all the plants and animals living in this beautiful rainforest. We appreciated finding out about all this, and we also enjoyed various lookout points, including over the beautiful waterfalls. Anita was a treat to have as a guide and we valued her expertise, enthusiasm and good company. An excellent way to learn so much about the local rainforest.
Thanks so much for your fantastic review. It was a great day out in your enthusiastic company. I am delighted you enjoyed it ;) Safe travels. Anita :)
Relaxing, beautiful rainforest tour with an opportunity to learn about the nature in the area and time to take it all in. We saw a lot of wildlife on the tour and it was a very small group, so there was plenty of time to ask questions and none of the distractions and delays that are often seen in large group tours.
Thanks so much for your kind review. I am glad you enjoyed the private tour to the fullest. Safe travels Anita ;)
Great experience with Anita, who was very experienced and knowledgeable answering all our questions. Thanks Anita a very enjoyable day. Richie & Curly from 🏴
Thanks, Richi & Curly, for your great company today. It was a very joyful day. Enjoy the rest of your stay in Down Under.
We wound up with a private tour, just the two of us and our knowledgeable and pleasant guide, Anita. She took us on a great walk in the woods, seeing various birds and a pademelon or two, as well as interesting plant life. She clearly knows a lot about the flora and fauna of the region. That walk included a waterfall viewing and two other overlooks. She also prepared a picnic snack, with brewed coffee and tea, and fruit and cookies (Tim Tams 🙂). We had a wonderful time.
Thanks so much for your kind review. You were a lovely couple to have with me on the day for the muddy adventure ;)
Anita was highly professional, very knowledgeable and informative. She took us to an amazing place where nature is mostly untouched and gave us a wonderful experience.
Thanks Natalia for your kind review.
Anita was a great guide - very knowledgeable about the local flora and fauna. Unfortunately, the weather was too wet to make the planned walk enjoyable, but Anita devised an alternative whereby we saw what we could of the rain forest from the road, with stops to see viewpoints, plus we saw more of the surrounding bush country. The highlight was seeing a murmuration of hundreds of cormorants take off from a reservoir.
Thanks, Martin, for your kind review. I am glad the day turned out well, and we could see a lot of different habitats all in one day.
There was a bit of rain at the beginning of the trip, The rainforest displays its unique nature; the smell of the muddy earth, the fresh air, and the beautiful landscape and wildlife, too. After the rain stopped, the sun came out and the sky was clear, which made west window views towards the distance amazing also. Overall, it was a great experience.
Thanks so much for your great review. It was great meeting you, and I wish you much luck with your fantastic career. Anita
My wife and I did a three week tour of Australia where we had a free day in Brisbane. We were lucky that the Malala Rainforest Tour was available on that day. It turned out to be one of our favorite excursions of the trip. It was apparent from the start how much passion that Anita has for nature and sharing her knowledge of the outdoors. She pointed out many details about the plants and the life of the rainforest that if we would have missed if we were on our own. She was also very accommodating by picking us up around the corner from our hotel rather than from the list of pickup points listed on Viator's web site. After the tour on the drive back to the hotel, Anita was open to sharing here experiences living in Australia. Note that as the web site states that lunch is not included, we did make a pit stop before the rainforest for a bathroom break where you can also purchase items for a later lunch. All in all it was a wonderful experience.
