Plan Your Trip
10 days of tropical adventure
Distance
600km
How
Car or Camper
Where
Cairns to Mission Beach
Date
Year round
Ready to swap the everyday for reef, rainforest, waterfalls and a serious dose of adventure? This action-packed 10-day road trip takes you from the palm-fringed streets of Port Douglas to the ancient Daintree Rainforest, across the Atherton Tablelands and down to Mission Beach before wrapping up in Cairns.
Along the way, you’ll spot crocodiles, sail into the sunset, snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, chase waterfalls, take to the skies and tackle the rapids of the Tully River. Buckle up, Tropical North Queensland is calling.
Get DirectionsCairns to Port Douglas
Land in Cairns, collect your hire car and hit the road for Port Douglas. The drive north is part of the adventure, with rainforest-clad mountains on one side and the Coral Sea on the other.
There’s no need to rush. Stop at one of the beaches along the way, stretch your legs beneath the palms or pull over at a lookout to take in the views. Once you arrive in Port Douglas, check into your accommodation and wander down Macrossan Street or along Four Mile Beach.
Sail into sunset
Ease into tropical time with a Sailaway sunset cruise. Watch the coastline glow as you sail across the Coral Sea, then return to Port Douglas for dinner and a relaxed first night in paradise.
Port Douglas to Cape Tribulation
It’s time to head north into the Daintree, where rainforest meets reef in spectacular fashion. Cross the Daintree River and follow the winding road beneath a canopy of ancient trees towards Cape Tribulation.
Along the way, join a crocodile-spotting cruise, explore the rainforest from the boardwalks and aerial walkways of the Daintree Discovery Centre, or turn up the adrenaline at Treetops Adventure.
Cool off at one of the area’s designated freshwater swimming holes before checking into your Cape Tribulation accommodation. Settle in for dinner surrounded by the sounds of the rainforest.
Cape Tribulation
Start the day with an Ocean Safari half-day tour to the Great Barrier Reef. Cape Tribulation is one of the few places in the world where two World Heritage-listed landscapes sit side by side, so you can journey from rainforest to reef without leaving the neighbourhood.
After a morning of snorkelling, return to shore and spend the afternoon seeing the rainforest from a different perspective on a Cape Tribulation horse ride. Follow rainforest trails and explore the landscape at a slower pace before enjoying another laid-back evening in Cape Tribulation.
Cape Tribulation to the Atherton Tablelands
Leave the coast behind and make your way towards the Atherton Tablelands. Today is all about scenic roads, tumbling waterfalls and plenty of tasty detours.
Stop at swimming holes and waterfall lookouts along the way, then call into Mt Uncle Distillery to discover locally made spirits. Continue to Skybury for lunch and views across the surrounding farmland before checking into your Tablelands accommodation.
Spend the evening relaxing. You’ll want an early night before tomorrow morning’s adventure.
Atherton Tablelands
Rise above the tropics
Set the alarm because this morning begins in unforgettable style. Float above the Atherton Tablelands on a sunrise hot-air balloon flight and watch the countryside slowly light up beneath you.
Back on solid ground, spend the rest of the day exploring with FNQ Nature Tours. Keep watch for the Tablelands’ colourful birdlife and elusive wildlife while discovering rainforest, wetlands and rural landscapes away from the coast.
Return to your accommodation for a relaxed evening and perhaps an early night after a big day of exploring.
Atherton Tablelands to Mission Beach
Pack your swimmers and point the car towards Mission Beach. Follow the Waterfall Circuit through the Tablelands, stopping to admire some of the region’s best-known cascades and cool off where conditions allow.
Continue to Paronella Park, where moss-covered structures, tropical gardens and waterfalls create an almost storybook setting. From there, make your way to Mission Beach, check in and unwind beneath the coconut palms.
Tully River
Take on the rapids
Today, the Tully River turns up the adrenaline. Join a white-water rafting adventure through rainforest-covered gorges, navigating rushing rapids and calmer stretches of river along the way.
After an action-packed day, return to Mission Beach for a well-earned meal. With sand between your toes and the Coral Sea out front, this is the perfect place to slow things down before tomorrow’s airborne adventure.
Mission Beach to Cairns
There are beach walks, and then there’s leaping from a plane above one of Australia’s most striking coastlines. Start the morning with a Mission Beach skydive and take in sweeping views of rainforest, islands and the Great Barrier Reef on the way down.
Once your feet are firmly back on the ground, join Goondoi Cultural Tours near Etty Bay for an Aboriginal cultural experience. As you continue north towards Cairns, stop at Babinda Boulders to admire its rainforest, granite formations and clear mountain water.
Arrive in Cairns, check into your accommodation and head out for dinner.
Cairns - Choose your final adventure
For your last full day, choose between two Tropical North Queensland icons.
Option one: Great Barrier Reef
Set out from Cairns on a full-day outer reef tour.
Cairns is your launchpad for a full-day trip to the outer Great Barrier Reef, where you can spend the day exploring one of Tropical North Queensland’s most iconic natural wonders.
Cruise out across the Coral Sea before slipping beneath the surface to snorkel among coral gardens and colourful marine life. Whether you’re happiest floating above the reef with a snorkel or simply soaking up the views from the boat, this is the kind of day that reminds you why the Great Barrier Reef sits firmly on so many bucket lists.
Option two: Kuranda
Ride Skyrail Rainforest Cableway above the rainforest canopy to Kuranda, leaving time to explore the village before returning aboard the Kuranda Scenic Railway. It’s a day of mountain views, rainforest scenery and one of the region’s most memorable rail journeys.
Whichever adventure you choose, finish the evening back in Cairns with dinner and a wander along the Esplanade.
Final Day - One last taste of the tropics
Not so fast, there’s still time for one last taste of Cairns. Kick off your final morning with breakfast at Muddy’s Cafe, where you can enjoy coffee, fresh juice and breakfast with sea breezes and waterfront views on the Cairns Esplanade.
Or head to Guyala Cafe in Cairns North for a more creative take on breakfast. Its menu weaves local and Indigenous ingredients into café favourites, with dishes such as tropical avocado toast with finger lime, Mareeba mango and macadamia, or eggs Benedict with lemon myrtle hollandaise.
After breakfast, squeeze in one last wander along the Esplanade, grab any last-minute souvenirs and soak up a final hit of tropical sunshine before checking out.
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