Cairns Travel Forum

Dear Fellow Travelers,

We would like your advice for our visit to the Cairns-Port Douglas area. We arrive at the Cairns airport at about 11:00am on April 13. We would like to take a catamaran from Cairns to Port Douglas, stay in Port Douglas four nights, spend April 14 sightseeing in the Daintree National Park, snorkel the Great Barrier Reef on April 15, and on April 16 take an early morning bus to Kurunda, to take the cableway up and the train down. On April 16 we have a flight out of Cairns at 5:00 pm.

Our questions:
1. Is there a midday catamaran trip from Cairns to Port Douglas? How much does it cost?
2. Can you recommend moderate or inexpensive lodging for two in Port Douglas? (We are in our 60’s. We like B&B’s or guesthouses. Our only requirements are “clean and safe.” We don’t require luxury.)
3. Can you recommend a tour company for Daintree?
4. We plan to return from Port Douglas by bus. Will the bus take us to the gondola or train station for Kurunda?
5. After we go up and down from Kurunda, is there transportation available to take us to the airport?

Thanks for any help you can give us.

Hello from Cairns:)

There isn't any boat from Cairns to Port. Quicksilver used to use one of a morning for their Quicksilver outer reef tours but that has ceased.
If you are arriving at 11am I would suggest that you catch the bus that will be at the airport, it takes you to Port Douglas.The airport is having a HUGE makeover at the moment, things are a bit of a mess:) If you are arriving domestic you will find the airport transfer bus ticket box near the entrance of arrival lounge for virgin. It is Sunpalm
company.http://www.sunpalmtransport.com/
OR you could hire a car from the airport and then drive to Port, the highway is good to drive and you are on it as soon as you leave the airport road. You could then use the car the next day to do the Cape Tribulation/Daintree trip.
This is also easy to do yourself in a car, it is all sealed roads and very straight forward. You leave Port early morning ( too miss the tour buses:)) and head to Mossman gorge/ then onward to the Daintree river crossing and up to Cape Tribulation, stopping as you please to relax, take photos and have a cuppa.
I highly recommend to do it this way. Mossman Gorge is wonderful and you can spend at least an hour or so here, walking around the gorge area under rainforest canopy. Easy walk, not hard:)
You can drop off the car in Port, if my memory serves me correct, Budget have a drop off in Port.
If you decide to do a trip from Port to Cape Trib, there are many. All do the same, just a matter of booking one:)

I highly recommend the Quicksilver outer reef tour. This is a fantastic day out. It has everything you need. This leaves from the Marina area in Port Douglas, you can book this when you get there. This may be the way to go as you may change your plans due to weather conditions,

They will pick you up from Port for the Kuranda train trip,( remember to tell them that you are only going one way from Port, won't need a seat back to Port:)) go up by train to Kuranda and then down by Skyrail...the skyrail goes all day down the *hill*,as the train only has a couple of times it leaves to come down to Cairns.
I think you might have to crab a taxi from the Skyrail entance to the airport, that won't cost you much, it ain't far:)

Accommodation in Port is huge, there are so many, BUT if you are just looking for a bed and nothing fancy, Port O Call backpackers is one that has good budget accommodation. Don't let backpacker word put you off:) All ages use these now. It has double rooms, motel style, they have a lovely little bar and cafe that serves great cheap meals. It is close to town and also close walk to the Marina.
April won't be that busy, I imagine it will be quiet at this time of year.

The one place we stay at on a regular basis is http://www.villasanmichele.com.au/
We find this great as it is in the centre of town, walk to everything. It's clean, has a pool and also they are welcoming and will head you in the right direction for tours etc. They should have good rates for April, UNLESS it's Easter or school holidays:)

Have a wonderful time in my most favourite place.....I fell in love with Port 23 years ago and still have a love affair with it:)