DETAILED ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrive in Cairns

Arrive in Cairns, where you will collect your hire car and drive to your hotel.

Day 2: Explore Cairns

Relax and enjoy exploring Cairns today – the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.

Cairns Esplanade is lined with bars and restaurants and has a swimming lagoon, whilst the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park tells the stories of indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, with music and dance.

Boat rides are available to the Great Barrier Reef.

Day 3: Mission Beach

Today head south to discover more of the wonders of tropical North Queensland, following the scenic Canecutter Way, a 32 mile route that combines history and charm with spectacular scenery.

Check in to your accommodation in the small coastal town of Mission Beach in the Cassowary Coast Region.

Days 4 & 5: Atherton Tablelands

From Mission Beach retrace your steps to Innisfail, where you’ll turn inland and follow the 10 mile ‘Waterfalls Circuit’ as you climb up into the cool air of the Atherton Tablelands.

Stop for a dip at the Tchupala, Wallicher or Nandroya Falls before arriving at Millaa Millaa Falls, arguably the most beautiful and certainly the most photographed.

The Atherton Tablelands is part of the Great Dividing Range and comprises a diverse blend of rainforest, wetland and savanna. Your base for the next two nights is a timber treehouse set in 230 acres of rainforest that is home to an abundance of birds and wildlife, including tree kangaroos and wallabies.

Day 6: Daintree National Park

Today visit the UNESCO World Heritage listed Daintree National Park, one of the oldest and most biodiverse tropical forests in the world.

Spanning mountains, gorges and beaches, its towering emerald green tree canopy is home to a huge percentage of Australia’s animal population, including over 30% of all frogs and 65% of all butterflies and bats. There are over 430 different bird species, and over 12,000 insect species. Many of these are found nowhere else on earth, including the Ulysses butterfly, Boyd’s forest dragon (an arboreal lizard) and the southern cassowary (a large flightless bird). The plants are just as interesting, with over 3,000 species existing in the rainforest.

There are a myriad of ways to explore, but a wildlife cruise on the Daintree River is an excellent way to see and photograph the environment and its inhabitants at close range. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for crocodiles.

Days 7 & 8: Palm Cove

Leave the emerald green of the rainforest behind you today and drive south along the remarkable Great Barrier Reef Drive, sandwiched between wet tropical rainforests and the ocean. Ellis Beach and Rex Lookout are favourite spots to pull over and soak in the views.

Continue to Palm Cove, a pretty seaside village with a seafront promenade flanked by a paperbar- lined sandy beach and a mix of cool cafes and stylish restaurants and boutiques.

Day 9: Drive to Cairns

After a morning at leisure in Palm Cove, it's a short drive back to Cairns, where you will return your hire car and spend the night.

Days 10 & 11: Embark on Great Barrier Reef Cruise

Transfer to the Cairns Cruise Terminal in good time to board your small ship Great Barrier Reef expedition cruise, departing at 10.00. Cruise itineraries are flexible to take advantage of changing weather and reef conditions, but during the next three days these are sample destinations that we may visit:

Sudbury Cay, with snorkelling, glass-bottom boat tours and optional scuba diving. Finish the day with sunset drinks ashore on the sandy cay.

Hinchinbrook Channel & Family Islands, looking for crocodiles and birdlife during a mangrove tour of the channel. Then stretch your legs on one of the Family Islands with a rainforest hike or a beach walk. You will learn about the rainforest ecosystem and might even spot an electric blue Ulysses butterfly.

Nathan & Coates Reef, with guided snorkelling. Nathan Reef is teeming with fish, including the clownfish and Maori (humpback) wrasse. On colourful Coates Reef you can see plate corals and parrotfish during a scuba dive or from the comfort of the glass-bottom boat, with interpretation from your on-board marine biologist.

Fitzroy Island, with a rainforest walk or hike to the lighthouse. Snorkel over coral reef and swim with green sea turtles, before learning more about them at the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre.

Note: Longer Great Barrier Reef expedition cruises of 4 to 7 nights are available on request. You need to be relatively mobile to enjoy an expedition cruise, as you will be embarking and disembarking each day using inflatable zodiac boats.

Day 12: Disembark in Cairns & fly to Brisbane

Disembark in Cairns at around 13.30 today and transfer to the airport for your flight to Brisbane, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

Day 13 & 14: Explore Brisbane

Brisbane (‘Brissie’) is the capital of the sunshine state of Queensland. It is Australia’s third largest city, with a mild subtropical climate. Situated along the winding banks of the Brisbane River, it combines historic buildings with modern elegance and has many lush parklands and gardens.

The Cultural Precinct in South Bank is a wonderful family-friendly destination for a day out, with many excellent museums, galleries and performance venues. You can relax on the lush lawns of the South Bank Parklands along the riverfront, or take a ride on the Wheel of Brisbane. Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) occupies two adjacent but contrasting buildings along this waterfront. 

The Museum of Brisbane is housed in the City Hall, a heritage building situated in Adelaide Street, whilst the Queen Street Mall is an excellent shopping precinct.

A Brisbane River cruise is an excellent way to gain a fresh perspective of the city’s landmarks, including steel Story Bridge (which you can climb up and abseil down) and Kangaroo Point Cliffs. The cruise can also take you to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, where you can cuddle a koala and see other indigenous animals such as kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, dingoes, snakes, crocodiles, Tasmanian devils and platypuses. You can also see bird of prey flight demonstrations and sheep shearing.

The Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens are located 4.5 miles outside the city, at the foot of Brisbane's tallest mountain. The Mount Coot-tha lookout offers a breathtaking panorama over the area.

If you wish to explore outside the city, a wide variety of day tours are on offer ranging from the vast beaches of Surfers Paradise and the Gold Coast in the south, to Noosa Heads and the Sunshine Coast in the north. A 75 minute ferry ride from downtown Brisbane will take you to Moreton Island, with its azure waters and white sandy beaches, or visit North Stradbroke Island where you can swim, hike, view wild kangaroos and koalas and see whales from the beach in season. Alternatively head inland to the lush green mountains of the Springbrook and Tamborine Rainforest, with its natural bridge and glow worm cave.

Day 15: Fly Home

Transfer to Brisbane airport for your flight home.

PRICING

Price is based on two adults sharing en-suite accommodation on a room only basis, with full board and selected beer and wine on the cruise. Standard car hire is included and airport transfers on departure from Cairns and in Brisbane. International and domestic flights are not included and will be quoted separately.

We offer a choice of hotels at different prices, so please discuss your requirements with us. All hotels are subject to availability.

Before your departure, you will receive personalised holiday information including recommended route and suggestions on places to visit, to help you get the most from your holiday.

It is essential that you have personal holiday insurance and an appropriate driving licence. The FCO should also be consulted.