Things to do in Cairns

15 activities, venues and outings in Cairns, from theatres and live music to parks and tours.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

Do
Airplay Hang Gliding
Airplay offers tandem hang gliding flights of durations up to 1 hr and a free outbound shuttle service. Lessons and full instruction are also available to those wishing to learn to fly.
Do
Jungle Tours
Day and extended tours to the World Heritage areas of Cape Tribulation and the Daintree - where the oldest rainforest in the world meets the Great Barrier Reef. Small groups travel with their informative guides on air-conditioned buses. Tours can include Port Douglas, The Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary, cruising on the Daintree River searching for crocodiles and wildlife, swimming in the Mossman Gorge and exploring Cape Tribulation Beach. On extended tours, various levels of accommodation are offered, from backpacker dorms to deluxe resorts, with plenty of options to party and play. Activities vary from reef trips with Rum Runner to horseriding, jungle surfing, and sea kayaking.
Do
Mike Ball Dive Expeditions
Dive sites suited to serious divers. Allows solo diving and rebreather diving if you provide appropriate equipment. Cabins with private bathrooms are available.
3-night trip from $1,480, 4-night trip from $1,678 and 7-night trip from $2,938, rental equipment and courses extra
Do
Northern Experience Eco Tour
Visits the waterfalls, Lake Barrine Cater lake, the Curtain Fig tree, Famous Milla Milla falls, 2-course hot lunch and cheese/yogurt tasting at the Mungalli organic bio-dynamic dairy, the rainforest of the Southern Cairns Highlands, plus the historic Spanish castle ruins and gardens of Paronella Park and Mena Creek falls, near Innisfail, and the Babinda boulders for a swim in clear mountain spring waters. Back to Cairns via Bruce Highway, sugar cane fields and Walsh's Pyramid. Many photo opportunities. Small groups, max 20 passengers.
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Passions of Paradise
A 25-m modern, fast-sailing catamaran travelling daily to Michaelmas Cay, where the company holds a permit allowing passengers access to the beach. This is one of the most important bird nesting sanctuaries on the Great Barrier Reef with over 20,000 sea birds. The cay has white sand, warm shallow water and an abundance of marine life making it perfect for snorkelling, scuba diving, glass bottom boat tours or just relaxing on the beach. The second destination is the Outer Barrier Reef and a mooring at Breaking Patches. There you will find the hard coral gardens that the Outer Reef is famous for. The day includes a hot and cold buffet lunch, all snorkelling equipment and sailing on one of the fastest catamarans travelling to the Great Barrier Reef.
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Pro Dive Cairns
Specialises in 11-dive/3-day 2-night liveaboard trips to the Outer Reef, departing every day except Tuesdays. Their dive sites are suitable for inexperienced divers: most trips will include one or more groups of students doing their checkout dives. The liveaboard trip is $580 for a twin share or double cabin (including all equipment). Pro Dive Cairns also offer several PADI courses which include the liveaboard trip: the basic Open Water course (2 days of classroom and pool work plus the trip), Open Water referral checkout dives, Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver. The trip is $580 per person, twin share or double and equipment is included. An additional fee applies of $35 per person, including a $15 Government Environmental Management Charge as well as a Port Departure tax and administration costs.
The trip is $560 per person, twin share or double, reef tax and equipment included. Open Water course $725, Open Water referral $630
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RnR White Water Rafting
Operating since 1984. The Tully River is Australia's best and most famous 1-day white water rafting experience, with up to 5 hr of rafting over more than 45 grade 4 rapids through World Heritage Rainforest. The Barron River option is a great half-day tour, with up to 2 hr of rafting on grade 3 rapids. For something longer, the North Johnstone 4-day expedition is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Helicopter in, 4 days of grade 5 rapids and camping 3 nights under the stars in riverside rainforest clearings.
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Skydive Cairns
Tandem, single jumps, and AFF courses. One of the most beautiful planes flies up to overlooking the reef.
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Spirit of Freedom
A 37-m liveaboard boat, covering iconic and remote dive sites. A 3-day trip departs Mondays for Cod Hole and the Ribbon Reefs, a 4-day trip departs Thursdays for the Coral Sea and Osprey Reef, or you can stay on for the full 7 days. A stunning low-level flight to Lizzard Island gets you from Cairns to meet on the Thursday trip, and back from the Monday one. Excellent diving sites for the more advanced diver - you must have your open water before joining the boat.
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Tropic Wings Coach Tours
One of the largest and longest established coach touring companies in Cairns, operating since 1981. Operate full- and half-day tours to Kuranda including Kuranda Scenic Railway, Skyrail, Rainforestation Nature Park and Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, Cape Tribulation and the Daintree, Port Douglas, Atherton Tablelands and the 'Outback'. Extended tours are available to Cape Tribulation and the Daintree.
Do Not mapped
Champagne Balloon Flights
Offers a slightly cheaper trip that doesn't include breakfast.
Do Not mapped
New Horizon Sail and Dive
New Horizon Sail and Dive operates two classic sailing boats, Santa Maria and Coral Sea Dreaming, to the outer Great Barrier Reef. They allow you to experience the reef in a smaller more intimate affair with a maximum of 10 passengers on each trip.
The trip is from $380 per person for a two-day liveaboard and from $540 for a three-day liveaboard, all equipment included.
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Ballooning with Hot Air
Includes a hot breakfast, champagne & transfers.
$200
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Tandem Cairns
Offers tandem skydives.
$244 for a dive, $295 for a dive
Do
Tusa Dive Australia
Good small operator.
Two-day dive trips to the Outer Reef for $160 ($190 with equipment hire)

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Cairns (CC BY-SA 4.0).