Things to do in  Cairns & the Tropical North

A great slow cruise around the harbour and mangroves. Beautiful to see the Cairns skyline by night. Bruce our guide/skipper gave us some nice commentary along the way.

Definitely go to the reef and I have to say this boat was by far the nicest in Cairns. Not to mention the crew were spectacular. If do this - make sure to do the helicopter ride as well! That was the icing on the cake. Unreal to see the great barrier reef from above!

Cairns is a great place to visit and start yours tours. Great tourist guide. Daintree fain forest, breath taking water falls, Mossman gorge,

Excellent day - beautiful helicopter ride, fun activities on Green Island including a glass bottom boat ride and snorkeling. Was a day in Paradise. Good restaurant, pool and showers plus such kind, helpful folks at the heliport office in Cairns and in the Dive Shop on Green Island. A must do!

The trip was well planned and I enjoyed all of the stops. The bus ride from Cairns was long so only time enough to see just a small fraction of each place. The bus was comfortable and Josh was an excellent driver. Josh and Stu were great guides with a true passion for wild life and nature.

Great half day tour to get acclimated to Cairns with Michelle. Started at the Cathedral to see the strained glass and then a stop at the Museum. Lovely stop for tea and scones and then stops to see the views and the beach. Great to be picked up and dropped off at our hotel. Thanks Michelle!

It's a great place to visit. we had a fantastic experience at Hartley. Recommend not to miss this place when you are in Cairns

With a limited time for Cairns we wanted to see as much as possible. Scott and Down Under Tours provided an amazing experience. We would love to have had more time in each place but time was the limiter. The best part was the river cruise, where we saw 3 crocks, a tree snake and numerous birds. On the bus itself, Scott, our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly and answered all of our questions. We had the exceptional luck of seeing a daddy Cassowary and a baby while driving.

We had another brilliant experience with Cairns Adventure Group on the Atherton Tablelands Waterfalls and Rainforest Day Tour. Josh, our guide, was exceptional, providing us with extensive knowledge and creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The lush rainforest, breathtaking waterfalls, and well-planned itinerary made for an unforgettable journey. Cairns Adventure Group's attention to detail and commitment to delivering top-notch experiences shone through once again. Highly recommended for nature lovers and adventure seekers. 🌿🌊🌟

Very efficient service provider was waiting at the airport. Informative drive to accommodation and made us feel welcome to the Cairns district. Would certainly use this service again. No problems and no disappointments, and apart from the unusual weather conditions ( very strong SSE winds), we managed to enjoy the region from Port Douglas to Cairns city. There are plenty of tourist attractions to visit and enjoy and the entire region is a playground for the younger generation. The food outlets are exceptional and we managed to dine at most. a thoroughly enjoyable week.

We booked a really great tour with Discovery Australia Tours through Viator. They quickly confirmed a pick up at our hotel in Cairns, which made it very convenient for a long day of exploration. Our tour guide, Steve, was really great. Nice guy, very informative. The Daintree Rainforest and National Park was probably our favorite place – really wonderful scenery. The river boat ride was excellent, made even more so by a number of crocodile sitings. All in all, it was a great way to see this incredible part of North Queensland – a long day, but well worth it. We highly recommend this tour!

I couldn't make the tour because my group was exhausted from the earlier days activities and the tour operator went out of their way to make sure that my group was free to join at any point in the tour. They were so good at communication and just lovely people. I look forward to the day I actually get to meet them. Thank you for making us feel so welcome and accommodated on our first day in Cairns.

The experience of snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef is amazing. The jetty was easy to find, near Cairns city. The staff were nice. The boat ride there was nice, I would say sit at the upper deck but if it's too hot for you the lower deck is air-conditioned. We collected the snorkel gear once we boarded the boat so we could use it before our scheduled snorkel tour. Definitely snorkel around the coast by yourself, there are corals right there (managed to see a small shark, stingrays, corals and a lot of fish). Try on the flipper on the boat upon collection just to make sure your foot really fits snug. Always swim with the full suit - the risk of jellyfish is real. For the snorkeling tour, definitely go for it. They'll bring you further out where you can see a lot more mature corals and it's super beautiful. If it's your first time snorkeling/are not confident swimming in the ocean, get the life vest along with the snorkeling gear. Definitely rent a gopro. The staff are super good at their job, very sharp eyes to point out things to you, they know a lot about the reef, and they'll keep you safe - they responded super fast to my friend who had a leg cramp halfway through the tour. On Fitzroy Island, there's like one place to have lunch. It starts lunch service at 11.30, reach around then so you don't have to wait long for food. Portion for mains are pretty big. Wear/bring comfortable shoes if you want to do a hike to the lighthouse or summit. Definitely go to Nudey Beach. There are lockers you can rent for $9 for 4 hours if I remember correctly - useful if you brought stuff that you are not comfortable leaving around as you have fun in the water. We went in April, it's tropical weather there, so it is hot and humid.

