Home > Cairns > Kuranda Scenic Railway Day Trip from Cairns
USD $122.00
Kuranda Scenic Railway Day Trip from Cairns
Cairns, Australia
Experience the rainforest beauty of Tropical North Queensland on a scenic day trip from Cairns. There are five options to choose from that provide different activities, so select what interests you most. All options include a journey on the historic Kuranda Scenic Railway and a ride on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. Other attractions include Tjupakai Aboriginal Cultural Park or Rainforestation Nature Park, and you’ll have free time in the village of Kuranda to browse its markets, have lunch or visit wildlife attractions like Birdworld or Kuranda Koala Gardens, where you can cuddle a koala! (Food, drinks and activities in Kuranda are at your own expense, unless otherwise stated.)
Discover Tropical North Queensland on a day trip from Cairns to Kuranda, a rainforest village known for its markets, wildlife attractions and lush surrounding landscape. In order to do what interests you most, you have your choice of the five tour options described below in the Itinerary section — make your selection when booking.
All tours include a one-way ride on the Kuranda Scenic Railway and a one-way ride on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway (direction of each depends on option selected), as well as hotel pickup and drop-off in Cairns and the northern beaches. All tours also include free time in Kuranda so you can explore the village however you wish. Shop at the markets, enjoy lunch at one of the many restaurants, or get up close and personal with Australian wildlife at Birdworld, the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary or Kuranda Koala Gardens, where you can cuddle with one of nature’s cutest creatures (food, drinks and entrance fees are at your own expense, unless stated otherwise).
Kuranda Scenic Railway: The one-way train ride is approximately 1.5 hours. Hear about the pioneering history of the region from the onboard commentary, and admire spectacular views of the landscape that includes mountains, waterfalls and rainforest. Pass through Barron Gorge National Park, stopping for a photo op at the gorge, and cross Stoney Creek Bridge. When you reach the Kuranda train station, notice its tropical gardens and heritage-listed building.
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway: Glide over the rainforest in a 6-passenger gondola, admiring unbeatable views as you pass over the peak of the mountain range. During the 4.5-mile (7.5-km) ride, stop twice along the way to hop out and explore the environment. Walk along a boardwalk on the forest floor, take photos from scenic lookouts and visit the interpretive center.
The Railway is quite good as the scenery is excellent. However, it is really really hot in the cabin as there is no air-con even in summer. You will definitely sweat a lot when in summer.
Review by: William K, April 2018
Unfortunately the railway was closed due to rain, but the skyway and Kuranda were still excellent
Review by: pauljshackleford, March 2018
Good day out, well organised and good value.
Review by: Shaul W, March 2018
Magnificent trip. Verify you are doing one way with the train and the other way with sky rail. The view and the perspective are different. The Baron Falls view from the train is much better than from the sky rail.
Review by: NELSON S, March 2018
Interesting. Recommended
Review by: lorna.kate, March 2018
We couldn't go on the railway because of heavy rain but were transferred to sky rail in both directions. The company arranged pick ups from the railway station and a refund immediately. We toured the rain forest and even in the heavy rain the day was enjoyable and fun.
Review by: Susan C, February 2018
This was very scenic and fun way to get to Kuranda.
Review by: Carl-Hugo L, February 2018
The train ride up was nice with the promised view. The skyride descent supposed to bring me down was cancelled because of the weather. As this was not a guided tour, I had to go down the mountain by my own means...that is waiting in a very long line and try to buy a train ticket down. No one from the booking company was on the top of the mountain to guide the clients on the best way to go down...
Review by: Alfordkm, February 2018
Loved the trip to Kuranda. It is a beautiful area and we had a great time. We had a bit of rain and fog but it is after all a rain forest. I would really recommend this tour.
Review by: Yvonne F, February 2018
Fantastic tour! My only regret is that lightening was detected in the area and the skyway shut down for a period of time preventing us from being transferred to Kuranda. Sadly, we were only allowed to spend 45 minutes there as opposed to a few hours.
Review by: Azat S, January 2018
It was great experience. Station and Nature park was very attractive. There was also a very good guided tour of the wildlife. We had a chance to explore their culture and played some games. Lunch is a buffet was so delicious and it definitely worth it to include.
