Cairns: a window to the Australian Great Barrier Reef

If you want to know all the wonders of the Australian Great Barrier Reef, I know the perfect base camp for you: Cairns.

And there's more...

North of Cairns two titans converge: the largest known organism, the Great Barrier Reef, and the oldest expanse of rainforest on Earth, the Daintree Rainforest. A paradise that will delight every nature lover. My recommendation, don't miss it.

The city of Cairns

Cairns is a perfect base camp for exploring both places, as it offers accommodation and food options suitable for all (or almost all) budgets. In addition, due to the large number of agencies in the city, tour prices are kept somewhat lower than in other places where supply and demand are more limited, such as Port Douglas, further north.

It is not a pretty village at all, but a set of very wide streets, drawn with square and bevel, completely dedicated to tourism.

You will find hotels, hostels, lodges, restaurants, bars, fast food stands, and thousands of travel agencies with offers for excursions to the sea or to the jungle. Therefore, nothing in the city's atmosphere feels authentic to the place, everything is set up to please the visitor.

But it must be recognized that, since the excursions are generally quite expensive, being able to stay overnight and eat here for little money makes it possible for many of us to afford to visit these natural wonders.

Although Cairns is on the coast, its beaches (rather mudflats) are impracticable, as there are saltwater crocodiles in the area. We did not see any, but they are there and can appear at any time. These animals are very fast and strong, the only Australian predator for humans. Any other animal, if it harms you, it will be unintentionally (like a jellyfish) or to defend itself (like a snake or spider that feels threatened by you). However, to the crocodile, you may be food. So when you see a sign in Australia warning of danger 'crocodiles', don't gamble, stay away.

To compensate for this and fight the heat, in the center of the city, next to the esplanade (you can take a look at the map at the end of this post), you will find what is called 'La Laguna'; a huge artificial pool with sand on one side, like a beach, and steps on the other side. It does not have salt water, but chlorinated water, like a normal pool.

It is surrounded by a large expanse of lawn where you will see many people lying in the sun, eating, reading or hanging out with friends. When you run out of money for excursions or want to rest after one, this is the perfect place to spend the day in a relaxed way.

When to go

Cairns is located in a tropical region with two distinct seasons, one wet and one dry. The wet season runs from December to April, with temperatures ranging from 23 to 32ºC and heavy rainfall. The sea water is around 26-29ºC from November to May, which means it is also jellyfish season in the region.

As you may already know, there are deadly jellyfish species in this area, however it is easier to see them on the beaches than on the coral reef. If you are traveling at this time of the year, the barrier tour companies will take the necessary precautions, such as renting you protective suits against stings.

On the other hand, the dry season runs from June to October. At this time temperatures are somewhat lower, varying from 17 to 25ºC in June and July, the coldest months. The water temperature can drop to 22ºC, but there are no jellyfish.

We were here during the last week of August 2015. The water temperature was around 23°C, easy to bear for 1 or 2 hours of snorkeling in a row if you wore a short wetsuit not too thick (5 mm).

It rained only one day during the whole week, and not too hard, although there was cloud movement almost every day. The temperature was pleasant, without being too summery yet (lows of 17, highs of 26ºC); and there were quite a few tourists in Cairns (nothing too oppressive).

Discover the Great Barrier Reef

There are many options available to visit the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns. Almost all the companies have a web page where they explain to a greater or lesser extent what is included in the price of their excursions and where on the barrier reef the excursions take place.

Here are some of the points you'll want to keep in mind when making your decision:

• Price and what is included. Almost all include the price of lunch and complimentary water, plus coffee/tea in the morning and some kind of candy or fruit during the return trip. Depending on the water temperature you may or may not want to count on the wetsuit being included in the price. My recommendation is to do your research from home, but book once you get there (unless only one company convinces you and they are known to sell out). In many occasions you will find last minute offers in the many travel agencies that operate in this city.
• Size of the boat. There are boats that admit only 20 people and others that admit almost 200. If you want to avoid crowds, avoid the latter. If, on the contrary, you want to opt for the cheapest ones, look at them. This is something to keep in mind if you are new to diving or scuba diving. Normally the smaller boats offer more personalized attention.
• Where the excursion takes place. This is a very important point. There are boats that decide which area of the reef they will go to that morning, depending on the weather. If you are only going on one trip, I would recommend one of these, as you will be sure to enjoy the Great Barrier Reef to the fullest. If, on the other hand, you are going on several trips, you may want to select different areas. The area around Michaelmas and Hastings Reef is the most accessible from Cairns, and therefore, the one you will find the most offers. For us, since we wanted to visit other areas as well, we were recommended to go to Agincourt Reef for scuba diving or around Moore Reef if, on the contrary, we preferred snorkeling. It is also interesting to find out if the boat anchors or not on a platform. If so, keep in mind that you will share your experience with more people than those on the boat, since there will be several vessels arriving at the platform.

