5 Days In Cairns
Updated: Apr 15, 2022
Five days in Cairns? Not sure where to go & what to see? Here's how I spent a couple of days in this tropical city in Queensland, Australia.
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Cairns
Cairns is a three hour flight from Sydney and a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of Sydney life. Tickets can be fairly cheap & accommodation options are plentiful and affordable. I usually make the most of public transport when travelling abroad but on this trip, Uber seemed to be the most convenient. The food was delectable - I had my first taste of crocodile meat and with so many cuisines to choose from, prepare to be spoilt for choice. Although you could make all your bookings for the various cruises, day trips & transfers online, I found the staff at the many tourist centres very helpful and booked a couple of trips with them. I usually booked my tours a day in advance, so I could gauge how tired I was at the end of a long day trip and decide what I wanted to do the next day.
Kangaroo & Crocodile Skewers at Outback Jacks
Day 1 - The Great Barrier Reef
You can’t visit Cairns and not take a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Being a non swimmer, I did a fair amount of research into cruise options that were available. I eventually settled on ‘Reef Magic Cruises’ which proved to be an absolute winner. The staff were really friendly and extremely helpful. There’s a bunch of activities at the reef for non swimmers, including trips on a glass bottom boat, a semi-submersible & underwater helmet dives. While chatting with one of the staff, I realised that I could do a snorkelling safari with a life jacket on even though I couldn't swim. Pretty soon, I had my stinger suit, life jacket, snorkel & fins on and was paddling away in the middle of the ocean, holding on to a life saver, watching the reef in all its glory below me (guided by a marine biologist of course). The underwater helmet dive also proved to be worth the additional expense & I highly recommend it for non-swimmers. If you can swim, opt for the scuba diving package. The cruise includes tea, coffee, snacks & lunch. They also have underwater cameras for rent on board.
Reef Magic II
View from the glass bottom boat
Snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef
Underwater Helmet Dive
Activities at the Marine World Platform
Day 2 - Cape Tribulation
Cape Trib is located within the Daintree Rainforest. It’s a fair distance from Cairns and don’t expect mobile coverage for most of the trip. I picked a tour company called ‘Cape Trib Connections’ because they seemed well recommended online and I wasn’t disappointed. Our guide was hilarious and kept us entertained all the way to Cape Trib and back. Expect a long scenic drive and a couple of stops on the way. We crossed the Daintree River on a cable ferry & headed into the rainforest. It’s a magical place and you never know what you’ll see on the way. We were lucky to see a Cassowary (I didn’t know what this bird was till I got to Australia - look it up) and had a Lace Monitor Lizard join us for lunch at Cape Trib Beach. The tour also included a Crocodile tour on the Daintree River followed by tea and then we headed back to Cairns with a drive through Port Douglas and a stop at the rock stacks on the Captain Cook Highway.
Alexandra Range Lookout
Walking Through The Daintree Rainforest
Amazing Root Formations
Cape Tribulation Beach
A Lace Monitor Lizard Joins Us For Lunch
Looking For Crocs on the Daintree River
Hold A Baby Croc For A Couple Of Bucks
Mossman Gorge
Rock Stacks Along The Highway
Day 3 - Kuranda
The picturesque mountain retreat of Kuranda village is surrounded by World Heritage-listed rainforest and makes for a great day trip from Cairns. Take the Kuranda Scenic Railway up & the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway down. For a few dollars more, opt for the glass bottom cable car - it’s worth it. Once you reach Kuranda, there’s quite a lot of stuff to do so plan ahead. There’s a Butterfly Sanctuary which offers free guided tours (great if you’ve got kids with you but a fun tour for adults too), Birdworld & the Koala Gardens (which have a whole bunch of animals besides Koalas). There’s also two quaint markets to visit and some great food. The cable car heads back by around 4 so it can be a rushed day if you plan on doing everything.
Kuranda Scenic Railway
Spectacular Views From The Kuranda Scenic Railway
Koala Gardens
Kuranda Markets
Honey Roasted Chicken Crepe with Creamy Goats Cheese, Black Truffle Oil, Toasted Almond Flakes, Cheese & Baby Spinach.... at Petit Café, a quaint little French Café in the Hippie market at Kuranda
Gorgeous views from the Skyrail Cable Car
Day 4 - Fitzroy Island
The perfect place to unwind after a hectic getaway in Cairns. Take a ferry across to the island and spend the entire day relaxing at the fairly empty beach, snorkelling or getting a beer at the bar.
Fitzroy Island
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