Here's how to find the best Great Barrier Reef tours for you
How-to
By Danielle Reckless
There’s a reason it’s called the ‘Great’ Barrier Reef. So large it can be seen from space, the Great Barrier Reef stretches 344,400 km2 in area off the coast of Queensland. It's a natural beauty with a lot to offer, including a lot of ways to explore.
For most of us, the only way to experience this world wonder is with a guide - and you'll have your pick of Great Barrier Reef tours.
Organised Great Barrier Reef tours not only handle all the logistics so you can sit back and relax, but they have insider knowledge - often from certified Master Reef Guides - to ensure an unforgettable experience.
From low-key reef adventures to epic day trips that tick everything ff your must-see list, find your ultimate Great Barrier Reef tour here.
For a family-friendly day on the water
The tour: Quicksilver Cruises Outer Reef Cruise
Best for: Families, snorkellers and non-swimmers
Region: Cairns & Great Barrier Reef
A diverse itinerary is the way to please the whole family, and Quicksilver Cruises’ range of activities for scuba divers, snorkellers and non-swimmers will ensure everyone has no trouble filling up their day on the floating pontoon at Agincourt Reef.
Off-the-pontoon snorkelling (with gear), an underwater observatory and a semi-submersible boat are all complimentary, while scuba diving, guided snorkelling tours and oceanwalker helmet diving are optional add-ons. Go your separate ways once on board, then regroup over a long lunch – the hot and cold tropical buffet will help you refuel for an afternoon of more swimming and fish-spotting.
To see the best of the Great Barrier Reef from below the surface
Tour option #1: Pro Dive Cairns
Best for: Scuba divers ready to explore the most vibrant reefs
Region: Cairns & Great Barrier Reef
The crew at Pro Dive Cairns operate one of the best Great Barrier Reef tours for those who know their way around the bottom of the ocean. Although, new divers with zero experience are welcome, as are snorkellers.
The Silverswift Cruise (from Cairns) and Silversonic Cruise (from Port Douglas) are ideal day trips for those who want to see as much of the Outer Reef as possible in one day.
These tours move between three select sites which have been chosen out of more than 35 exclusive locations on Agincourt Reef, according to the best weather conditions that day. You’ll get the absolute most out of your trip with an 8.30am departure and 4.30pm return, with morning and afternoon tea and a smorgasbord lunch included.
Good to know: Liveaboard dive experiences of two to seven nights are available for those who want to fit in more time below the surface at some of the Great Barrier Reef’s best dive sites, such as the Coral Seawall, Cod Hole and shark-frequented North Horn.
Tour option #2: Adrenalin Snorkel and Dive
Best for: Scuba divers of all levels (snorkellers are welcome, too)
Region: Townsville
It’s no secret that the Great Barrier Reef is buzzing with diverse marine life and colourful coral, and scuba diving offers an unforgettable up-close view. Adrenalin Snorkel and Dive's Great Barrier Reef day trip takes you further off the Queensland coast than most other tours, to the central section of the Reef.
Ideal for snorkelling, introductory dives and certified dives, the Reef sites here range in depths from one to 20 metres and the variety of sea life in the area includes turtles, stingrays and white tip and black tip reef sharks.
Your day trip includes two dives at different reef locations, with a tropical lunch in between. Alternatively, you could choose a day tour that includes one dive on John Brewer Reef and another at the fascinating Museum of Underwater Art, while advanced divers can sign up for a day dedicated to exploring the S.S. Yongala Wreck - known as one of the best shipwreck dives in the world.
Adrenalin's full day Great Barrier Reef tours depart every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday (occasionally) and Sunday. Travellers have the option to board from Townsville at the Breakwater Marina or from Magnetic Island at the Nelly Bay Ferry Terminal.
For a leisurely day of snorkelling, sea and sand
Tour option #1: Frankland Island Reef Cruises
Best for: Those based in Cairns who want an off-the-beaten path experience
Region: Cairns & Great Barrier Reef
Join Frankland Island Reef Cruises for a Great Barrier Reef tour with a difference.
While most Great Barrier Reef tours depart from Cairns’ Marina, you’ll jump on board a bus and travel a little further south to meet your boat, then cruise from the Russell River to meet the Reef.
Your destination? Normanby Island in the spectacular Frankland Islands National Park. This tour is the only commercial operator with a permit to visit here, so you’re really taking the path less travelled.
Once you arrive, the day is yours: join a guided snorkel safari of the fringing reefs, grab a kayak or stand-up paddleboard, wander the island or kick back and relax.
Day tours include coach transfers from Cairns CBD accommodation, a guided snorkel tour, guided island walk (including a treasure hunt for the kids) and a buffet lunch. Read more about the day trip experience here.
