🇦🇺 Cairns 4D3N Full Guide

Just wrapped up my Cairns trip~ Here’s a little summary! Day 1️⃣ BNE ✈️ Cairns 8:40 - 11:10 Landed at Cairns Airport → took a taxi to the hotel (cheaper than Uber + no waiting! 🚖) Dropped bags, had a quick lunch at a local spot 🌟 Pho Viet – we had Vietnamese pho 🍜 Headed to Kuranda Rainforest after lunch Got tickets at 1:20 PM (we arrived a bit late, so didn’t risk the train return – last one at 3:30 🕐) Chose the cable car round-trip instead 🎫: $107 AUD Reached the top by 2:30 – plenty of time! We did quick stops at the stations though (didn’t visit the zoo or hold koalas 🐨) Kuranda is great for some oxygen therapy 🌳💨 Had a beer at the top – super chill 😌 Personally found it a bit boring – half a day is enough! Took a taxi back to the city around 6 PM (was hard to get one – waited ages…) 🌟 Dinner: Dundee’s on the Waterfront – book ahead! 🐊🦘 Nice waterfront views + tried crocodile & kangaroo meat (not bad!) After dinner, had a relaxing walk along the shore 🚶‍♀️🌊 or find a bar for drinks & chats – perfect end to the day! Day 2️⃣ We chose to visit the Great Barrier Reef on Day 2 (since you can’t fly within 12 hrs after diving 🚫✈️) Chose the package: 10-min helicopter flight ✈️ + intro dive (free snorkeling included 🤿) But honestly… this was the most disappointing part of the trip 😥 ‼️ MUST take motion sickness pills – the boat was super rocky 🚢🌊 It was chaotic: crew asked us to sign up for diving & helicopter while the boat was shaking badly – felt unsafe 😵 Snorkeling coral and fish weren’t that pretty – kinda let down If you’re diving – don’t rent a GoPro (not allowed during intro dive!). Snorkeling is okay though! 😭 Anyone else gave up during the dive training like me? I’ll never dive again – putting my head underwater felt suffocating & panicky 😫 As a non-swimmer, I just couldn’t handle breathing only through my mouth 👄 Recommend beginners try helmet diving (sea walk) instead – don’t waste your money! Lunch on the boat was provided (basic and cold 🥪) 🌟 Dinner: Villa Romana – seafood pasta was okay 🍝 #Brisbane #ReadingTheWorld #CairnsTrip #CairnsHoliday #CairnsDiving #KurandaRainforest