Great Barrier Reef Scenic Helicopter Tour and Cruise from Cairns

Cairns, Australia

Fly and cruise the Great Barrier Reef, one of the seven wonders of the world. You'll take a scenic helicopter tour from Cairns over the stunning Great Barrier Reef, then cruise, snorkel and dive the reef. You'll have unforgettable aerial views of the Great Barrier Reef's coral and marine life, and enjoy lunch on the water.

Your scenic flight takes you to the Hastings Reef floating helicopter pad, from where you'll be transferred to a sleek 100-foot (30-meter), high-speed vessel. After lunch, you'll have the opportunity to go snorkeling and take a coral-viewing tour in a glass-bottom boat.

There are many options to choose from on this tour. The fly and cruise options are as follows:

Half-day Roundtrip Helicopter Reef Tour: The ultimate day! You will fly by helicopter to the Outer Great Barrier Reef, enjoy lunch and two hours of snorkeling, swimming, diving and taking the glass-bottom boat coral-viewing tour, then depart by helicopter for Cairns. Departs Cairns at 12:30pm and returns to Cairns at approximately 3:30pm. Hotel pick-ups commence between 30-60 minutes prior to this time.

Half-day Helicopter-Cruise Reef Tour: Fly by helicopter to the Outer Great Barrier Reef, enjoy lunch and two hours of snorkeling, swimming, diving and taking the glass-bottom boat coral-viewing tour, then cruise back to Cairns. Departs Carins at 12:30pm and return at approximately 4:45pm. Hotel pick-ups commence between 30-60 minutes prior to this time.

Full-day Cruise-Helicopter Reef Tour: This option gives you the most time on the Great Barrier Reef, up to five-hours of swimming, snorkeling or diving. Cruise to Hastings Reef and stop on the way at two spectacular locations (either Norman Reef or Saxon Reef and Hastings Reef). After a barbecue lunch and spending time at the reef as above, you'll be transferred to the helicopter pad for your return flight to Cairns.Departs Cairns at 8:30am and returns at approx. 3.30pm. Hotel pick-ups commence between 30-60 minutes prior to this time.

USD $261.21

Review by: Steven S	April 2012
Boat= single hull. You'll feel every wave. Don't be a fool. Go with a larger catamaran. Want to scuba dive? Great! $65 for your first intro/arm holding dive and then $45 for the next. Then another $35 for the next. Unfortunately we didn't even have a chance to do anything but the first since the helicopter pilot wanted to get an early start back. SOOOOOO, we boated out to the reef for an hour and a half. Snorkeled for 20 minutes. Scubaed for 20 minutes (for an additional $130), had lunch, cruised another 30 minutes to our next stop and then flew home. It sounded like a great idea. It was a colossal failure.

Review by: Cheryl W	February 2012
One word -Fantastic

Review by: Jennifer A	December 2011
This is a MUST. You haven't seen the Great Barrier Reef until you have flown right over it. Awesome views, great snorkling and the ride back on the boat is nice as well. They also feed you pretty well. Got some really great pictures. It was a great price for how much you got.

Review by: Edward L	December 2011
Other than the helicopter intercom headsets not working and therefore no commentary on the way to and above the barrrier reef, was an excellent visit. The glass bottom boat was a nice touch for older visitors like us who do not dive or snorkle.

Review by: Melba D W	September 2011
AWESOME TRIP!!!! It was everything we expected and more. Friendly staff made the trip memorable and the GBR was beautiful from the water and the air.

Review by: Danial H	March 2011
Awesome! The helicopter gives a better 3D perspective of one of the world's wonders. The water's colour, clarity from the air is fantastic. The patient, attentive, knowledgeable staff are first class. I loved snorkeling the reef and got to see giant clams, millions of fish and amazing coral. My compliments to the entire professional crew on board the ship. A special thanks to the co-pilot who took pictures with his iphone for me when my camera's battery went dead and then gave up his seat on the way back. This Canadian enjoyed every minute of this adventure and gives two thumbs way up!