Tour option #2: Lady Musgrave Experience
Best for: An action-packed day of snorkelling, scuba diving and island time
Region: Bundaberg
Secluded and surrounded by calm water, Lady Musgrave Island is an idyllic spot for those staying down the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef - and can easily be enjoyed as a day trip for families and adventure-seekers alike.
Departing Bundaberg (a four-hour drive north of Brisbane), cruise two-hours on high speed catamaran with Lady Musgrave Experience. Once you arrive, you'll have the day to go snorkelling, diving, swimming or take a glass bottom boat tour in the protected coral lagoon, which stretches 8km around the island and is home to a massive 3000 acres of living reef. Don't miss the chance to clock up some island time either: sunbathe and soak it all in, or take a guided island walk - even more magical during turtle nesting and hatching seasons.
Experienced scuba divers could opt to explore the final resting place of the ex-HMAS Tobruk wreck, where you’re likely to see dolphins, sharks, whales and potato cods in the area.
Want to spend more time in this special part of the Great Barrier Reef? Lady Musgrave Experience recently launched overnight accommodation here on the Reef, Lady Musgrave HQ.
To lap up island life with all the luxuries
The tour: Lizard Island Resort's private charter
Best for: Luxury travellers and those looking for a romantic island escape
Region: Cairns & Great Barrier Reef
At the northern end of the Great Barrier Reef, tranquil Lizard Island is the perfect base for a luxurious holiday experience among Queensland's iconic beauty.
Accessible by private charter from Cairns, land at Lizard Island Resort and you'll be one of the few guests who get to explore its 24 beaches and untouched reef.
While it may be tempting to spend your stay moving between the pristine beaches, the day spa, and degustation dining, it would be a wasted opportunity to not explore the surrounding reef. Private charters on a luxury vessel offer fishing, snorkelling and diving excursions, with no more than 10 passengers for an intimate day tour. Overnight and two-day itineraries are possible for up to four guests.
Spend a few days here and you'll also have the opportunity to tour the state-of-the-art research station which conducts important reef studies.
To see Whitehaven Beach and Great Barrier Reef in one day
The tour: Explore Group's Sail & Snorkel at Whitehaven and Chalkies Beach Tour
Best for: Families, photographers and beachcombers
Region: The Whitsundays
We wouldn’t blame you for placing Whitehaven Beach at the top of your must-see list while visiting the Great Barrier Reef. The unspoilt silky-soft white sand beach stretches for seven kilometres and is surrounded by vibrant, crystal clear water. And it looks as good in person as it does on the postcards.
Explore Group Whitsundays combines a cruisy catamaran sail with sightseeing at The Whitsundays' most iconic locations. Watch the world go by from top deck before a relaxing stop-off on the picture-perfect Whitehaven Beach, reef snorkelling at Chalkies Beach, and a healthy buffet lunch of fresh prawns, cold meats, salads and sandwiches - an unforgettable day in the tropics.
To spend more time on a beach than a boat
The tour: Sailaway Low Isles Tour
Best for: Couples and families who want a small-group experience
Region: Cairns & Great Barrier Reef
Unlike many other Great Barrier Reef tours, Sailaway actually moors at Low Isles and the coral cay becomes base for this reef adventure, rather than a boat or a pontoon. Good news for anyone who suffers motion sickness or wants a bit of island time infused with their reef trip, particularly families with young children who will benefit from splashing in the shallow waves over deeper reef sites.
Set sail from Port Douglas onboard a luxury catamaran and upon arrival at Low Isles you'll have 4.5 hours of time dedicated to snorkelling and exploring the island – the reef here boasts hundreds of species of hard and soft corals, and is teeming with marine life. You can even join a marine biologist led snorkel tour to learn as you explore.
For the non-swimmers, there’s a glass-bottom boat and a heritage walk to complete on the island. Sailaway also offers an Outer Reef tour that visits Mackay and Undine Cays, as well as an afternoon Low Isles tour for those with limited time.
If you’re short on time but want to snorkel
The tour: Reef Sprinter Low Isles Reef Tour
Best for: Kids, the budget-conscious and anyone short on time
Region: Cairns & Great Barrier Reef
On board Reef Sprinter, it only takes 15 minutes to get out to the Reef and 15 minutes to get back. Exhilerating from start to finish, you'll have 90 minutes up your sleeve to snorkel the bright blue water around the Low Isles or head out on the glass bottom boat. Turtles frequent the area and there’s no shortage of coral or fish species.
The sheltered snorkelling site is great for kids and with a maximum of 14 people on the tour, you’ll have plenty of room to stretch your fins.
Good to know: There are three daily departure times for this tour – 9am, 11.30am and 2pm – leaving from Port Douglas.
If you’re looking for a non-swimmer’s alternative
The tour: Green Island's glass bottom boat tour or Seawalker experience
Best for: Non-swimmers
Region: Cairns & Great Barrier Reef
If you thought the Great Barrier Reef was only accessible to those ready to dive into its clear waters, think again. There are actually many ways to explore the Reef without getting wet, ensuring non-swimmers, young and old, or those with accessibility needs can marvel in its wonder.
