Want to maximize two days in Cairns? Cairns, Australia is a great city in order to enjoy the land and the ocean. The first most popular reason to visit Cairns is due to the cities popularity as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, offering snorkeling trips and liveaboards out of Cairns to the Great Barrier Reef.
However, with two days in Cairns, Australia, there is another side of Cairns available to explore: lush rainforest and waterfronts lined with bars and restaurants.
The best experience is to include tours that focus on the main aspects of Cairns: the Great Barrier Reef and the Rainforest. Select the tours that work best with you to experience the lush green rainforest, and to explore what is under the ocean.
Quick Trip Overview
- Location: Cairns, Australia
- Closest Airport: Cairns Airport
- Time: 2 Days
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
One of the most popular attractions in Cairns is the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. This, frequently paired with the Kuranda Scenic Railway, is a great way to explore the Barron Gorge National Park.
The Cableway is a great ride over the treetops, that takes the visitor up to the Kuranda Terminal where you can deboard and then visit the next attraction: Barron Falls.
This cable car takes you over the National Park for a total of approximately 7.5km. The lift runs every 15 minutes, and the total trip takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes, including a stop at Red Peak and the Barron Falls station. Enjoy the views of the forest from above!
Price: $82.00 AUD
Location: 6 Skyrail Drive, Smithfield QLD 4878, Australia
Barron Falls
Once you have reached the end of the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway you will find yourself at the Barron Falls station. From here it is only a ten-minute walk to reach a view out point of Barron Falls at The Edge Lookout. Walk over to find the waterfall of the Barron Gorge National Park.
The water feature is a nice mixture of what Cairns is known for: green and water. Making for a great photography area before transitioning to the water based tours and activities.
The best time of year to visit this waterfall is going to be during the wet season in Cairns which is between December to March. This is when you will find the waterfall overflowing and lush. You can still visit when it is not the wet season – just expect the waterfull to be a little lackluster in appearance.
Can you swim at Barron falls? No you cannot swim at Barron Falls. Check out Mungali falls if you are interested in a waterfall with a swimming hole.
Kuranda Scenic Railway
The Kuranda Scenic Railway takes passengers on a scenic train journey from Cairns Station to Kuranda. While on the train ride look out the window to the colorful forest alongside or below as the train moves along.
Cairns to Kuranda:
- Cairns: 8.30am (departure) or 9.30am (departure)
- Freshwater: 8.55am (departure) or 9.55 am (departure)
- Kuranda: 10.25am (arrival) or 11.25am (arrival)
Kuranda to Cairns:
- Kuranda: 2.00pm (departure) or 3.30pm (departure)
- Freshwater: 3.32pm (arrival) or 5.02pm (arrival)
- Cairns: 3.55pm (arrival) or 5.25pm (arrival)
Is the Kuranda Scenic Railway worth it? Yes, if you want an easy relaxing viewing of the rainforest in Cairns. This train route is popular due to the beautiful photos that passengers can get of the train winding through the rainforest. The red train contrasts beautifully against the green foliage.
A trip on the scenic railway will be an all-day event, but the views will be well worth spending the time at the rainforest.
How much is Kuranda Scenic Railway? $76.00 AUD for a roundtrip in heritage class.
Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation
Is Daintree Rainforest worth visiting? Yes, said to be one of the oldest Rainforest in the world, Daintree is located north of Cairns, and actually past Port Douglas.
Daintree and Cape Tribulation is known for dense forest and beautiful beaches. While a bit of a trip away from Cairns, a visit to Daintree and Cape Tribulation is a top attraction for Cairns if the schedule can allow it.
Are koalas in the Daintree Rainforest? No, there are not Koalas in the Daintree Rainforst. You will have to Victoria, Australia to find Koalas in their natural habitat.
This can great the perfect mixture of enjoying a lush rainforest, and snorkeling out to see what’s below the surface at the Great Barrier Reef.
You will find a lot of tours that depart from Cairns and there is a variety of themes from river cruises to exploring the rainforest or focusing on aboriginal culture. There is an adventure for everyone at Daintree and Cape Tribulation, so find a tour that fits your needs and enjoys this amazing ecosystem.
Fitzroy Island and Green Island
If you are looking to do some Island time, then a trip out to Fitzroy Island or Green Island would be a great attraction to add to your Cairns itinerary. As the beaches in Cairns themselves cannot be used for swimming – crocs! I personally made the mistake of going to Cairns thinking it would be a beachside resort area – because I didn’t do my research. I quickly learned there was only the waterpark in Cairns itself, so I quickly organized a trip out to Green Island through the dive shop I was using.
