Best Tour Experiences in Tropical North Queensland

You simply cannot holiday in Cairns without visiting the Great Barrier Reef. Join one of many reef tour providers for a day spent swimming, snorkelling and diving amongst the 400 coral and 1,500 fish species that can be found in this natural world wonder. Try to spot the iconic ‘Great Eight’ marine creatures, which include clownfish, giant clams, manta rays, Maori wrasse, potato cod, sharks, turtles and whales.

A tour with Great Adventures will see you spending three hours on a stable reef activity platform, with activity options to suit both confident and novice swimmers. Snorkel amongst the kaleidoscopic marine life or stay dry during a semi-submersible coral viewing tour. You can also opt to join additional activities at an extra cost, including diving lessons or underwater scootering.

Similarly, the Sunlover Reef Cruises’ Moore Reef tour takes you to a docked pontoon in a peaceful lagoon surrounded by vibrant coral. This tour is a great option for families, with attractions including an interactive touch tank, fish feeding sessions and the only waterslide on the Great Barrier Reef!

For those staying in Port Douglas, the Wavedancer Low Isles cruise is the obvious choice of tour. Sailing onboard a luxury 30-metre catamaran, head towards an unspoilt coral cay island, where you’ll spend the day snorkelling with marine biologists and relaxing on the decks of the catamaran. Visitor numbers on this tour are limited, ensuring you have this tropical paradise all to yourself.

Don’t forget that Tropical North Queensland is home to not just one, but two World Heritage-listed sites. The extraordinary Wet Tropics Rainforest is the oldest tropical rainforest in the world, dating back to the time that dinosaurs wandered the Earth. Spanning 9000 square kilometres, the Wet Tropics Rainforest is home to countless landscapes and landmarks, including 30 national parks. Enrich your Cairns holiday by taking a tour to one of these destinations within the Wet Tropics.

One of the most popular tour experiences from Cairns is the Kuranda Scenic Rail and Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. Offering the best of both worlds, travel to this quirky rainforest village along Tropical North Queensland’s most iconic rail line and soar above the rainforest canopy during the return journey. While in Kuranda, spend a few hours exploring the famous Heritage Markets, the perfect place to pick up a souvenir.

Another iconic spot to add to your bucket list is the Daintree Rainforest. Join Billy Tea Safaris on their full-day Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation Tour, during which you’ll spot crocodiles on a river cruise, uncover history on a guided boardwalk tour, ride 4WDs through the rugged Bloomfield Track and laze on the sands of Cape Tribulation Beach. Plus, you’ll enjoy a stop at Daintree Ice Cream Company, where you can sample an array of exotic homemade flavours.