Australia · GREAT BARRIER REEF TOURS IN CAIRNS
Good great barrier reef tours in Cairns fill up weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Spend a full day at two Great Barrier Reef sites from Cairns, with snorkeling, optional scuba, BBQ lunch, marine guides, and a scenic flight upgrade.
“Everyone on board was very friendly. Very lovely cruise to two spots of barrier reefs. Amazing experience”
Review of Cairns’ Great Barrier Reef catamaran cruise, with two outer reef stops, snorkeling, scuba, lunch, safety, and practical booking tips.
“Great experience, Staff were excellent! Highly recommended! Incredible trip! The”
Review of Passions of Paradise’s Cairns reef cruise, with two Outer Reef sites, snorkeling, scuba, lunch, practical tips, and honest drawbacks.
“Amazing experience, get to see plenty of fish and coral - just like out of finding nemo! Staff are very friendly and the lunch was excellent! Marine biologist talk on the way back to shore was also very insightful. Great trip which is worth every penny!”
See the Great Barrier Reef from a fixed-wing plane, with window seats, pilot commentary, Green Island, reefs, cays, and whale spotting.
“Great experience. Unforgettable view from the plane. Special thanks to Daniel our pilot and Luke our guide, very friendly service from both of them. All in all absolutely recommendable.”
Spend six hours at two Great Barrier Reef sites from Cairns, with guided snorkeling, glass-bottom viewing, lunch, and optional scuba.
“The best boat trip I've ever been on! Highly recommend! We opted for the 2 scubadives. Boarding 7:30 for 8am departure. Pastries, fruit and hot drinks were available on board. Lovely boat, clean and decent space for everyone. We had an intro talk for the scuba while we were making our way out to the first reef. The first dive lasted around 25 minutes. We had one instructor to 2 people and they linked arms and guided us around the reef. We saw a shark and various other fish. Then there was time for snorkeling and a glass bottom boat trip. Whilst snorkeling we saw a turtle and jellyfish. Lunch…”
Review of Divers Den’s Cairns reef tour, with two outer reef sites, guided snorkeling, meals, gear, hot showers, and practical tips.
“Absolutely breathtaking. Highly recommend. I had to cancel the dive and switch to snorkeling because of my flight time but I saw just as much and had just as great of an experience as I would have had I been diving. There is a photographer who takes incredible pics- don’t forget to look before you leave! The guides were amazing. Helpful, and present. The safety procedures were top notch and the whole operation was a finely tuned machine.”
Review of Cairns’ fast, small-group Great Barrier Reef snorkel tour, with practical advice on price, timing, conditions, gear, guides, and value.
“Bucket list activity! Seemed good value compared to other trips. Lovely and friendly staff - Sofia, Bradley, Renee - they made everyone welcome, were very organised and safe. Music playing on the boat was a great addition. And they take photos with a gopro of everyone in and out the water as well as getting some pics of the reef which are amazing souvenirs to have.”
Review of Divers Den’s Cairns reef day trip, with snorkeling, scuba options, two outer reef sites, lunch, gear, and practical tips.
“It was a beautiful day out on the ocean! Saw a ton of beautiful fish, a reef shark, and gorgeous coral. Met a great French couple who I've stayed in touch with! The staff was great! Really informative, helpful, and fun! Lunch was great too! DEFINITELY RECOMMEND! Thanks to the staff for everything on 12/27/25!”
Spend five hours snorkeling two Outer Reef sites from Cairns, with a 35-metre superyacht, buffet lunch, and wine on the way home.
“Thanks to Phill Jnr. Awesome guide on my dive. Friendly and entertaining crew, will recommend this to anyone that wants to explore the reef.”
Seastar’s Cairns reef cruise visits Michaelmas Cay and Hastings Reef, with guided snorkeling, lunch, glass-bottom views, and a small group.
“Excellent day out with a very professionally run crew. Friendly, helpful team members who obviously enjoy their jobs! Lunch was excellent with salads, chicken and vegetable bake, with plenty for everyone. Two stops along the way and I reRead more”
Cruise from Cairns to two Outer Reef sites, snorkel, enjoy a BBQ lunch, and fly by helicopter over the Great Barrier Reef.
“It was such an amazing experience. We love the food, and the staff were really nice too. Super recommend💖”
Review Sunlover Reef Cruises from Cairns to Moore Reef, with snorkeling, a waterslide, glass-bottom boat, lunch, and optional scuba and helicopter flights.
“It was a great day. Sunlover offers a product with tremendous value, a good lunch, snorkelling, a semi-submersible boat, and a glass bottom boat to see the reef. Unfortunately, that's it. The reef was nice to see but I was expecting A LOT morRead more”
Review of Cairns’ Dreamtime Reef cruise, with two outer reef sites, five hours in the water, Indigenous culture, lunch, and optional scuba.
“We really enjoyed our GBR experience! We stopped at 2 great reefs and saw many fish and a couple turtles. There was a marine biologist onboard to share and answer any questions. And the teaching about indigenous culture was great too! The boat and crew made the day wonderful!”
Sail to Green Island on a 25-person schooner for Great Barrier Reef snorkeling, optional scuba, reef talks, lunch, and personal crew care.
“All over ok but wouldn’t recommend if part of draw is snorkelling from beach (pretty meh) lunch also awful .. if we’d know line ups for greasy fast food would be so long we would have brought picnic. Upside was the Crocodile sanctuary feeding experience. But you can do this at Hartleys.”
Review the Silverswift from Cairns to three Outer Great Barrier Reef sites, with snorkeling, optional scuba, buffet lunch, and practical tips.
“Easily one of the best tours I’ve been on. The staff on the boat were incredible they all seem to love their jobs and treat all customers with so much respect. They knew all the details and were all approachable. Would recommend this tour to everyone. The 3 swim spots were incredible and had 1.5+ at each one.”
Pick a coast, a rock or a vineyard.