For those looking for a island experience, these two islands of Green Island and Fitzroy Island are how you can feel tropical while being in Cairns.
How long is it from Cairns to Green island? Both Islands are approximately 45-minute boat ride from Cairns.
How do you get to Green and Fitzroy Island? You will find numerous companies that will offer tours out to the islands.
What’s on Green Island and Fitzroy? Both islands offer the same activities: lounging on the beach, food and bars, diving, snorkeling, and other water activities.
Additionally, both of the Islands boast about getting the chance to explore the Great Barrier Reef. As you can snorkel along the reefs that are near the island. To note though: the amount of traffic to the islands has done a lot of wear onto the reefs and you will see some bleaching effect.
Ultimately, while a bit pricey ($80 AUD), it is a chance to enjoy a more tropical beach day on a resort-like island.
Note: I will warn that these islands have people boated over from the Cairns area and can be extremely crowded on the actual island due to passengers all being dropped off and then trying to depart at the same time. When I went to leave, the entire dock was full of families trying to get onto one of the departure ships. I was fortunate enough to be traveling alone, so the crew member just waved me on. The others were not was fortunate and had to wait for the next boat.
Snorkeling or Liveaboard to the Great Barrier Reef
Want to find Nemo? One of the top attractions at Cairns is the opportunity to go visit the Great Barrier Reef.
Is Great Barrier Reef in Cairns? Not quite, but Cairns is one of the fastest locations to depart from to reach the Great Barrier Reef.
While I would not recommend this on a two day trip to Cairns, this is something that should be considered and extend the trip.
There is so much to do above land, and below the ocean surface, that you need almost two days for each area. However, if you are committed, or limited, to only two days. Then spend one day exploring the forest, and the next day on a tour to the Great Barrier Reef.
There is an option to do a day trip out to the Great Barrier Reef. This is a good option to say “you’ve done it”. However, if you are an avid diver (or snorkeler) a day trip to the Great Barrier Reef is not a good option. Visitors are in agreement, that if you want to visit the Great Barrier Reef then take a liveaboard out to the outer reef area. The day trips offered from Cairns to the nearby reef will show little ocean life and bleached reefs.
Is Great Barrier Reef dying? Yes and no. The water temperature are slowly rising, which results in bleaching of corals. The Great Barrier reef is no exception. In the last thirty years, more than half of the Great Barrier Reef has disappeared. While the progress has slowed down significantly, a trip to Cairns is a great time to explore this world wonder before the damage continues.
If you want to say you went to the Great Barrier Reef and cannot spare the time to do a liveaboard, then there are options available.
Most liveaboards out of Cairns to the Great Barrier Reef are only three days in total, meaning that it would not be that more of an additional trip. The two days spent in Cairns would be a great addition to the end of a liveaboard trip in order to allow the body time to decompress before catching a flight out of the area.
Not a diver? The liveaboard companies in Cairns offer the opportunity to earn your SCUBA certification prior to the liveboard. You will do the course work, and the pool work, then load onto a liveaboard to go out to the Great Barrier Reef. How cool of an experience would it be to say you learned to dive at world renowned Great Barrier Reef?
I was already SCUBA certified prior to my liveaboard, but I used this opportunity to earn my Advance Diver Certification, and to improve my skills.
Liveaboards out of Cairns start at approximately $700 (AUD) for a three day, two-night trip – this will be bunk bed accommodation.
I personally did the 3 Day Great Barrier Reef with Pro Dives.
Esplanade
The Esplanade at Cairns is the popular walkway located along the waterfront. The walkway stretches along the waterfront. Are there crocodiles in Cairns? Yes, that is why if you want to enjoy the beach you have to go to one of the nearby islands.
The walk along the waterfront leads to one of the main attractions: the Lagoon. This pool is one of the main attractions along the Esplanade. Due to being unable to swim in the actual water, visitors can still take a dip in some water.
Take a swim in this pool, or relax on the nearby grass with a blanket.
Additionally, right near the Lagoon, there is a peer area with numerous restaurants. This is a great location to enjoy lunch, dinner, or drinks! Walk along this area to check out all the different options: most with great views out over the peer.
While this isn’t a main attraction, it’s an easy attraction to visit for a short stay in Cairns. Head over early in the morning before the start of a tour, or end the evening looking for a restaurant along the waterfront. Either way, it’s another experience to add to a tight schedule in Cairns.
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