A trip to Green Island is one of the best options, blending a short scenic cruise with time on the sand, and plenty of options to see the Great Barrier Reef up close when you’re ready. The only sand cay on the Great Barrier Reef with rainforest, Green Island became Queensland’s first island national park for good reason – and there’s as much diversity on shore as off it.
While popular as a day trip, Green Island is home to its own resort so you can bliss out for days on end if you have more time up your sleeve. A glass bottom boat tour on board the Coral Explorer is a must-do for non-swimmers, where you can peer down to witness the hive of marine activity while the expert crew point out highlights along the way. Feeling adventurous? Those 12 years and older can try the Seawalker experience, where you pop on a helmet and walk along the sandy sea floor to be surrounded by fish and coral – no special skills required. Being an island resort, there’s also snorkelling, canoeing, reef heli tours, and scuba diving (including intro and certified course), perfect when travelling as a family who needs to cater to different interests and abilities.
Here’s the low-down on how to do it.
To participate in reef research
Tour option #1: Passions of Paradise full day reef tour and eco experience
Best for: Getting hands-on with marine science
Region: Cairns & Great Barrier Reef
Seeking an experience that will feel life-changing? Join Passions of Paradise’s research team for a unique eco tour where you not only explore the Great Barrier Reef, but help to protect it.
The crew at Passions of Paradise have spent the last 30 years educating and inspiring visitors to the Great Barrier Reef, and lead ground-breaking coral nurturing projects out of their Cairns base. The eco-focused ‘marine biologist for a day’ tour is your chance to take part in citizen science and contribute to ongoing reef conservation projects. Opt to either snorkel or scuba (all gear provided) and alongside a Master Reef Guide, you’ll assist with reef monitoring, surveys and health checks while exploring this natural wonder.
Tour option #2: Lady Elliot Island Reef Rangers
Best for: Kids aged 5 – 12 years.
Region: Bundaberg in the Southern Great Barrier Reef
At the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, Lady Elliot Island is nestled in a highly protected ‘Green Zone’ which means marine life is thriving. The island’s 100% renewable energy eco-resort is a haven for families and adventurers seeking an untouched Reef experience – and if you want your kids to be inspired, this coral cay is the most exciting a classroom can get.
The whole island is yours to explore with countless activities on hand, from snorkelling straight off the beach to scuba dive trips, glass bottom boat tours and guided beachcombing. Be sure to enrol the kids in the Reef Ranger program which operates during school holidays – for two hours they’ll learn all about the reef in hands-on and mind-bending ways, and come back with endless facts to share.
If you want to spend the night out on the Great Barrier Reef
The tour: ReefSleep by Cruise Whitsundays
Best for: Couples or solo adventurers who want an overnight reef experience
Region: The Whitsundays
If you’re a traveller who likes to pause and soak up the surrounds of your destination, this is the Great Barrier Reef tour for you.
Cruise Whitsundays’ ReefSleep is a two-day/one-night experience at Reefworld, a permanently moored pontoon around 40 miles from shore – so your arrival is a scenic cruise through the magical islands of The Whitsundays. By day, you’ll swim, snorkel, dive and explore the beauty of Hardy Reef from the pontoon base. By night, the day-trippers return to Airlie Beach, while you experience the beautiful quiet of the Reef from a luxe glamping swag, soaking up sunset and dining under the stars.
Wake up to the orange glow of sunrise over the blues and greens of the reef. After a hearty breakfast, you can have some one-on-one time with the Reef until the next day’s tourists arrive at 11am.
For an even more luxurious experience, book the exclusive ReefSuites – a unique underwater hotel room with floor to ceiling windows to watch what’s happening below the surface.
If you want a customised Reef adventure
Photo by @aroonaluxuryboatcharters
The tour: Aroona Luxury Boat Charters
Best for: Travellers who want to build their own itinerary or enjoy a luxurious, remote adventure
Region: Cairns & Great Barrier Reef
Want to discover the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef, but on your own terms? Aroona Luxury Boat Charters specialises in bespoke reef escapes. Tours are capped at 12 people, so you’re not dictated by a large group’s schedule and can have input into your day, if you wish.
Choose from one of their itineraries, which range from a one day tour at Vlasoff Cay to seven nights aboard its Outer Reef motor yacht sailing from Lizard Island to Osprey Reef and beyond. Or, customise an itinerary to suit your Great Barrier Reef bucket list - the crew offers diving, fishing and spearfishing trips and more, including seasonal cruises to take advantage of special Great Barrier Reef moments like coral spawning, swimming with minke whales, shark research and barramundi charters.
Want to spend more time on the Great Barrier Reef? Discover even more ways to spend the night here or dive into these incredible things to do.
You may also like
