Many people visit Cairns as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. Having already visited the Reef several times, we had three full days to explore Cairns’ surrounding areas on our Queensland road trip. Luckily, Queensland is full of many incredible sites within just a few hours drive.
We took three amazing day trips covering everything from scenic skyrails to waterfalls and a crocodile spotting cruise on the Daintree River. Here are the best day trips from Cairns.
Rainforest Skyrail & Kuranda Scenic Train
Fifteen minutes north of Cairns city lies the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. Spanning 7.5km, the Skyrail is the perfect way to view the Daintree Rainforest from above. It is suggested to book tickets in advance, and I recommend waiting until you can check the weather. You can either do a return Skyrail or one way Skyrail with the scenic railway – which only runs on certain days, starting at either Smithfield or Kuranda. We went for the railway option.
There are three stops along the Skyrail, first being a short boardwalk through the rainforest, giving you an initial taste of the beautiful Daintree.
Stop number two has a couple of lookout points for Barron Falls. Unfortunately, as it was cloudy and raining, the view was concealed by clouds, however, what we could see of it was absolutely incredible! Luckily on the train ride back, we got a better view of the Falls.
The third Skyrail stop is Kuranda Village. The Village is accessible by car, however taking the Skyrail gives you the full rainforest experience. Up here, we explored the Village and markets, stopping for a vegan lunch and fresh juice at Fruibies – highly recommend!
Before boarding the scenic train, we walked along the river, spotting our first and only cassowary of the trip. Connecting Kuranda and Cairns, the scenic railway ascends 327 metres above sea level and spans 33 kilometres. The ride is quite long at ninety minutes, but worth it for the incredible views along the way.
Highlights of the train included a quick stop at Barron Falls – the weather had cleared up so we got an incredible view – and Stoney Creek Falls where there was a tight bend on the track so you could see the end of the train from the front!
We love a good Skyrail and Cairns’ is the longest in the world – definitely worth the trip!
Atherton Tablelands Waterfall Circuit: Millaa Millaa, Zille & Ellinjaa Falls
Within the Atherton Tablelands, two hours southwest of Cairns, is the Waterfall Circuit. This is a self-drive loop taking you to three impressive waterfalls, all within ten minutes of each other.
Millaa Millaa Falls is the most famous of the three, a traditional drop waterfall that has featured in many films and tv shows. The waterfall is easily accessible, just a short walk down from the carpark (note: there are stairs). It’s a lovely spot to swim as it’s quite safe and easy to access the water. While the water was quite cold being winter, it didn’t stop us from taking a dip!
Next up, Zillie Falls. There is a lookout point from the top which is an easy short walk from the carpark, though viewing a waterfall from the top just isn’t the same. It wasn’t signposted, but there was a hiking track down to the bottom. The track was super muddy and slippery (feeling a little dangerous) so good shoes are essential. It was a bit sketchy at the bottom and not safe for swimming but worth the hike for the views. The waterfall was gushing and absolutely incredible!
The final stop was Ellinjaa Falls, accessible via a five minute walk down stairs from the carpark. Ellinjaa is a very wide waterfall with many different streams – so beautiful! The water’s quite shallow with the ground covered in rocks, and you can easily swim out under the falls. Our photos from this one are my favourite and we had the place mostly to ourselves!
All three waterfalls were incredible and it’s impossible to choose a favourite as they’re all uniquely beautiful!
On the way back to Cairns, we saw a sign for the Babinda Boulders and made a stop there. The swimming hole was one of the busiest places we’d found the whole trip, so we opted for the Devils Pools walk which was incredible.
Daintree River & Mossman Gorge
90 minutes north of Cairns lies the Daintree River. We booked a trip with Bruce Belcher’s Daintree River Cruises hoping to spot crocodiles in the wild for the first time. The company claims they find crocs on 98% of trips so we had high hopes!
We were absolutely not disappointed. After only a few minutes, we spotted croc number one, laying in some reeds! The guide was super knowledgeable, knowing all the crocs by name with a knack for spotting them from miles away. After spotting a second one lazing on an island in the middle of the river, we came across a huge crocodile sunning itself on the river bank. It was around this time that the guide decided to tell us that he’d had crocs jump on the side of the boat and even into the boat – yikes!
We spotted seven crocodiles in total, with the highlight being two little babies that the guide seemed to find out of nowhere. I would highly recommend doing a Daintree River cruise, we were really happy with Bruce Belcher’s.
On a high from the tour, we drove a further fifteen minutes and landed in Daintree Village where we stopped for a quick lunch. It was a humid thirty degrees celsius in the middle of winter and you obviously can’t swim because there’s crocodiles!
We drove back to Cairns along the gorgeous Captain Cook Highway scenic drive. The sun was shining so we made a stop at Rex Lookout to admire the view.
We also made a stop at the famous Mossman Gorge, an “Indigenous eco-tourism experience”. To preserve the area, the only way to access the gorge is via a shuttle bus from the visitor centre ($13pp return, 10 minute drive). There are several well maintained boardwalks and a longer hike. Despite multiple signs saying Mossman Gorge doesn’t recommend swimming as conditions can be dangerous, there was a nice calm spot where everyone was splashing around. Being winter, the water was cold but refreshing!
We’d heard good things about Palm Cove, so stopped briefly on our way back. Think palm tree lined beaches with small, coastal town vibes. This would be the perfect place to relax for a few days as a couple or family.
That wraps up my Cairns Day Trips Travel Guide. I hope you enjoyed the post and that it inspired you to explore Tropical North Queensland.
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