Must-do guided tours in Cairns & Great Barrier Reef

The epicentre of adventure, our tropical north region offers more in one holiday than you might think you can experience in a lifetime. Especially if you have the locals show you around.

Ready to plan your trip? Here are all the best guided tours in Cairns & Great Barrier Reef to consider for your holiday – from the reef to the rainforest, Indigenous tours and adventures into the outback.

Four unforgettable ways to meet the Great Barrier Reef

There’s so many ways to explore the Great Barrier Reef, from diving and snorkelling to kayak and beach-combing. And you can jump off on a tour from Cairns to Port Douglas and beyond.

Want the reef to yourself for the day? Frankland Island Reef Cruises is the only operator with a permit to enter the Frankland Group national park. Get picked up by coach from your Cairns accommodation, before boarding your vessel at Deeral to make your way to the islands. You’ll get four hours to explore paradise above and below the water – with kayaking, SUP, certified scuba diving, and a snorkel safari through protected, colourful reef to see turtles, clownfish and more – there’s even a buffet lunch before you head home. Read all about it here.

Set sail on board a luxury catamaran for a full day on the outer reef with Sailaway Port Douglas. Sailaway is the only operator with access to Mackay Reef, so it’ll be you and your small group of travellers snorkelling among coral gardens and shallow, protected waters perfect for spotting giant clams, turtles and marine life. There’s marine biologists on board to interpret what you see on a guided snorkel and learn more about the reef along the way, a glass bottom boat viewing and 4.5 hours on the water, with a tropical buffet and afternoon tea to fuel you between stops. Those shorter on time can take a half day tour to the Low Isles sand cay for snorkelling and water activities.

Dreamtime Dive and Snorkel is an Indigenous-focused outer Great Barrier Reef tour, where you’ll learn the Dreamtime origins of this natural wonder and culture of the four Traditional Custodian groups for who this stretch is sea country. You’ll also get five hours of time in the water split between two unique coral sites to showcase a variety of corals and marine life. Day cruises depart Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from Cairns.

It’s an exhilarating 25-minute ride on board Ocean Safari, as you and a maximum 24 passengers jet from the beach at Cape Tribulation to two incredible snorkelling locations on Mackay and Undine Reef – a more untouched side of the Great Barrier Reef. Snorkel alongside sea turtles, eagle rays, and tropical fish, and spot giant clams. This is a half day tour with choice of a morning or afternoon departure.

Get to know the Wet Tropics Rainforest

The Daintree is perhaps the most famous precinct of the Wet Tropics Rainforest – and it’s so huge you could fit all of Sydney Harbour in it about 162 times. A destination so expansive and diverse, it really pays off to have a guided tour. With a local’s insight you’re sure to get a deeper understanding of the flora, fauna and cultural significance of this World Heritage site. And with so many tours to choose from, here’s where to start.

Want to see crocs in the wild? Slowly glide along the water, listening to the sounds of the rainforest, on a Daintree River Cruise. The journey lasts 60-90 minutes as local guides share their knowledge of this unique ecosystem – along the way you can spot estuarine crocodiles in their natural habitat.

Want to see the highlights of the Daintree? Many local operators offer incredible full day guided tours to the best sites, taking in the likes of the Daintree Discovery Centre, Mossman Gorge, Cape Tribulation (where the rainforest meets the Reef), river cruises and stops at local farms along the way.

Kick back in the comfort of Daintree Safaris’ Land Cruiser on a small luxury tour that offers a true local’s experience, including a swim at a secluded water hole and gourmet bites throughout the day. Or, follow a similar itinerary with an adventurous spin on Tony’s Tropical Tours – you’ll even take a 4WD journey to the area's largest accessible waterfall, Bloomfield Falls. Learn all about local history, flora and fauna as a local eco-accredited naturalist guides you through the day in the Daintree, Cape Tribulation and Bloomfield Track: Billy Tea Safaris offers small group experiences from their custom-built 4WD vehicle. Daintree Tours impresses groups of up to 11 people in their Sprinter van tour that also includes Mossman Gorge and a secluded picnic style lunch in the rainforest, before taking a wildlife cruise.

