Herping in Port Douglas

[Jhilloak44]

Hi all!
Flying all the way from Michigan in July to go on vacation with my mother to Port Douglas. I will be here for a week. She is going for her work so i figured I’d tag along. I’m huge into herping. Have good experience in the field and help at a friends venom lab where i live.

Trying to get some direction on what is going to be the most efficient use of my time while i am here. This is a once in a lifetime trip for me so i want to make sure i can see as many snake species as i can. I have some minor time constraints a few days out of the week. Any direction would be appreciated. If anybody who is local would be willing to meet up with me and help make the most of my experience that would also be much appreciated. Thanks everybody in advanced.

 

[Sdaji]

If it's a once in a lifetime trip, I'd schedule it for just about any month other than July, especially if you're wanting to see snakes. By June the summer activity has fully ended and the springtime mating hasn't really started. You may get lucky and see some mating activity during the day if you really go hard hiking in the right places (you still probably won't see anything because not much is going on that early), but you won't see anything active at night and most likely you'll see nothing, or if you're lucky you may spot small elapids out basking or something. It's a great region to herp, I've had plenty of amazing herping trips up around there, but if I was there in June I probably wouldn't even bother looking. The activity is seasonal and July is about the worst time to be there. By all means get out and about for some walks though - the weather is very comfortable at that time of year and there is plenty to see and do, including plenty of fantastic views in the hills, beautiful rainforest, scenery, beaches etc. It's full of snakes and other reptiles, the snakes just aren't really active in July, and it's not like southern Australia where it's often easy to find them while they're inactive. The time you're going is popular for tourists, because while the snakes love it hot and wet, humans love it cooler and drier. Everyone always think I'm insane for going at the least comfortable part of the year, and as far as my own comfort is concerned, it certainly is bad, but I've thoroughly loved every trip I've done up there. If you do keep your schedule for July, don't get your hopes too high for seeing snakes, but you should have a lovely time there.

 

[Jhilloak44]

If it's a once in a lifetime trip, I'd schedule it for just about any month other than July, especially if you're wanting to see snakes. By June the summer activity has fully ended and the springtime mating hasn't really started. You may get lucky and see some mating activity during the day if you really go hard hiking in the right places (you still probably won't see anything because not much is going on that early), but you won't see anything active at night and most likely you'll see nothing, or if you're lucky you may spot small elapids out basking or something. It's a great region to herp, I've had plenty of amazing herping trips up around there, but if I was there in June I probably wouldn't even bother looking. The activity is seasonal and July is about the worst time to be there. By all means get out and about for some walks though - the weather is very comfortable at that time of year and there is plenty to see and do, including plenty of fantastic views in the hills, beautiful rainforest, scenery, beaches etc. It's full of snakes and other reptiles, the snakes just aren't really active in July, and it's not like southern Australia where it's often easy to find them while they're inactive. The time you're going is popular for tourists, because while the snakes love it hot and wet, humans love it cooler and drier. Everyone always think I'm insane for going at the least comfortable part of the year, and as far as my own comfort is concerned, it certainly is bad, but I've thoroughly loved every trip I've done up there. If you do keep your schedule for July, don't get your hopes too high for seeing snakes, but you should have a lovely time there.

Thanks for that so much man. It’s giving me second thoughts. It’s a free trip for me and the latest date i can schedule it is August 1st - August 10th. So even then im having second thoughts. In hindsight maybe thats why her company scheduled the trips during this time hahaha. Man I’m bummed. My other choice is the Yucatán peninsula. I might have to save me one coins and go to Australia on my own dime the right time of the year to really make it memorable for me. Thanks for the help brother.

 

[Sdaji]

Thanks for that so much man. It’s giving me second thoughts. It’s a free trip for me and the latest date i can schedule it is August 1st - August 10th. So even then im having second thoughts. In hindsight maybe thats why her company scheduled the trips during this time hahaha. Man I’m bummed. My other choice is the Yucatán peninsula. I might have to save me one coins and go to Australia on my own dime the right time of the year to really make it memorable for me. Thanks for the help brother.

In August you might start having some springtime activity, but you'll have to work hard and know the right places to go, it won't be easy. August isn't *the* worst month, but it's still not great, especially early August. September and you'll start seeing more early activity, but you'll still have to work for it.

Haha, as far as the company scheduling trips for that month, they probably would think they're doing you a favour - it's the best time of year from the perspective of tourists, mostly because of the weather, but as a tiny bonus almost no one thinks about, no snakes is for most people a good thing.

The difference between a good trip and a bad trip in that region, even at the right time of year, is massive. I've been up there several times because I spent decades living in Australia (and by unlikely coincidence was trapped in Australia for 3.5 years starting in 2020 when a one week visit to Australia just happened to start immediately before the government said no one could leave! longest week of my life! But I did make a few trips up there, and travelled right around Australia during those years, so at least I made the most of it). Being at the right place at the wrong time, though, is the difference between seeing heaps and seeing nothing. If you have the opportunity to come on someone else's dime and it's a rare opportunity, by all means do it! Even if you don't see any snakes, as a non Australian I would absolutely leap at the opportunity to have a free holiday in Australia - I still visit Australia once or twice per year and that's paid for out of my own pocket. You can also use the opportunity to meet people, make contacts and plan for a really good trip done properly when you pay for it yourself.

I personally almost never do it and would sort of rather fail to find things on my own than pay for someone to hold my hand and show me everything, but your best best in guaranteeing you see things would be to hire a local herper to take you out and show you. Local knowledge hugely increases what you see.

I can't give any advice about Yucatan! It would be super exciting for me though!

 

[HadesPanther]

Hey mate! The Yucatan is absolutely where you want to be in July. That's the period where the snakes are the most active, you'll see interesting species like corals, boas, etc pretty easily. Maybe even S.Spilotes if you're lucky. I'd come back to Aus later if I was you.