Category Cairns Tours & Day Trips

Australia · CAIRNS TOURS & DAY TRIPS

Top 15 Cairns Tours and Day Trips

51 reviewed

Cairns is a small city with a very large diary: reef in one direction, rainforest in the other, a cable car over the top of both. These are the Cairns days worth booking, with prices, pickup times, and a note on which pair well back to back if you only have seventy two hours in far north Queensland.

Great Barrier Reef Snorkeling and Diving Cruise from Cairns

Great Barrier Reef Snorkeling and Diving Cruise from Cairns - Two Outer Reef Locations: Saxon or Norman First, Hastings Second

1.Great Barrier Reef Snorkeling and Diving Cruise from Cairns

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 3,714 reviews · from $190Our pick

Great Barrier Reef cruise from Cairns with snorkel gear, lycra suit hire, BBQ lunch, two outer reefs, and optional scenic helicopter.

“The trip was SO well organised, even though there is a lot of people on the boat, you don’t even realise because everything runs so smoothly. The reefs we were taken to were absolutely amazing & the staff were especially friendly and helpful all the time. I would 100% reccomend this trip if you want to go to the barrier reef.”

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From Cairns: Great Barrier Reef Cruise by Premium Catamaran

From Cairns: Great Barrier Reef Cruise by Premium Catamaran - Cairns reef departures and the morning flow that keeps things easy

2.From Cairns: Great Barrier Reef Cruise by Premium Catamaran

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 3,567 reviews · 9 hours · from $190

Premium catamaran reef cruise from Cairns with two outer reef stops, snorkeling gear, guided coaching, and a chef-made lunch.

“Crew were highly trained, efficient, couldn’t have been more helpful. Catamaran was clean, smooth on the seas, spacious for the number of people. Timings were spot on. Great Barrier Reef was awesome ofc & Food was super delicious and well appreciated! Thank you so much :)”

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From Cairns: Self-Guided Kuranda Trip with Train and Skyrail

From Cairns: Self-Guided Kuranda Trip with Train and Skyrail - How the Cairns pickup and timing affects your day

3.From Cairns: Self-Guided Kuranda Trip with Train and Skyrail

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 3,392 reviews · 7 hours · from $127

Kuranda Scenic Railway up, Skyrail Rainforest Cableway down over Barron Gorge rainforest. Hotel pickup in Cairns. 7-hour day.

“We had a great day out. The pick up, tour explanation and collection at the end of the day were all very efficient and timely. The Kuranda train was amazing and the Sky-rail with stops was brilliant. We highly recommend this to any visitors to Cairns.”

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Cairns: Daintree Rainforest and Mossman Gorge Tour

Cairns: Daintree Rainforest and Mossman Gorge Tour - Cairns to Port Douglas: The Coastal Drive Part You Will Actually Remember

4.Cairns: Daintree Rainforest and Mossman Gorge Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 2,485 reviews · 11 hours · from $145

Cairns to Daintree and Mossman Gorge in one full day, with a rainforest swim, Welcome to Country ceremony, wildlife cruise, and Cape Tribulation.

“John was fantastic and so incredibly full of knowledge. So much packed into the day but wasn’t too much! Incredible day would highly recommend”

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Cairns: Outer Edges of The Great Barrier Reef Scenic Flight

Cairns: Outer Edges of The Great Barrier Reef Scenic Flight - Getting to Daintree Air Services Without a Stressy Start

5.Cairns: Outer Edges of The Great Barrier Reef Scenic Flight

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 2,376 reviews · from $151

40-minute flight above Cairns and the Outer Great Barrier Reef with headsets, pilot commentary, and views from Green Island to Arlington.

“Best experience and great price for what’s the final outcome! Especially the pilot of that day (26/7 at 1pm) was super nice and asked who wanted pics in front of the plane ☺️ Definitely recommended”

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Cairns: Fitzroy Island Full-Day Trip with Optional Extras

Cairns: Fitzroy Island Full-Day Trip with Optional Extras - Getting there fast: the ferry timing and how to use your day

Barron Gorge White Water Rafting from Cairns or Port Douglas

Barron Gorge White Water Rafting from Cairns or Port Douglas - Pickup times that actually line up with an afternoon plan

From Cairns: Full-Day Green Island Cruise

From Cairns: Full-Day Green Island Cruise - Leaving Cairns: Your Catamaran Day Starts at Marlin Wharf

8.From Cairns: Full-Day Green Island Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,584 reviews · 8 hours · from $77

Full-day cruise from Cairns to Green Island with snorkeling gear, beach time, and optional semi-submarine or glass-bottom reef tours.

