Cairns Travel Forum

Any suggestions for a day trip for Great Barrier Reef sightseeing/snorkling/etc. And/or for a rainforest day trip?

Have not been out to the reef but Mossman Gorge is worth a look and Skyrail is a must

Mossman Gorge and the Daintree rainforest are great places for nature walks. You might check accommodation at Silky Oaks resort. The GBR is actually quite far out, not close in shore, so the best trips in this area are made by Quicksilver fast catamarans, which operate out of nearby Port Douglas.

I always recommend the Quicksilver outer reef experience, I say outer reef, not Lowe Isles.I have done this trip to the outer reef probably 20 times and never get tired of the scenery or the other days activities.
Quicksilver is managed very well and has a wonderful days outing.The staff are very good.
Check out their website.
Prices of all the trips out are roughly the same, but I think this is the best as it is for all ages and very safe for non swimmers and swimmers alike. There is a heap of space on the Pontoon, you can get a table and leave your gear there while you do the activities.I haven't had one person tell me they didn't enjoy it.
You can book at your accommodation or in at one of the travel agents along the Esplanade. Also you can book online, I think:)
The Quicksilver bus will pick you up at your accommodation or somewhere close.
You bus it up the highway, along the coast, beautiful.
Sit on the right hand side of the bus, this will give you a great view going to Port Douglas where you then get onto the Quicksilver boat.

The rainforest trip is a must also. These two things, reef and rainforest are a must!
There are a number of trips that leave Cairns daily to Cape Tribulation. I would suggest that you take one that includes Mossman Gorge as this is great.
All doing roughly the same thing, picnic lunch etc is usually included.

Have a great time in Paradise:)
PS On my VT Cairns page I have pictures etc of the Quicksilver trip.

Hi,

wavelength have a special snorkling tour to the outer reef ( http://www.wavelength.com.au ). They have a marine biologist on board as a guide for snorkling tours and go to 3 different places on the reef. The tour was highly recommended to me so I booked it for late November... I'm really looking forward to the tour.

Best regards,
Kiki

hi, if snorkling at the great barrier reef, i suggest if you get sea sick, make sure you take something incase or a spare change of clothes. also if you do, go onto the top deck of the boat and get fresh air. for a rainforest day trip, i reccomend the daintree rainforest, if i can remember right, you can go on a boat and go out on the river where you can see crocodiles swimming around. scary but worth it. also, mosman gorge is another great place, but make sure to wear bathers under clothes as you can swim in the water there. although, it is a touch cold.

have fun in cairns

Reef Magic is one of the most popular Great Barrier Reef operators, they have a pontoon and offer all the feature visitors to the reef would want.

travel.rain.com.au/ReefMagicCruises