No stay in Cairns is complete without a trip to beautiful Green Island. Located in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, this island paradise is just a short 45-minute catamaran ride away. This 6,000-year-old rainforest-covered coral cay is perfect for day-trippers or those who choose a more extended stay at the island’s luxurious eco-friendly resort. Choose to while away the day on this tropical national park island your way.
Laze on the pristine white sands, snorkel or dive in the surrounding coral gardens, or walk the Green Island nature trails and be amazed by colourful birdlife in the unique rainforest. Opt for kayaking, a glass-bottom boat tour, or a scenic helicopter flight. Then round your day off with a cocktail by the pool in this magical location.
Getting to Green Island is simple, with ferries departing multiple times a day to this pristine island getaway. Visitors can choose to book a ferry passage only or a Green Island tour package. Most Green Island tours include transfers and the glass bottom boat experience or Green Island snorkelling. Book your Green Island half-day tours for the morning or afternoon; however, the morning is recommended for keen divers. Green Island full-day tours allow visitors to make the most of this island paradise and its many activities. No matter what passage you book, day-trippers to the island have access to the resort’s pool, showers, toilets, and three food outlets.
There are plenty of Green Island attractions for those not keen on getting wet. Take a guided rainforest walk, visit the Marineland Melanesia, or book in for some pampering at the spa. Non-swimmers who still want to dip a toe and see the reef underwater can try Seawalker helmet diving to walk amongst the coral without getting their hair wet.
Green Island Resort is an innovative leader in sustainable practices. It converts its food waste into a nutrient-rich organic fertiliser, glass bottle waste into sand, and uses solar energy to power the resort. It's all about treading lightly and giving back to nature at Green Island.
You can visit Green Island any time of year and swim no matter the season. The water in winter rarely drops below 22 degrees, and in summer, it can hit a balmy 29. Although rare, swimmers should be careful of stingers in summer and consider bringing or hiring a stinger suit, and while towels are available on the island, day-trippers are advised to bring their own as supply may run short.
As Green Island is part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, it offers a diverse array of marine life for visitors to explore and observe. The coral reefs are home to a variety of colourful coral species, such as staghorn coral, brain coral, and coral bommies. They’re also teeming with a wide range of tropical fish species, including parrotfish, clownfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, wrasses, and damselfish. Larger marine animals to look out for include turtles, stingrays, and reef sharks.
The ferry journey from Cairns to Green Island typically takes around 45 minutes. Green Island is on the inner Great Barrier Reef, meaning the journey is less rough than travelling to the more exposed outer reef. Irrespective, seasickness medication is recommended for those who struggle with their sea legs.
You’ll need to book a ferry from Cairns to get to Green Island.
Our recommendation? Book yourself on one of our Cairns tours for over-50s, both of which end in the city, and tack on a quick day trip to Green Island as a final delight. Our tours include:
Our team is always happy to help if you have any questions about us or our tours. Fill out our form and we will get back to you soon.
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We are a Green Travel Leader. This is awarded to businesses which have consistently proven their commitment to sustainable tourism management over ten years.
As a Sustianable Tourism accredited business, we are proud to offer engaging tourism experiences that follow sound sustainability practices and environmental appreciation.
Quality Tourism accredited businesses like Fun Over 50 lead the way by offering the highest industry standards of customer service, satisfaction, reliability, and ethical practices.
We are committed to operating in ways that respect and reinforce Indigenous cultural heritage and the authenticity and integrity of living cultures of Indigenous communities.
We have incorporated strategic climate change responses across all relevant levels of our planning and operations. We are working towards becoming carbon neutral.
With Advanced Ecotourism certification, we offer outstanding experiences which let you get back to nature, help conservation, and minimise environmental impact.
We are a credible, well trained, and professional business. We conduct business in compliance with Australian Consumer Law and in accordance with ATAS Charter and Code of Conduct.
The Council of Australian Tour Operators represents tour operators and wholesalers. As a full CATO member, we provide authentic and original holidays with sustainable travel.
We acknowledge the traditional owners of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them, their cultures, and to the elders both past and present.
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