"Cairns: A good place for a party and an... " a Cairns Travel Page by coolbananas

Cairns is definitely one of those 'must do' places in Australia.

The place itself, with 120.00 inhabitants, is not that special. It's all about the tours and trips you can do from here. And the partying of course!

The most popular trip is a boat tour to the Great Barrier Reef, which is a two hour boat ride away from Cairns.

Many people go diving or snorkeling, or both. There are heaps of companies that offer trips or diving courses. The price depends on the amount of dives you get to do and the reefs they visit.

Even if you're not into diving you should still do a boat trip to the reef, cause it's a beautiful piece of work by nature. You can go snorkeling if you like and for those of you who don't like to be in the water at all, there's usually a glass bottom boat that gives the opportunity to see the reef and the fish without getting wet.

Another popular trip brings you to Cape Tribulation, where the rainforest meets the reef. It's best to spend at least three days in this beautiful area in order to be able to take in all the beautiful sights. Most organised trips to Cape Tribulation also offer a one-hour 'crocodile cruise' on the Daintree River and a stop at Mossman Gorge. It's worthwile comparing the different offers and if there's two or more of you, you can probably save money by renting a car and booking the accommodation and the croc cruise yourselves.

On your way back from Cape Tribulation you can stop in Port Douglas for a nice afternoon on the beach.

Closer to Cairns (about 40 km) is another not-to-miss attraction: Kuranda. Again, just like Cairns, the place itself is not that special (unless you like the commercial and touristy souvenir shops and markets). The trip to and from Kuranda is what makes it worthwile visiting.

There's a train that runs between Cairns and Kuranda, the 'Kuranda Scenic Railway', which takes almost two hours. During the train ride you're being provided with useful information through the intercom and there's a stop at Barron Falls.

Another form of transportation between Cairns and Kuranda is the 'Skyrail', a cable-car that makes it possible to get a birds-eye-view of the rainforest: very spectacular!

It's best to take the cable-car up to Kuranda and the train back to Cairns, cause apparently this gives the most spectacular views.