Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef
Cairns is a beautiful coastal town located in Far North Queensland and a launch point for visiting the world-famous Great Barrier Reef. Not only that, but Cairns is within reach of beautiful destinations like the Atherton Tablelands, Port Douglas, the Daintree Rainforest, Cape Tribulation and the Kuranda Rainforest all within reach.
In itself, Cairns is a bustling, vibrant, tourist-friendly city, with many types of accommodation available for all types of travellers, and lots to do in-between days of exploring, including a beachfront lagoon, shopping, spas and amazing restaurants.
However, it's no secret that what draws so many people to Cairns is its access to the world-famous Great Barrier Reef. Those hoping to explore the natural wonder flock to Cairns to set off on their Great Barrier Reef tours and see what marine life lies beneath the water's surface.
How to get to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns
Many tours to the Great Barrier Reef leave from Cairns or the neighbouring Port Douglas, leaving from the Marlin Marina in Cairns and the Reef Marina in Port Douglas (located about an hour from each other). There is also an airport located just outside of Cairns, meaning you can fly in with no fuss to enjoy your reef adventure, making Cairns the perfect place to situate yourself for adventures on the world-famous Reef.
How far is the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns?
Depending on the type of tour you've booked and the Reef site you're heading to for your snorkel or scuba dive, it's about 45 to 90 minutes by boat, as well as weather and wind, making it perfect for day trips and overnight trips with little travel time.
Can you do the Great Barrier Reef in one day?
You can absolutely do a Great Barrier Reef tour in one day - particularly from Cairns! Whether you're interested in snorkelling, diving, exploring marine life through a glass bottom boat, or even soaring overhead on a scenic flight, there are plenty of day tours to the Great Barrier Reef to choose from.
If you're hoping to get out on the water, day tours from Cairns can whisk guests off to a number of spectacular Reef sites, promising them ample time on the water.
With a variety of tour options, including family-friendly excursions, backpacker trips, and adventure-packed itineraries, a one-day trip to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns is absolutely doable!
What is the best reef to visit from Cairns?
The Great Barrier Reef consists of 2,900 individual reefs in total and is home to 900 islands. The Cairns region hosts both Outer Reef and Fringing Reefs, the latter of which is a reef situated around an island or off a shoreline, with the Outer Reef being an isolated reef out in the middle of the big blue. During tours leaving from Cairns, you’ll likely head to the Outer Reef, where your tour will take you to ideal snorkelling and diving reefs depending on the day's tides and wind.
Several reefs that are often targeted during the day and overnight trips from Cairns are Michaelmas Reef, Oyster Reef, Upolu Reef and Arlington Reef, to name a few. Each of these reefs is made up of unique coral formations, which are bordered by sand, seagrass and open ocean. Different sites have a wide variety of marine life, full of soft and hard corals, thousands of species of fish, turtles, reef sharks and other amazing and unique sea creatures. Some sites are ideal for snorkellers, with shallow reefs, while others are ideal for scuba divers with deeper reefs and coral formations. Many tours target reefs that are a good combination of both, allowing them to accommodate both types of ocean explorers.
Great Barrier Reef tours from Cairns
Tours departing from Cairns are great for both overnight boat trips as well as day trips, meaning no matter what kind of adventure you're looking for, Cairns is a great place to start. Go snorkelling or scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, watch marine life from a glass bottom boat, or simply kick back and relax on the surface of the Coral Sea. You can spend several nights at sea, exploring by day and relaxing under the stars at night, or you can spend the day exploring the beautiful and unique Great Barrier Reef before returning back to land for an evening of fun in Queensland’s beautiful tropical city. Whatever you decide to do, there's a suitable tour for you
Great Barrier Reef Tours from Cairns