Review by: Jonathan T	March 2011
Absolutely fantastic, well organised and had a brilliant day. All the staff were helpful and we even hired an underwater Digital Camera for $50 and we got some great shots. Highly recommended

Review by: Biju P	December 2010
Excellent! Good service, food and friendly staff!

Review by: Judith I	November 2010
Brilliant, a never to be forgotten experience! Well worth the money! Something my kids will never forget!

Review by: Yves F	September 2010
Perfect!!!

Review by: John B	September 2010
great!! highly recommend this!

Review by: Anne E, United Kingdom	May 2010
A great trip out to the reef and an amazing experience.

Review by: Sophie R, Australia	May 2010
Great experience! Awesome, like a dream.

Review by: Graeme G	March 2010
The trip was great, but we didn't seem to get the 2 hours diving we were supposed to do. When the helicopter landed, the boat wasn't there, so we had to wait for it, then seemed to wait ages for the transfer to the boat. Then followed a safety briefing, all eating into the 2 hours, then told to be back on boat by 2.45pm, 15 minutes early, so I reckon we only got about 1 hour of diving in.

Review by: Heidi H	March 2010
The cruise out and heli back was a great option. Best of both worlds with a pretty good amount of time for snorkeling and scuba options, decent reef locations, while the heli option was great to see the reefs from above - though you do miss the wine and cheese and entertainment on the way back. Lunch was OK, but definitely not the highlight of the day.

Review by: Tim C, United States of America	February 2010
We totally enjoyed our trip. The helicopter flight out to the reef was a blast and the boat trip back to Cairns was also great and very relaxing. A very fun day and I would recommend it to all. Money well spent!

Review by: Claudia H, Germany	January 2010
It was great, thank you!

Review by: Marta J, United States of America	December 2009
This tour was fantastic! Of course the aim of the tour is so unique being the Barrier Reef, but the tour itself was very well run. Everybody was so friendly and willing to help. Everything was on time. Well done!

Review by: Federico Antonio E, Spain	December 2009
Excellent day. Great experience in the helicopter, fantastic views, good snorkilng, very attentive staff on the boat. Good value for money. Not to be missed!!!!!!!!

Review by: Anonymous	November 2009
Liked the trip. Good fun.

Review by: Amy F, United States of America	September 2009
This was the highlight of my vacation! The helicopter ride was the best way to see the reef you could even see turtles and other sea life through the crystal-clear water. The snorkeling was the best I've ever done. I pulled up some pictures from past trips to Hawaii and the Caribbean, and none of the snorkeling photos compare to what you see here. If I'd had an extra day, I'd have gone again.

Review by: Neil M, Australia	September 2009
We had a fantastic day right from the person who picked us up, the pilot to the crew on the boat, everyone was great. The helicopter ride was great we would highly reccomend it. My wife had never snorkelled before and the crew were great with her they gave us a guide who towed us around the reef, it was fantastic. Our only regret was that we didn't have more time to snorkel on the reef.

Review by: NEIL M	September 2009
We had a fantastic day right from the person who picked us up, the pilot to the crew on the boat, everyone was great. The helicopter ride was great we would highly reccomend it. My wife had never snorkelled before and the crew were great with her they gave us a guide who towed us around the reef, it was fantastic. Our only regret was that we didn't have more time to snorkel on the reef.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	August 2009
I thoroughly enjoyed this trip even though it was cloudy the day we went! The views of the reef from the air are brilliant. The snorkel and dive site was great, with plenty of coral and colorful fish.

Review by: Paul P, United States of America	June 2009
Smooth, well organized, quite a treat.

Review by: PAUL P	June 2009
Smooth, well organized, quite a treat.

Review by: Robin B, United States of America	April 2009
Best thing we did in Cairns! Absolutely beautiful.

