Guide Training Immersion 4-Days
Australia, QLD – Daintree Siesta – October 2026
- October 11, 2026
- to
- October 15, 2026
- Enrollment Open
An opportunity to connect with other guides from other cohorts and learn from the shared experiences.
If you have completed at least module 4 and submitted the corresponding assignments, of the six-month remote Forest Therapy Guide Training you’re eligible to apply. Completion of this immersion and the six-month training fulfills the requirements for full Certification. When space is available, ANFT-trained guides who have completed training in any past cohort can also participate. Please note that priority goes to students who need to take the immersion to get fully certified. Therefore, when you apply, you’ll be put on a waitlist until three weeks before the start of the immersion.
A 4 day in-person gathering, with 1 or 2 trainers, and people from different cohorts where you will have the opportunity to apply what you learned, experience in-person forest therapy walks and simply connect and share experiences and stories with other guides.
In this immersion, you will:
- Get a hands on experience of what you learned
- Get to know trainers personally
- Get to know other guides and connect
- Learn from shared experiences with other guides
- Deepen into the practice
- Get the opportunity to ask specific questions that might come up
Once you complete this four-day immersion, your certification will be moved from provisional to permanent. You have two years after you complete the six month core training course to complete an immersion. It will help to give you a sense of the community of guides that has grown and is active throughout the world.
About the Venue
Daintree Siesta
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lhV3-39sPs\
Located in the heart of this UNESCO World heritage listed Daintree Rainforest in Tropical North Queensland, Australia, Daintree Siesta Accommodation offers comfortable air-conditioned rooms and is central for all attractions in the Daintree and Cape Tribulation region. This property features exclusive rainforest walking trails, on-site restaurant and free parking. Your hosts Tamara (certified ANFT guide) and Bruce Scenna and family are passionate about the rainforest and conservation of this pristine environment and its unique wildlife. They warmly welcome you to share in the magic of this special place.
This is the World’s most ancient tropical rainforest so come prepared for warm humid and possibly wet weather.
There is much to see and experience in the surrounding region, and you may choose to allow extra time before or after the immersion to explore.
Highlights include the Great Barrier Reef, Mossman Gorge, Kuranda Railway, and the vibrant coastal town of Port Douglas.
Please note that all visits to local attractions must be self-organised and planned around the immersion schedule.
Lodging
LODGING
Please note- ALL PRICES ARE IN AUSTRALIAN AUD$
BOOKING – directly with the venue:
Daintree Siesta is rustic, relaxed, and unpretentious — just the way Tamara and Bruno your hosts like it. The accommodation is simple yet comfortable, offering all you need to feel at home in the remote rainforest.
Choose between single or shared air-conditioned cabins (offered on a first come, first serve basis.) Powered and unpowered camping sites are also available for tents, caravans, and motorhomes.
*Cost includes dinner
Rooms No of rooms Cost incl dinner
Available x4 nights per person
Queen room –
single occupancy 3 A$804
Twin Room shared between
2 pax (1 queen, 1 single) 2 A$474
Family Room shared between
3 pax (1 queen, 2 singles) 5 A$364
Camping *not powered A$244
Camping *powered site A$324
All bed linen is supplied, plus towels for the pool.
All participants must stay on site.
Please book accommodation directly with the venue once your ANFT registration has been confirmed.
Meals
Meals are a blend of self-catering and on-site dining. Daintree Siesta sources food and other products locally where possible, to support the local economy and reduce transport impacts. This includes Mungalli milk, Daintree Tea, and locally sourced salad items. Breakfast: self-catered. Each room is equipped with a mini fridge, toaster, and kettle for simple meal preparation. Campers can access a camp kitchen. Lunch: order from à la carte from the on-site restaurant menu, and enjoy a 20% discount as part of your stay. Dinner: shared group experience: expect generous plates, fresh ingredients and dishes inspired by good, simple flavours. X 4 dinners are included in your accommodation fee. Special dietary requirements can be accommodated; advance notice is required. MEALS: Breakfast – BYO please bring enough food with you as there are no local shops close to the venue. Lunch – a la carte menu is not included in the fees. Prices range from approx. A$20 to A$45 per meal and a 20% discount applies
Transportation
Getting to the Daintree Rainforest is part of the adventure. Daintree Siesta is approximately 2.5 hours drive from Cairns along a scenic sealed road. The journey includes a car ferry crossing.
Participants can join a shuttle van departing from Cairns CBD at approximately 11.00am on Sunday October 11. There will also be a van back to Cairns on the last day of the immersion. Please note – bookings are essential.
Private car or motorhome hire is also an option for those who wish to self-drive.
Detailed travel directions will be provided following registration along with a link for sharing transport options.
Schedule Details
Arrival
Arrival-
Check in from 2pm Sunday October 11th 2026
Program start-
Orientation Circle 6pm
Departure
Check out-
11am Thursday October 15th 2026
Program ends- 2pm
General Notes
At Daintree Siesta there is no wi-fi and limited mobile reception. You can ask reception about local network hot spots if required. Otherwise, enjoy switching off and take a break from the hustle and bustle of regular life, listening to the calls of the wild around you.