We went on two excursions, which are detailed below:

Reef Day Trippers

It is a catamaran with capacity for 20 passengers (in our case we were 17). It departs from pier D ('finger D') of the port around 8 am (you have to be there at 7.30 am) and its crew is very pleasant.

They always travel to Upolu Reef (you can locate it on the map at the bottom of this page), at the innermost end, and therefore close to the mainland, of the so-called 'Outer Barrier Reef'. It takes about two hours to reach it, which is a lot if you compare the speed of this catamaran with the rest of the boats that you will see passing by at much higher speed at the exit of the port. They make two stops inside this reef; we visited the so-called ecstasies and coral gardens, but always inside the Upolu Reef, in sessions of one to one and a half hours of snorkeling each.

The trip costs A$139 per person and includes tea or coffee in the morning, cold buffet at midday (of acceptable-good standard, consisting of various salads, chicken, cold cuts, pasta and bread), a cheese snack, fruit and wine on the way back and complimentary water throughout the trip. They give you all the necessary equipment for snorkeling, except for the wetsuit, which cost us 6$ to rent (the short suit).

During the trip they explain you the basics of the sport, in case you have no experience. If you prefer scuba diving you must pay $65 more, and the number of people in the group will depend on the number of divers on the boat that day (not usually more than half of the passengers, i.e. 10).

In summary, these are the pros and cons of this company:

• Type of boat. It allows a trip without large crowds (20 people maximum) and a more personalized attention (especially important for beginners). However, the navigation speed is very low compared to the others, so it takes longer to reach a place not so far from the mainland.
• Upolu Reef. We saw a great variety of marine life (rays, green turtles, fish of a thousand different types and incredible colorful corals). It was a very good experience, but also our first contact with the Great Barrier Reef. After having seen other places and having made several excursions, we can conclude that Upolu Reef is not one of the most spectacular in this area of the Great Barrier Reef near Cairns.

Cairns Dive Center (CDC)

This company offers day trips on the Reef-Kist, and stays of one or more nights on the Kangaroo Explorer, which stays on the outer barrier near Moore Reef (the area to which this company travels).

The Kangaroo Explorer has very bad reviews, and I can attest that, from the outside, it looked very dingy and dirty.

However, the Reef-Kist on the daily excursions, although the maintenance of the interior and exterior seats was not very good, was not too bad. Always keeping in mind that we didn't have to sleep in it, just ride for a few hours, of course.

It has capacity for 75 people (in principle only 40 people to make the 1 day trip) and departs from pier E in Cairns, where you are called at 7 am. As soon as you enter, they provide you with a short wetsuit included in the price (with long sleeves and very easy to put on thanks to a full-length zipper) and snorkeling gear in good condition; in addition to offering you a coffee or tea accompanied by a cookie.

This is a fast boat, which makes stops to drop off and pick up people at Fitzroy Island. The next stop, at least in our case, was where the Kangaroo Explorer was anchored (called '5 ways', inside Moore Reef), as they needed to drop people off and bring them provisions. I have to assume that they always make the stop in this order, as the food was brought, already prepared, from the Kangaroo Explorer. It was a hot buffet of normal quality.

Together with the Kangaroo Explorer we did our first snorkeling dive. We were told that it was forbidden to do apnea while diving, something we did not like since no one had warned us about this in advance, but once in the water no one controlled you, so we dived at our own pace and rhythm.

At first, being next to the other boat bothered us a bit, as it increased the number of potential swimmers in the area. However, almost all of the residents of the Kangaroo Explorer were scuba divers; and they avoided (I don't know why) jumping into the water during our stay in the water.

In addition, the snorkeling we did at this location turned out to be spectacular. It was a huge mushroom-shaped reef, the top of which was almost flush with the water.

Five longitudinal gaps crossed its body from the surface to the ground (which give it its name), allowing diving through its entrails, and even scuba diving for the most proficient.

The colors and shapes of the coral were marvelous here, as were the many fish and other sea creatures, each one more amazing than the last. I would be short of adjectives to describe the visual delights we experienced, so just look at the pictures. And note that the underwater camera is not a professional one, but a Panasonic Lumix FT5.

After this first dive, we had lunch on the boat and moved to our second location, 'East Timor', also inside Moore Reef. Here the variety and grandeur of the coral was very similar to the previous one, although, instead of being mushroom-shaped, it was a very long irregular wall rising from the seafloor to the surface.