Chance to see so many different colorful fish. The staff were very friendly. They accommodated us even when we came a day ahead of schedule. One staff Indigo was outstanding in helping us around the facility including getting us in the group tour on the same day that was also scheduled the following day. All in all best time at the Cairns and the group tour. Chris the small grp tour guide very knowledgeable and friendly.

My wife and I enjoyed this tour immensely! What an opportunity to see the natural beauty around Cairns! There were several stops at places to swim, including at picturesque waterfalls and national parks. It was a long day on a bus, but our guide did what he was able to maximize our time exploring each site. The one downside was the lunch. It could be vastly improved. There were limited options. Even though we went to what looked like a restaurant, the lasagna tasted like heated frozen food. It took 20 mins for our food to be served. Also, a bottled water/soft drink was not included, but should be.

We had a fabulous experience on the skyrail and Gold Class Scenic Railway. Picked up at a location close to our hotel as we were in Cairns. Lovely bus driver that gave us helpful and information about our pending trip. Everyone was friendly and helpful and we were placed with two lovely young men in the Gondola that we spent the afternoon with. Nice stops on the Gondola ride to see the forrest and the falls were in full rushing mode so beautiful. Our train ride back was fabulous. The lovely and amazing Vivian and Aiko looked after us with beverages and light refreshments on the journey home. They also informed us of upcoming photo opportunities. It was a fabulous journey. We were disappointed with the village as mostly it was clothing stalls. A shout out for Suzi's cafe. There was such high demand but well worth the wait. Food was fabulous and great prices.

The boat was well staffed and they were all super friendly. A pretty decent spread was offered for lunch too, so you definitely won’t go hungry. Cairns delivered great weather that day so the crew took us to a reef that they don’t often get to visit so that was a bonus. In transit they also provided a talk to provide more knowledge on the reefs. Really well organized between getting the divers vs snorkelers out and back in, and we felt very safe. All equipment was provided. Bring a go pro or waterproof camera is a MUST. You’ll definitely have fun with this crew. Thank you team!!

Michael was so lovely in organising the tour and even when there was an issue due to the rainfall and we couldn’t do the train he made sure we had the best day still and we did the Skyrail return and honestly I wasn’t too upset as it was beautiful and I was happy to do it twice. I booked the koala gardens in advance so I could have a photo with a Koala and Michael gave me all the timings to be able to do this and sent me all the links I needed for this. The village itself is beautiful with lots of markers and lots to look around. Overall a lovely first day in cairns and I had a great tour.

The most incredible day out! Beautiful reef locations and so much to see both diving and snorkelling. I was booked for one dive and was allowed to book a second on board which I was grateful for. Ben was my dive guide and he was amazing, he pointed out so many things and found us a turtle and several sharks which was amazing. Very helpful and thorough with all diving aspects and lovely to talk to. All the staff were so friendly and happy to talk and have fun which was great. The food was great, a hot bbq of steak and fish were delicious with prawns, salad and sides available. They had an underwater photographer who was amazing and made sure she got photos of everyone which were available to buy. They also offered guided snorkel tours and a glass bottom boat/submersible so lots of things available for everyone to do in and out of the water. Overall a really amazing day and I will certainly be booking again on my next trip to Cairns.

This was a wonderful tour and I highly recommend it. They picked us up on time at our hotel. Michelle was an outstanding tour guide. She has a smile, an upbeat comment, and unabashed love for the town and activities. We even got to see Barron Gorge in a torrential downpour as a rushing, turbulent river. Surprise Waterfall was certainly a surprising sight!!! St. Monica's Cathedral with its magnificent windows, Cairns Museum, and the Botanical Gardens also highlighted this tour. 4 adults ages ranged from 60-80.