“Was good, but while booking the included activities were not clear and we had some misunderstandings. As it states snorkeling and glass bottom boat cruise is included, however upon arrival it was a separate activity and should be paid for separately. Other than that, Green Island is worth seeing.”

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From Cairns: Daintree Rainforest & Cape Tribulation 4WD Tour

From Cairns: Daintree Rainforest & Cape Tribulation 4WD Tour - Daintree Cruise Centre Stop: A Small Break Before Crocodiles

Cairns: Outer and Coral Cay Snorkel and Dive Cruise

Cairns: Outer and Coral Cay Snorkel and Dive Cruise - The fast 20m catamaran routine: coffee first, reef second

Cairns: Great Barrier Reef Full-Day Tour

Cairns: Great Barrier Reef Full-Day Tour - Getting on the AquaQuest: The 8:00AM Check-In That Keeps It Smooth

11.Cairns: Great Barrier Reef Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 1,432 reviews · from $181

Outer reef snorkeling from Cairns with AquaQuest, two exclusive sites, guided gear, meals, and hot showers for a full 8-hour reef day.

“Great day spent on the barrier reef. Spent the day at 2 different reefs and seen plenty of fish, coral and even two small sharks. The lunchtime food was a fantastic selection of cold meats, salad, bread and chicken wings. Tea and coffee was supplied all day for no extra costs. The guides were brilliant, explained to us exactly what we were going to be doing and at what times and were very friendly. Had plenty of time to explore each reef (not exactly sure how long but well over an hour at each one). Only downside would probably be the toilets on the boat, would have been nice to…”

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Cairns: Great Barrier Reef Half-Day Snorkelling Tour

Cairns: Great Barrier Reef Half-Day Snorkelling Tour - Meeting at the Pier Shopping Centre, then getting on the boat

12.Cairns: Great Barrier Reef Half-Day Snorkelling Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,326 reviews · 4 hours · from $126

Small-group Cairns half-day Great Barrier Reef snorkel on a fast boat, 1.5 hours guided water time, quality gear, and snacks.

“We had an amazing experience on this snorkel tour. Lily and Bradley were outstanding guides knowledgeable, patient and incredibly supportive in and out of the water. Lincoln added to the great atmosphere with music and good energy and the trainee crew member was also fantastic and eager to help. The team provided plenty of information about the reef, snorkeling locations and marine life and created a fun, welcoming environment throughout the day. Highly recommend this tour for anyone wanting a memorable reef experience.”

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Great Barrier Reef Full Day Tour from Cairns

Great Barrier Reef Full Day Tour from Cairns - Reef time plan: two reef stops, up to five hours exploring

13.Great Barrier Reef Full Day Tour from Cairns

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,316 reviews · from $197

A full day from Cairns to the UNESCO Great Barrier Reef with snorkel or scuba options, gear, two reef locations, and a hot buffet lunch.

“Absolutely incredible experience! The service was outstanding from start to finish, and the snorkeling was even better than we imagined. Everything about this reef tour was perfect — smooth, fun, and unforgettable. We cannot recommend it highly enough!”

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Cairns: Outer Great Barrier Reef Full-Day Tour with Lunch

Cairns: Outer Great Barrier Reef Full-Day Tour with Lunch - Cairns to the Outer Reef: the morning cruise and what it’s for

14.Cairns: Outer Great Barrier Reef Full-Day Tour with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,298 reviews · 8h 30m · from $187

Full-day Outer Great Barrier Reef superyacht from Cairns with 5 hours snorkeling at two reefs, BBQ lunch, and wine and cheese on return.

“Great day out from start to finish, staff were very helpful and just good vibes all round. Bug shout out to Reubon too was a legend and very friendly! Would do this tour again any day of the week!”

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Cairns: Green Island Snorkelling or Glass Bottom Boat

Cairns: Green Island Snorkelling or Glass Bottom Boat - Getting there from Cairns: catamaran timing that changes your day length