We loved it: Maori, reef sharks, parrot fish, clown fish, pilot fish and a thousand others that I could not name. There were areas where you felt like you were in a fish tank, surrounded by fish that swam calmly around you almost without flinching, or even watching you with curiosity.

The wetsuit we wore was perfect for the water temperature, very similar to Upolu Reef. Those who could not swim were carried by a guide holding on to a life jacket, while the rest of us were allowed to free dive, not too far from the boat, and under the visual surveillance of a crew member from the boat.

Beware of the sun, it is very easy to get sunburned, especially the area that remains on the surface while snorkeling.

On the way back they gave us cake and fruit as a snack and we stopped again at Filzeroy Island. At the end, they offered us a 50$ voucher to whoever wanted to do a second excursion with them. Because we didn't have time, otherwise... I wouldn't have hesitated.

The price of this excursion turned out to be very economical compared to the competition. The official price was $150 per person, although that day the company itself had lowered it to $125. However, through 'Happy Campervans', we got it for $110. So I encourage you to walk around and let yourself be assaulted by the representatives of the travel agencies you meet on the street. Ask for the areas or companies that catch your attention, you may find interesting offers.

In addition to these two excursions, I made an extensive study of offers and talked to several people who gave me their views on some companies with which we did not have the opportunity to travel. Here is a summary of what they told me, but, in any case, I recommend you to contrast this information with the opinions of other users.

Green Island

There are several companies that will take you either to the surrounding reefs, or to the island, which is very close to the mainland and especially suitable for families with small children or elderly people.

Seastar

We were recommended this company, whose boat only accepts 35 passengers (seats were sold out when we got there) and goes to Michaelmas Reef ($195 per person).

Silverseries

It is a choice very well valued by its customers. It offers two options, one from Cairns and the other from Port Douglas, although both are accessible by bus links that they provide from both cities ($28 extra round trip).

• Silverswift

Leaving from Cairns, they go to the Flynn and Milln reef area, among others ($210 per person). We would have liked to travel with them but the boat was undergoing maintenance when we were there.

• Silversonic

From Port Douglas, they travel to Agincourt Reef, which was recommended to us if we wanted to dive ($230 per person).

Tusa Dive (T6)

This company has a large number of destinations on the barrier spread over quite distant areas, such as Hastings and Milln reefs, among others. This, in my opinion, is very positive if you are only going on one trip, as they will take you to where the weather conditions allow for the highest possible quality of dive or dive that day ($200 per person).

Discover the Queensland Rainforest

There are numerous options to visit the rainforest from Cairns. In fact, the protected area around it is huge.

To the north, Daintree and Cape Tribulation Rainforest

This is the oldest extension of tropical rainforest in the world, included, of course, in the world heritage of humanity, with about 135 million years old. It concentrates a large number of animal species typical of Australia and plants considered to be among the most primitive have been discovered here.

It is north of Port Douglas, and you will find many offers to visit it, besides being able to rent a car and go on your own. It is a two hour drive from Cairns.

South, Mission Beach

This coastal town has a beautiful stretch of beach and is just under two hours from Cairns by car.

It is the place where you will have more options in Australia to see a common cassowary, a bird with a prehistoric appearance in danger of extinction; although you can also find some specimens in Daintree. If you are lucky enough to see them, be careful with them, they are aggressive and territorial animals.

To the west, Kuranda and the Atherton Tablelands.

Just an hour's drive from Cairns is this tropical plateau with volcanic lakes, waterfalls and waterfalls surrounded by rainforest.

Kuranda is a town in this area very frequented by tourists. It can be reached by taking the scenic train 'Kuranda Scenic Railway' or the cable car 'Skyrail'. Around Kuranda there are several conditioned paths through the jungle and several animal conservation parks (butterflies, reptiles, koalas ...). As I have already commented in the entry on Magnetic Island, I am against enclosing animals for the simple fact of wanting to observe them, depriving them of their natural habitat, space and freedom; therefore we did not visit this village.

Another reason for not doing so was to avoid the crowds of tourists that are concentrated there.

However, we did visit the Atherton Plateau during our stay in Cairns (the only rainforest visit we had time to make) and we did it with the company 'Wait-a-While'. Below, I tell you about our experience.

Excursion with Wait-a-While

This tour is quite expensive compared to other similar tours, $199 per person, including lunch. Although the number of people allowed on each tour is 11, Paul, the owner and guide of this small company, runs the tour every day even when there are only two confirmed clients. Therefore, if you are fortunate enough to be the only one to have booked that day (with a companion), you will enjoy a private tour. And in that case, the value for money is worth it.

