Cairns Travel Guide
I spent a few years in Townsville, traveling up to Cairns on a regular basis. Who doesn’t love visiting the tropics? It’s a wonderful place to visit, for a day trip or longer stay, there’s plenty to keep you busy!
Expect great weather all year round and feel enlivened with my top 5 activities to do in Cairns.
Green Island
I love heading out to Green Island for the day, or a stay overnight. The Green Island Day Tours will take you out to the Great Barrier Reef and have the experience of a lifetime.
See the hidden ocean world below on a glass-bottom boat, go snorkeling, and swim around the Island. Enjoy amazing food, and a walk to top it off around the Eco Island Walk, exploring nature’s beauty.
Are you a thrill-seeker? Try scuba diving, parasailing kayaking, and so many exciting activities ready to get your blood pumping.
The Green Island Luxury Resort is the perfect paradise to rest after a busy day exploring. With stunning rooms and service, enjoy island life. For a romantic getaway or a trip with friends, Green Island should be on the
Daintree Rainforest
The Daintree Rainforest is about an hour and a half drive from Cairns itself but is very worth the drive. There are some amazing walking trails where you can experience the wonders of the heritage-listed Rainforest. Spend some time at the Daintree Village, enjoying the number of beautiful cafes, or for something a little more adventurous, jump on the Daintree river cruises.
It is a spectacular place to go spend a few days, enjoy a truly amazing rainforest right here in Queensland. See the beauty of nature as it interacts in a complex ecosystem of fauna and flora. Even on a short walk, you’ll experience the many species of critters, some rare, threatened, and even close to extinction. More so than anywhere else in the world.
What I love about the River Cruises is that they are Eco-Certified, low fuel consuming river vessels. With such a beautiful and unique natural environment, we need to work together to protect it for generations to come.
Who doesn’t love to cool off after a long day of exploring? Find an amazing, swimming lagoon right on the Esplanade and overlooking the ocean. On a warm day, enjoy this free local paradise, patrolled by lifeguards for the kids. There are great picnic tables and BBQs nearby to enjoy a hot meal cooked on the Barbie after a tiring swim.
The Lagoon is a 4800sqm saltwater swimming facility that offers an all-year-round, safe, swimming location without stingers and crocodiles. The Lagoon is filled with salt water from the Trinity Inlet which is filtered through a state-of-the-art filtration system.
All the amenities you need, with storage lockers, change rooms, and showers nearby as well. A chill way to spend your afternoon, splashing around on a hot and humid day in Cairns.
This nature park set amongst a World Heritage Rainforest is only a 30-minute drive from Cairns. Experience local Indigenous culture on a Dreamtime Walk, learning Boomerang throwing, spear throwing, and how to play the didgeridoo. Connect with Australian history and learn more about the way our Indigenous people lived.
Stop off and have some lunch at some of the best restaurants in the area. Afterward, head out on a rainforest tour onboard an amphibious World War II Army Duck, seeing more of the native wildlife and ecosystem.
Take it from me! I’ve been a few times now and would love to return and experience it all over again.
Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, smells, and tranquility of one of the world’s most botanically fascinating areas, remaining relatively unchanged for 130 million years.
The Skyrail Rainforest Cableway is a unique experience that is an amazing way to get a Panoramic view of Barron Gorge and the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. It’s incredible to be going over the top of a natural wonder, one of my all-time favorite experiences.
Ranger-guided tours are available, including the Rainforest Boardwalk Loop and Scenic lookouts. Check out the Rainforest Discovery Zone or the Barron Gorge and Waterfall views, with so much to see that you could spend a few days taking it all in! If you love nature and rainforests, this is an experience to have on the bucks list.
There is so much to experience in Cairns, and so more I could tell you! Markets, cafes, restaurants, invigorating nightlife, and incredible ways to engage with nature. Let me know what your favorite things are to do in Cairns!