VENUE POLICIES
Shut off date for Event Registration will be August 30th 2026 – 6 weeks prior to event start date.
A 25% deposit is required to secure your booking. This is payable by bank card directly to Daintree Siesta. The remaining balance is payable on arrival along with the Sundries charge payable at our onsite event registration (cash required for this).
Your deposit is fully refundable up to 4 weeks prior to the retreat start date.
Cancellations made within 4 weeks of the immersion start date will result in the loss of your deposit.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION before registering for this event.
Sundries charge – a one-off payment on arrival of A$500 is required to cover extra costs incurred and not included in the accommodation fee.
Food:
Breakfast – BYO please bring enough food with you as there are no local shops close to the venue.
Lunch – a la carte menu is not included in the fees. Prices range from approx. A$20 to A$45 per meal and there is a 20% discount.
Dinner is included – limited special dietary requirements are available.
Transport:
Shuttlebus from Cairns: approx A$160 pp return
or budget for Car Hire and petrol expenses
Ride sharing and Accommodation options:
For anyone interested in ride sharing/room sharing you will have the option to provide your travel details and contact information after registering with ANFT in order to connect with others who are also registered for the Immersion
Tuition
The tuition for the four-day immersion is 495 (USD). Wait to pay until you are ready to register for a specific immersion. You will have two years from the completion of your core guide training to do the immersion.
Immersion tuition does not include transportation, lodging or camping fees and food. These expenses are separate from the program costs for the four-day immersion and are the responsibility of the trainee.
IMPORTANT: Please wait until you receive enrollment confirmation before booking travel and lodging.
Tuition figures are subject to change.
Training Team
- Vicky Kyan
- Vix found her heart’s calling in California where she trained as a guide with Amos Clifford in Cohort 2, May 2015. She was the first guide in the Australasia region to train with ANFT and feels honoured to be a member of the training and mentoring team, supporting new guides for the last 9 years. Her passion is helping to build and maintain an active network of ANFT trained guides in the Australasia region. Vix is a proud mother of x3 adults and grandmother to x 3 young boys and has worked with people in various roles from special needs teacher and holistic life-coach to healer and entrepreneur. These skills and other colourful life experiences as a longtime lover of travel have all helped inform her passion and capacity as a guide and trainer - she feels most comfortable when guiding, and when mentoring and supporting others to shine and step into their unique gifts and place of belonging. She lives an off-grid lifestyle on Aotea Great Barrier Island, Aotearoa NZ where she runs a small business called WaiOra Wellbeing from her peaceful beachfront retreat. She offers a range of bespoke nature-based experiences mostly for tourists and those seeking rest, deeper insight and connection. Vix has pioneered the practice of Nature bathing, often taking this experience out of the forest and onto the beautiful beaches and estuaries of her island home. This is her turangawaewae, her standing place in the world from where she feels a sense of gratitude for and deep connection to the earth, the elements and the ocean on her doorstep.
- Monique Ross
- Mon is a woman of the mountains and the sea. A former news journalist, she stumbled across Forest Therapy while struggling with burnout, and felt an immediate sense of homecoming – more like remembering than discovering. She trained with the Gingko cohort towards the end of 2020, and left the newsroom behind to establish Heartwood Nature Bathing. She runs small group experiences in Magandjin/Brisbane, on the unceded lands of the Yuggera and Turrbal people. The co-author of This Working Life: How to Navigate Your Career in Uncertain Times, Mon is passionate about helping workplaces harness the restorative benefits of nature connection. She has worked with organisations including Ernst and Young, AllTrails, and Bupa. Mon also facilitates Grief Circles, holding space with nature for people experiencing loss. Mon is also a fibre artist specialising in contemporary weaving. She facilitates regular weaving workshops and hosts a free monthly Weaving Circle to build community. She feels a deep sense of purpose in her heart-led work, which constantly helps her return to her true nature. Mon spends part of the year on Yunbenun/Magnetic Island in North Queensland, where she loves to explore the wild coastline by sea kayak.
Certification Pathway
STEP 1
6-Month Remote Training
You will start with a 6-month remote training, covering the content on live calls with the support of your trainers, fellow students, a very user friendly learning platform, many self exploration and nature connection activities that are done outside. After completing this training you get a provisional certification as a Certified Forest Therapy Guide. To view the available trainings scroll down
STEP 2
4-Day In-Person Immersion
After completing module 4 you can apply to attend a 4-day in-person immersion, for hands on forest therapy guiding experience with trainers and fellow students. You have two years time to complete this step.
STEP 3
Get Your Certification
After completing the 6-month remote training and the 4-day in- person immersion, you will receive your permanent certification as an ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Guide and be part of the largest Forest Therapy Guide Community Worldwide.