In our case we were a total of 7 passengers but we were a bit unlucky in terms of company. On a nature excursion, silence and gentleness while walking is essential for spotting wildlife. If someone in your group is talking loudly and making noise, your chances decrease exponentially. And this was our case.

The tour lasts about 8 hours in total, from 14.00 to 22.00. Paul picked us up with his 4×4 van at our accommodation between 13.30 and 14.00 and drove us first to the south of Cairns. There we saw a colony of wallabies resting and grazing in the shade on a vacant lot in a suburban neighborhood. While we watched them through binoculars (courtesy of the tour) from a safe distance, Paul gave us information and all kinds of curiosities about these marsupials.

He also told us about the green ants, whose 'butt' tastes like lemon-lime, and I can vouch for that! And we saw a colony of giant bats resting (if you can call it resting) in a tree.

After this, we started the ascent to the Atherton plateau by a winding uphill road of 9 kms full of curves (be careful if you suffer from nausea in the car, take precautions).

At the end of this road, we arrived at 700-800 meters altitude, at immense green meadows, dotted with tropical forests, with beautiful contrasts between them and the red of the terrain. All along the way Paul was telling us the history of the area and answering our questions.

The next stop was at the so-called 'Cathedral Fig', a wonderful structure created naturally by a 500-year-old strangler fig.

We then parked next to the volcanic Barrine Lake, Paul offered us a snack of tea, coffee and pastries, and then we took a short walk through the forest (see the map at the end of this post for the route). Here we saw many birds and learned even more about the forest we were in. But, as I mentioned, due to our noisy companions, it was impossible for us to see other types of animals, such as the rat-kangaroo, Australia's smallest marsupial.

Then we went looking for tree kangaroos, very difficult to see, and after a lot of trying we managed to catch a glimpse of a female napping in a tree (you can see her yawning in the video). We also tried to see platypuses ('platypus') in a very bucolic place, owned by an acquaintance of Paul's, but none appeared. We tried again next to Yungaburra, on the free-access Peterson Creek(also marked on the map below).

We ran into people who had seen it 5 minutes before we arrived, although we didn't have the day. Paul was quite overwhelmed, as this is one of the main reasons people sign up for his tour. In reality, whenever you try to observe animals in the wild, there is always the possibility of not seeing them. It's something you have to accept. According to what he told us, platypus sightings with him are usually successful 90% of the time, so we had one of those 10% unlucky days.

We then had dinner (included in the price, minus drink, except for water) at 'Nick's Restaurant', an Italian-Swiss restaurant in Yungaburra. Paul presents you with a two-course menu plus salad starter to choose from during the trip, and then calls the restaurant. That way everything is almost ready when you arrive.

The dinner was quite good and of sufficient quantity. I recommend the ribs, however, don't order the hot chocolate for dessert if you want real chocolate. It is simply a huge glass of milk with a little cocoa (too little for my taste).

After dinner we headed to the Curtain Fig, another spectacularly shaped ficus. At this point it was already dark, so Paul guided us with a spotlight.

It was in the trees around this structure that we saw the most active animals. Nightfall is the best time to observe animals in their natural habitat. For us, this turned out to be the highlight of the excursion. It would not have been possible to do it on your own, since, in order not to disturb the wildlife too much, you need permits to walk through these natural sites at night and to point a light at the animals.

In less than 30 minutes we saw possums (another type of marsupials) common, copper and green-tailed. But not just passing by, but parsimoniously eating the leaves of the trees under our watchful eyes (take a look at the videos). It was a real treat.

After this, the tour ended and we drove back along the same winding road to Cairns, where Paul dropped us back at our accommodation.

It is true that most of the tour can be done on your own, renting a car. However, this tour offers you the convenience of being guided, use of binoculars, a wealth of information about the history of the place, flora and fauna, and a trained eye (Paul's) in locating difficult to see animals. In addition, the night tour is virtually impossible to do on your own.

If you are going to do it on your own, do not touch anything and do not venture into the untraced paths of the rainforest. There are plants that can cause you insufferable pain, as is the case of the 'Stinging tree', which injects you with very powerful neurotoxins through its stinging silica hairs. Others can trap you with their extensions, as is the case of the 'wait-a-while' plant , from which this agency takes its name.

Where to stay

Cairns is a city dedicated to tourism, and therefore, the accommodation offer is very wide and varied. For example, in Booking you can find from quite expensive multi-star hotels in the center, a few steps from the seafront esplanade and the lagoon, to hostels in more remote areas where you can share a room and / or bathroom for very little money.