Seeking a younger crowd? Hop on board Jungle Tours and Trekking to meet fellow adventures on an eco-certified nature tour from Cairns to Cape Tribulation. You’ll greet iconic Aussie animals at Wildlife Habitat, explore the Daintree on a guided boardwalk tour, sink your toes into the sand of Cape Tribulation beach, search for wild crocs on a river cruise, and feast on a tropical lunch.

Want to tackle the Wet Tropics on ATV? In the hills outside of Cairns, Kuranda Rainforest Journeys offers thrilling guided tours of their property, as you weave through one of the world’s oldest rainforest,s taste exotic fruit straight from the orchard and learn local history – keep your eyes peeled for one of the ten resident cassowaries. You can also add on a Skyrail or Scenic Railway experience to see more of this region for an unforgettable day out.

Hoping to see more wildlife? Wait-a-While Rainforest Tours offers the best wildlife spotting by day or night, where you and a small group set off into the rainforest to see North Queensland’s rare nocturnal wildlife – many not found anywhere else on earth. 

Learn from the world’s oldest surviving culture on an Indigenous tour

The only place in Australia that’s home to our two Indigenous cultures, there’s nowhere better to learn from our oldest custodians than right here.

Cool, clear waters flow into rocky stream at Mossman Gorge – it’s one of our favourite swimming holes in the Daintree. But before you cool off, learn about the Gorge and its significance to the Kuku Yalanji people on the Ngadiku Dreamtime Walk with an Indigenous guide at Mossman Gorge Centre. Your private guided tour begins with a traditional smoking ceremony, before exploring the walking trails to explain culturally significant sites and practices, like identifying bush tucker and medicine plants. Tours depart four times daily, and last approx. 90 minutes.

See a different side of the Daintree with 100% Aboriginal owned Walkabout Cultural Adventures. Departing Port Douglas, half day or full day tours will introduce you to country and the cultural connection the Kuku Yalanji have with this land, where two world heritage areas meet. Forage for pipis, learn how to spearfish, sample bush tucker and gain more appreciation for this immensely special spot.

Wander through a 20,000 year old outback museum with Jarramali Rock Art Tours for an unforgettable overnight experience that blends Indigenous culture and rugged natural beauty. Journey via 4WD deep into Quinkan Country (or take a heli flight from Cairns if you can only squeeze in a day tour): you’ll witness some of the world’s most magnificent rock art with an Indigenous guide to interpret, explore ruins and hiking trails, swim in wild waterholes and settle in for an evening around the campfire. Read all about the experience here.

The Cape York adventures continue in Cooktown, where you can join the Balnggarrawarra Traditional Owners on a tour of their homelands. It starts with a 70km 4WD journey to Normanby Station, but once you arrive you’ll be on foot most of the day: following Normanby River and remote bush tracks to discover rarely seen Aboriginal rock art. Along the way, you’ll hear stories passed down between generations, learn about life here in the Cape, and customs. There’s a half day tour option for those short on time, too. 

Adventure in the outback

Ever paddled through a gorge that’s been carved into the earth over 135 million years? Way out in North West Queensland, Cobbold Gorge is an ancient, hidden outback oasis worth exploring. It’s a drive to get here, but when you do, Cobbold Gorge Tours will show you the ropes on a three-hour guided tour that includes scenic walks to viewpoints and the glass bridge that towers above the gorge, a boat cruise through the waterway or the option to SUP – drifting so close to the rock walls you could reach out and touch it. You can even take things further on a scenic heli flight over Cobbold Gorge and Newcastle Ranges.

Elsewhere in the region’s outback, explore ancient lava tubes with Undara Experience, discover Indigenous rock art and Chillagoe Caves with Billy Tea Safaris, or head 170km west of Cairns by 4WD or helicopter to luxurious Mount Mulligan Lodge, where you can stay and explore the 28,000-hectare outback cattle property by guided goldfield tours, ATV safaris, barramundi fishing and more.