Review by: Edward L, United States of America	March 2009
Helicopter ride was fantastic. The boat ride on the way back was really tough for those who can get sick on a boat. It was several hours of the boat rocking back and forth across some really choppy conditions. Their snorkeling was far more structured than at most places, which I thought was great. Snorkel guides were available for people who are not comfortable during their first time snorkeling. They had life jackets, those noodle things, and other things to grab onto if you get tired. I wish we had a bit more time on the boat to snorkel though, I felt like it was a bit short. Other than that and the rocky boat ride, it was absolutely amazing!

Review by: Peter B	March 2009
The boat crew were really helpful and persuaded me to have a go at my first snorkelling. The lunch was also great. The downside was for my wife who does not swim or snorkel and wanted a trip in the semi-submersible. This was out of action so we were all disappointed.

Review by: Anton W	March 2009
A few problems - weight submitted for helicopter, while somewhat accurate, didn't allow us to take everyone back on the helicopter. Submersible didn't operate that day, but it seemed to be a recurring problem. Crew was great and the entertainment on the way back to shore really fun.

Review by: Roger L	January 2009
Helicopter flight was great, especially landing on a small raft! Sadly everything else was rushed, only 20 minutes snorkelling before a rush to dry and go on the semi-submersible. People who had booked the cruise/fly fared better as they had longer to swim etc.

Review by: Anonymous	January 2009
The fly is great but time for snorkel was too short, only around 40 minutes.

Review by: MIRAN S, Slovenia	November 2008
Definitely must do while in Cairns! You get to see the Great Barrier Reef from the water and from the air. Underwater world is just amazing!

Review by: Ada S, United Kingdom	November 2008
An absolutely wonderful day out.

Review by: Helen P	November 2008
We were disappointed that the helicopter trip was so short. If you fly into Cairns you actually see more of the reef! Safety once on the boat was excellent. Very good lunch supplied in the cost.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	August 2008
The trip from Cairns was excellent, it was well organised the staff were very helpful. There was plenty of time to snorkel, the food was excellent and we would recommend the fly back option as it is the only way to appreciate the reef.

Review by: Anonymous	May 2008
Really enjoyed the experience. Worth doing, especially the helicopter trip!

Review by: Mary C, United Kingdom	April 2008
This trip was amazing and should be on everyones list of things to do before you die. Snorkling on the Great Barrier Reef was awesome, especially the sight of the basking sharks swimming below us. I was so excited I nearly wet myself. Crew on helicopter and ship were very friendly and knowledgeable and helped to make this trip unforgettable. If I ever win the lottery I'll be back.

Review by: Anonymous, Australia	February 2008
By far the best way to see the Great Barrier Reef. I took the fly-cruise option and was a brilliant day out. I don't like heights but that was forgotten about once over the reef. Friendly staff made the day a pleasure. What would have made the day better was being able to find the office at Cairns Airport.

Review by: Gina D	January 2008
The helicopter ride was loads of fun and I recommend it to anyone. I felt extremely safe with the chopper pilot, who was also friendly and funny. The cruise staff were equally as fantastic. They ensured we had a great time, kept lunch aside for us which was superb while we ventured into the reef waters to play with the fishies.

Review by: ANGELA W	January 2008
The sea was a bit rough but I enjoyed the snorkeling and did an introductory scuba dive, which was great. We were glad to have the helicopter flight back, as a full day on the boat would have been too long.

Review by: Patricia J	November 2007
Very scary landing on a pontoon the size of a double bed but enjoyable all the same. Loved the submersible. We didn't have time to snorkel which was a big disappointment.

Review by: Kathryn A, United Kingdom	September 2007
The whole experience was positive - the crew were fantastic, all very helpful and accommodating ensuring that people were happy and comfortable in what they were doing something new for most people! The food and facilities provided were of a high quality and the scenery just spoke for itself really! I highly recommend a flight back over the reef as well - the whole trip was a once in a lifetime experience I and my friend will always remember! Thank you very much.