Daintree day trip from Port Douglas (with a car)

The tour mini buses go all the way up to Cape Tribulation, pretty sure it is bitumen all the way from memory and the Cape Trib beach house is an ideal spot to stay for best to make it a two day trip, it a good half day Cairns ( I assume you are leaving from there ) to Cape Trib and then you can do some walks from there, boardwalks, walk over to the Cape and up Mt Sorrow if you are up to it - and if so take some salt to put down your socks and boots to help deter the leeches and do not stop still in some places as they are tigerish and will even latch on to your boots exterior.
Do not wear sneakers as they'll chew through them in no time just so you can end up with them died blood red.

Good tips, thanks! Leaving from Port Douglas so that cuts an hour or so each way off the trip. Would it be feasible to leave early (say 7ish?) and return late that day? Don't really have time for a two day trip, as I've got a pretty short visit and want to see the reef too

You are better off leaving early and returning later to lessen chances of queuing for the ferry and it starts at 6 am if you want an earlier start, so it'll be about two hours including ferry time if not delayed too much there.
Have a look at http://www.destinationdaintree.com/getting-here-getting-around/driving-times-daintree-ferry for details and other stuff to do.

We visited Daintree on our own 2 years ago. I think we would have seen a lot more on one of the guided tours but they were very pricey. There is a least one Daintree CD you can buy in Port Douglas that will give you some information on the flora and fauna as you drive around--it's better than nothing. You can drive up to Daintree Village for a snack or meal before or after you take the ferry across the Daintree River to drive up to Cape Tribulation. You should plan on trying some of the tropical fruit-flavored ice creams at the Daintree Ice Cream Company on the way to Cape Tribulation. Also be sure to stop and explore the fascinating. rainforest boardwalks along the road. There are a number of them. The boardwalks protect the forest floor from you and vice versa. Last but not least, there are a number of local businesses offering crocodile cruises on the Daintree River. Google "Daintree crocodile cruise." They are scattered along the river between the ferry dock and Daintree Village. The tours are mostly about an hour long for $27-29. One company offers an early morning cruise and a sunset cruise for a bit more--the wildlife is most active at these times. One company offers ultra quiet solar-powered boats. If I were to do it again, I would time my visit to take the Sunset cruise.

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