On this 10-hour tour from Cairns, spend the morning exploring the lush landscape of the surrounding rainforest in an all-terrain vehicle that takes you to Barron Gorge National Park and Kuranda National Park, which is part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With a pass giving you exclusive access, you can visit areas closed to the public. At the end of this off-road adventure, you'll be dropped off in Kuranda and enjoy free time to explore the village before returning to Cairns on your choice of either the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway or the Kuranda Scenic Railway (selectable) at time of booking). Transfer is offered from and to Cairns hotels only.
After you are collected from your Cairns hotel by your guide, your tour will begin heading north to Barron Gorge National Park. Stop at Surprise Falls, a 243-meter (797-foot) high waterfall located in the lower Barron Gorge.
You will continue your ascent of the Lamb Range mountain range west of Cairns and enjoy stunning views of the city as well as Green Island and the Great Barrier Reef in the distance. You will then travel to Morris Lake and Copperlode Dam. It is here that the city of Cairns gets its water supply, in a setting surrounded by mountains covered with a World Heritage equatorial forest. You will have time to stretch your legs and take photos from the viewpoint before crossing the dam.
With your exclusive access authorization, you will access sites generally closed to the public, far from the crowds. Aboard the 4×4, you will meander through some of the most fabulous equatorial forest landscape in the region and above the Australian Cordillera, one of the longest mountain ranges in the world. Hike through the rainforest, crossing several streams and stopping at a wooden walkway for an overview of the rainforest with commentary from your guide, who will also introduce you to the Clohesy River Fig Tree.
You will then leave the lush humid tropics and enter the rural savannah of Australia, marveling at the rapidly changing forest types and landscape. Back on paved roads, travel to Kuranda, where your guide will drop you off just before noon, giving you free time to explore this 'village in the rain forest'. You'll have around 3 hours to explore its attractions and markets on your own, and have lunch at one of the local cafes or restaurants (own expense).
Later in the afternoon, you'll return to Cairns on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, which glides over the World Heritage-listed rainforest and offers aerial views, or the historic Kuranda Scenic Railway, where you can learn more about the history of this engineering feat. Once the journey is complete in your preferred mode of transport, you will be transferred by coach back to your Cairns accommodation.
