Coral Expeditions - Reef & Rainforest

Arrive into Cairns and check into your hotel in the northern suburb of Trinity Beach. From fantastic shopping to delectable cuisine and from museums and art galleries to soaking up the sun beside the beautiful esplanade lagoon, this waterfront city has plenty to recommend it. Take a day to discover the picturesque mountain retreat of Kuranda, travelling by rainforest cableway, the Skyrail, allowing you to glide just metres above the rainforest canopy. In Kuranda itself you can shop for impressive artistic souvenirs and keepsakes, stroll around the heritage markets and soak up the laid-back, small town feel.

These verdant highlands form part of Queensland’s Great Dividing Range, an idyllic carpet of emerald green tropical forests and bucolic countryside. It’s all rather picturesque, with waterfalls plunging majestically into blue lakes, lush ferns and palm trees contrasting with green fields and rolling hills. Get your camera ready for myriad natural attractions, such as craters, lava tubes and swamps, and look up to spot tree kangaroos among the foliage. Alternatively, discover your inner Tarzan (or Jane) as you surf the jungle on a zipwire, gliding effortlessly between the treetop platforms, an exhilarating and fun-filled adventure.

Now it’s time for the main event: your Northern Great Barrier Reef Cruise onboard the Coral Expedition II. Settle in to your beautifully appointed surroundings, which include spacious guest rooms, modern amenities and all the home comforts you’d expect from a larger vessel, while offering an intimate atmosphere and the ability to access reef and island sites inaccessible to larger ships. You’ll sail north along the coast and past Palm Cove, where you can admire the sunset, glass of bubbly in hand. Pause at historic Cooktown then head to picture postcard Lizard Island, where a hilltop viewpoint offers spectacular Great Barrier Reef views. Explore the diverse reefs and islands before continuing on to the rarely-visited and remote Ribbon Reefs for a bit of snorkelling or diving. This cruise is also available in a seven-night version.

Onwards to Port Douglas’s beautiful Four Mile Beach, sprinkled with white sand and lapped by turquoise waters. Explore this busy port, whose dappled streets and historical architecture, mixed in with contemporary constructions give it a small town feel. Use Port Douglas as your base to explore the World Heritage listed Daintree Rainforest, which spreads right down to the sea at Cape Tribulation. This is the only place in the world where two World Heritage Sites lie side by side, and home to a variety of coastal and rainforest-dwelling wildlife.