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Things to do in Cairns

Cairns is a frequented town located in Far North Queensland. With a population of approximately 150,000 people, the region receives hundreds of visitors everyday seeking the best holiday ever. But what is there to do in Cairns? Can Cairns really provide an unforgettable holiday to travellers? The answer? Yes, it definitely can.


There is so much to do around Cairns with many tours departing the region daily. Cairns is home to two world heritage listed sites, the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. Cairns is also the number one front door gateway to the largest Great Barrier Reef in the world. The Great Barrier Reef has over 2,900 individual reefs extending over 2,300 kilometers. It is so big that it can be seen with the naked eye from space.

 

Great Barrier Reef Tours


Everyday numerous vessels depart Cairns marina to take visitors to the Great Barrier Reef. Visiting the Great Barrier Reef is one of the top things to do in Cairns. The tour boats visit different parts of the reef providing a unique and special experience to travelers everyday. One of the most popular reef tours is where visitors travel to a platform (or pontoon). The pontoon is a floating platform located in the middle of the reef, so travelers have the chance to get out of the boat and spend the day in a more spacious and comfortable environment. The platform also offers visitors many activities for the day such as snorkelling safari, glass bottom boat tour, semi-submersible tour, visit to the underwater observatory, scuba diving, helmet diving, and much more.

This tour is a great option for families with children and elderly people. For those who want to explore the reef a bit more, there are several diving boats that can take travelers to snorkel and dive in deeper areas and reef sites. Doing so serves as a great opportunity to explore the reef a bit more. For backpackers, too, there are many affordable boat trips that offer a great day out on the reef without breaking the budget.

House on the great barrier reef

Cairns Rainforest Tour

The second most popular tour in Cairns is the Rainforest tour. The rainforst in Cairns is considered one of the oldest in the world, being at least 135 million years old. There are different types of rainforest tours that travel to different locations. The types of rainforest tours are: Cape Tribulation (Daintree Rainforest from Cairns), Atherton Tablelands (Waterfall tours) and Kuranda Rainforest (train & skyrail). The last one, Kuranda, is the most popular tour in the region. To experience Kuranda rainforest in the best way possible, visitors need to travel one way by train and one way by skyrail. On the train travelers pass waterfalls, the rainforest, and go through tunnels and bridges.On the skyrail travelers “fly” over the rainforest in a gondola and get to see from the top how beautiful and unique Cairns rainforest is.

Rainforest surrounded by trees

 

Cairns Helicopter Tour

Cairns is also the best place for adrenaline seekers. Cairns offers many adventurous activities such as skydiving, bungy jumping (the only bungy jump in Australia is in Cairns), white water rafting, hot air ballooning, horse riding, ATV Riding, Water Sports, and much more. Visitors can spend a whole week doing these “crazy” activities. For visitors who have just a day or two in Cairns, why not do a helicopter tour cairns? Doing a scenic helicopter flight allows travelers to see the Great Barrier Reef and the Rainforest in great style, from the top. To see the reef, its formations, and the colors of the coral from a bird's eye view is simply incredible. Travelers even get to see some marine life if they are lucky, such as stingrays, sharks etc.After flying over the reef the helicopter flies over our “green carpet”. Travelers can see the rivers cutting through the rainforest and the beautiful mountains surronding it. It showcases Cairns' excellent scenery and is a great opportunity to take insta-worthy photos.

Helicopter flying over island

 

By now, you can see that Cairns has something to entertain all types of travellers. There's always something for everyone. For information about tours in Cairns please visit  Tourism Cairns . With over 15 years of experience in the Cairns tourism industry, Tourism Cairns will help you get the most out of your holiday, ultimately making your trip better, easier, less stressful, and cheaper.

 

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About

Hi there! 

We are Jacob and Taylor. Travel is our passion and we love sharing our experiences here at The Travelling Souk. Our hope is that you would be inspired by this little blog to try something new, embrace an adventure, and live life to the fullest. 

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