Cairns is a major city on the east coast of Far North Queensland in Australia. Once a sleepy sugar-milling town, it's now a destination for sailing, diving, snorkelling, hiking, skydiving, rafting and much more. Cairns is a popular travel destination for tourists because of its tropical climate and easy access to the Great Barrier Reef, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Cairns also has one of the oldest rainforest in the world, the Daintree Rainforest (Cape Tribulation).
The Cairns Lagoon is a hugely popular site on the Esplanade. The lagoon is a vast 4-hectare outdoor swimming pool containing crystal clear seawater, complete with sandy beaches. Great place for families or anyone visiting Cairns. The Esplanade is lined with bars, restaurants and pubs, it is a great place to be at any time during the day and night.
There are a lot of things to do in Cairns, hundreds of tours departs the city daily as the Far North Queensland is blessed to have so many beautiful and unique natural wonders around the region. Tourism Cairns team have listed below the best attractions in the region and we are here to ensure that visitors have an unforgettable time while visiting us in the Far North Queensland.
We separated the tours into categories to make easier for visitors to find the activities they are looking for. The categories are: Great Barrier Reef Tours, Rainforest Tours, Adventure Tours, Helicopter Tours, Packages & Specials. Also please feel free to use our search tool located on our "Cairns Tours Page", it is quick and easy way to find any tour you might be looking for, or just browse through all the tours until you find something you like. The search tool will assist with some specific selections, such as "the most popular tours" or "tours with the smallest numbers", it depends on what each visitors's priorities are.
Have a look at the links below for further information.
The Great Barrier Reef is the top "Thing to do in Cairns". There are many different boat companies operating reef tours daily departing Cairns and Port Douglas. These Tour Operators travel to different parts of the reef offering slightly different activities, making Cairns visitors confused on which tour they should do. Tourism Cairns is here to help travellers find the most suitable reef tour for them and their families, this way having a fantastic time and carrying great memories forever.
More Info about Great Barrier Reef ToursRainforest Tour is the second most popular tour attraction in Cairns, after the Great Barrier Reef. There are many different types of rainforest tours that travel to different locations. The closest one is the popular Kuranda Rainforest which involves travelling on the train (Kuranda Historic Scenic Railway) and the Skyrail Cableway. The other option is Cape Tribulation (Daintree Rainforest), located about 140 kilometres from Cairns. And the third option is Atherton Tablelands, located about 90 kilometres from Cairns.
More Info about Rainforest ToursCairns is considered the perfect place for the Adrenaline Seekers. The options are wide when it come to adventure tours around the Cairns and Port Douglas regions.]They are very popular for the young Backpackers but also for any adventurous people. Some of the adventure tours available are Skydive, Bungy Jump, Minjin Swing, White Water Rafting, Horse Ride, Quad Bike (ATV), Flyboard, Sea Kayak, Hot Air Balloon, Jet Ski, Cooktown tours and much more. They are all great fun.
More Info about Adventure ToursThe best way to see Cairns, specially the Great Barrier Reef, has to be from the top doing a helicopter flight. There are a few different helicopter operators in Cairns and Port Douglas and they all offer great tours around the area. Clients have a wide range of tours to choose from, they can do a 30 minute scenic flight over the city, reef or the rainforest; upgrade the experience to an amazing fly / cruise, cruise / fly, or organise the ultimate tour, fly / fly to the outer reef. Travellers will love this adventurous option, they will have an unforgettable time.
More Info about Helicopter ToursFor visitors looking at doing more than one tour in Cairns and/or Port Douglas, a package deal is the ideal option for them, saving good money. Many Tour Operators have partnered together to create combo deals with 2, 3 and more activities together, offering travellers with great discounted packaged tours.The Special Deal Page is regularly updated with the latest tour specials departing Cairns and Port Douglas.
More Info about Packages & SpecialsCairns is a touristy town and receives hundreds of people every day visiting the region. To accommodate everyone Cairns has a high number of accommodations of different types
More Info about Accommodation