Reef & Rainforest: Cairns Deep Dive

What we work through with you

1. Your dates and priorities

   Tell us when you want to visit Cairns & Port Douglas, Australia, who is travelling and what you would change in the outline below.

2. The route and pace

   We discuss the 6D / 5N starting itinerary, your preferred stays and how much you want to fit in. Any changes depend on availability and are agreed in your written plan.

3. Your written quote

   Review the final arrangements, total price, inclusions and payment and cancellation terms before booking. An enquiry does not reserve this trip.

The route we start from

These are the stages published for this trip. A stage can cover part of a day or several days; it is not a separate travel day.

1. Stage 01

   Cairns

   Land in Cairns, which is tropical the moment the aircraft door opens. The esplanade lagoon is a saltwater pool built on the seafront, because the sea itself has crocodiles and, in season, stingers. The night market for dinner, and an early start tomorrow, so not a late one.

2. Stage 02

   Outer Reef I

   Out to the outer reef and a pontoon moored there for the day, which gives you a stable base rather than a rolling deck: snorkelling straight off the platform, a semi-submersible for anyone staying dry, a marine biologist on board, and an introductory dive available if you want one.

3. Stage 03

   Daintree

   North to the Daintree, one of the oldest continuously surviving rainforests on the planet at around 180 million years, and the only place it meets the reef. A cable ferry across the river, boardwalks at Cape Tribulation, Mossman Gorge with its swimming holes, and a cruise where the crocodiles are wild.

4. Stage 04

   Waterfalls

   Inland and up onto the Atherton Tablelands, which is cooler, green and full of water. The waterfall circuit takes in Millaa Millaa, Zillie and Ellinjaa, and at least the first of those you can swim underneath. Curtain figs, crater lakes and a genuinely good lunch in a small town.

5. Stage 05

   Outer Reef II

   Back out to the reef and deliberately to a different site, because the first day is reconnaissance and the second is when you actually start seeing things: turtles are common, reef sharks are harmless and present, and the coral gardens change completely from one mooring to the next.

6. Stage 06

   The Return

   A last morning, a sunset sail out of Port Douglas if the timing works, and the flight home. Six days, two World Heritage areas that touch each other, and no city days at all, which was the entire point.

What this trip lists

Use these inclusions and exclusions when reviewing your quote. The displayed price starts from ₹1,74,999 per person; your written quote confirms the total for your dates and arrangements.

Read this trip’s booking terms →