We are backpackers, but not that much. We value peace and quiet, a good night's sleep and, why deny it, we have grown too old to share a room. Even so, the downtown hotels with good reviews in this regard seemed too expensive and we opted for the Airbnb option.

We stayed in the Tranquil Inner City Room for a week. The house is spacious, clean, comfortable and has everything you need. It has two rooms for rent (ours was the smallest and cheapest), and is shared with the hosts, George and his wife (who was traveling during our stay).

George is nice and respectful of your personal space. The shared bathroom was perfect and the bed in the room was very comfortable.

It is located about 20 minutes walk from the esplanade and the lagoon, in a residential street without much traffic or bars. The only problem is that the neighbors left the music playing late into the night. We, due to the tiredness of the day and jet lag (Cairns was the first stop on our route through Australia) fell asleep quickly, although perhaps someone might be bothered by this.

Despite this, it is an accommodation that I recommend 100%.

Notice for those looking for a hotel/hostel in the center. On Aspen St. there are 3 huge trees that are home to a colony of hundreds of giant bats. They are harmless, frugivorous, very fun to watch, but extremely noisy. The hotel across the street from them gets a lot of criticism from its guests because of this, as they are very annoying and do not shut up, especially at night.

Where to eat

The restaurant offer in Cairns is very wide. Mostly you will find Asian food (due to its proximity to the mainland), so if you like this type of food, you are in luck. Below is a list of what we tried during our stay, in order of preference.

Bagus Café

This Indonesian bar/restaurant, somewhat removed from the center of (a 10-15 minute walk from the lagoon) is very worthwhile.

It is a very humble food stall, with tables only outside under a roof that protects from the sun. However, the Indonesian cuisine, in addition to being good value, was spectacular.

We became addicted to mie goreng (noodles with vegetables) and nasi goreng (rice with vegetables) on our trip to Java and Borneo, and I assure you that the dishes in this restaurant were just as good as in Indonesia. We used to spend 12-14$ per person and, of course, we repeated several times.

Khin Khao Thai Restaurant

We loved this Thai restaurant although it was one of the least economical we tried. We paid $25 per head for a starter and a main course. Everything we tried was delicious and the dishes were plentiful.

Ganbaranba Noodle Bar

This small Japanese restaurant specializes in ramens and homemade gyozas. Everything we tried was very good.

We ordered gyozas and two ramens (one with pork broth and one with chicken/fish), and all the green tea we wanted to drink as a courtesy, $15 per person. Highly recommended if you like this type of food.

Haru

This is a Japanese restaurant where you will find sushi, sashimi, nigiri... all the Japanese varieties of raw fish. It cost us $21 per person eating without excesses, but I must say that the quality was very good and the pieces of fish were quite large, so we ended up fuller than we intended.

Goong Korean and Japanese Restaurant

This Korean-Japanese fusion restaurant was very good, however, it is quite expensive compared to those mentioned above ($43 per person). It is perfect to celebrate a special occasion, as you have the option to ask the cook to prepare the food in front of you, a real luxury (this is a special menu even more expensive). We had a great meal, although, of course, we paid for it.

Grill'd Cairns

If you feel like a hamburger, in this restaurant, in the middle of the esplanade, they are very tasty. It is a large and, at the same time, quite crowded. You order at the bar and then sit down with your order/table number. When it's ready, the waiters bring it to you. We paid $19 per person for a burger plus drink.

Bobby's Restaurant

Very cheap Vietnamese fast food ( 8-10$ per plate). A good plan is to order it to go and eat sitting on the grass around the lagoon.

Salt House

This is a rather classy bar/restaurant in a privileged position between the lagoon and the harbor; and, therefore, high priced. We didn't try the food, just had a cocktail each, quite expensive ($15), but good. What you really pay for are the location and the ambiance, very nice.

Budget

• Transportation: 20€ (cab from the airport, 10€/person).
• Lodging: 372€ (26,6€/person/day).
• Excursions: 275€ (Wait-a-While) + 197€ (ReefDay) + 137€ (CDC) (304,5€/person).
• Meals: 295€ (21€/person/day).

In total, we spent 1296€ in 7 days, or 92.5€ per person per day.

Do you want to know other places to enjoy the underwater world in this continent? In the post about our complete route around Australia you have everything you need to get inspired and, according to your preferences, decide which is your ideal destination in the Great Barrier Reef.

If you have any doubts or questions, or need any other details that I haven't mentioned, feel free to leave a comment below. I will be happy to help you in any way I can.

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