Review by: John S, January 2018
Great Trip! Got to see a lot of Australian culture and throw a boomerang. I would highly recommend it
Review by: Friedemann K, January 2018
One of the most exciting excursion I ever had! Fantastic
Review by: Christopher S, January 2018
Great tour. I would suggest taking the train first and returning via the skyline. My only regret was that once arrived at Kuranda we were a bit rushed to get to our tour bus that we didnt have enough time to truly explore
Review by: LALIT R, January 2018
Was really looking foward to this tour but was a bit disappointed. The aboriginal village was a let down except for a few experiences. The cable carride up was fun ans so was the short walk in the rainforest. But the time in Kuranda was too short to explore and unfortunately we went on a very hot day. The riverboat ride was a good change inthe heat. But the so calledsceanicrailway was very disappointing...could not see a thing
Review by: Susan I S, January 2018
Excellent and great value
Review by: Susan I S, January 2018
Excellent and great value
Review by: Dawn Marie G, December 2017
Loved this tour - one of my favorite while in Australia. There was a ton packed in and the only thing I would have liked is more time in Kuranda. We only had 45 minutes there, which was just enough to walk through, but not enough to spend any time exploring the wine tasting, butterfly gardens, shops, etc. The train was lovely and the skyride was pretty amazing - I'd recommend both. The day is very well-orchestrated and the team does an awesome job of keeping you on schedule without feeling too rushed. Lunch is a buffet worth it - lots to choose from including vegetarian options and it's 20 for a photo with the koalas.
Review by: Chiara O, December 2017
Great experience! I traveled to Kuranda by Scenic Railway and back by Skyrail, both fantastic and worth the price._br/_ Kuranda is nice but I wouldn't spend more than 1 hour over there. Butterfly Sanctuary is worth a visit.
Review by: Charlie T, December 2017
The train ride has sporadic scenic spots but otherwise you have 14 tunnels to go through and a lot of rainforest in between. There is a stop to take pictures at Barron Falls and when you return via the Skyrail, there is an opportunity to step out to trek to the Barron Falls as well. Kuranda Village was rather quiet. We went to see the Koala and Kangaroos which was small but quite good. Then we trek to Jumrum Creek which was small and dead. Quite a number of good food choices though.
Review by: Silvana M, November 2017
Kuranda quase não tem o que ver, mas vale a pena o passeio nas gondolas sobre a floresta e a volta de trem. Pode tirar fotos com os koalas.
Review by: vgibson67, November 2017
Great experience. The train ride had magnificent views of the area, especially the Barron Falls The Rainforest Station and Nature Park was very entertaining and informative. It gave us a lot of insight to the culture and traditions of the Aboriginal people: There was also a very interesting guided tour of the wildlife area. We were able to hold a Koala and a baby alligator, must do when visiting this area. Thoroughly enjoyed this day trip.
Review by: liambomck, November 2017
Loved this tour._br/_ The highlight is obviously the cable car over the rainforest and the steam train back down the mountains, but there's so much to do when you get to Kuranda._br/_ Really enjoyed the butterfly sanctuary.
Review by: L'Ann L, October 2017
Beautiful scenery the further up we went to the top. Nice train really enjoyed the experience.
Review by: Chloe S, October 2017
Must do tour when you visit Cairns. I chose to take the Railway up and the Cable Car down. I'm glad that I did this as the view on the way down on the Cable Car was amazing and you would miss it heading up... if you are facing the wrong way. The railway journey was great fun too. I did get a little bit bored in Kuranda itself- there wasn't much happening and I came back on the cable car early and just took my time at each stop.
Review by: Erna.thorling, October 2017
Fantastisk. Bara gör trippen.
Review by: Nanci L, October 2017
It was breathtaking to be able to experience the train ride going up the mountain and the sky rail going down. Kuranda was good for sightseeing, feeding kangaroos, taking a photo with a Koala, shopping, and learning about the culture.
Review by: Edward M, September 2017
This tour is highly recommended. The trip through the train was as amazing as when my husband and I went there 15 years before. The Kuranda is beautiful and this time we experienced the full rainforest experience. My family and I enjoyed everything there was to enjoy about this memorable tour. My daughter had a great time holding her new friend Newbie the Koala.
Review by: Nigel G, September 2017
The historic railway to Kuranda was a top experience with excellent informative commentary. The return on Skyrail over the top of the tropical rain forest was an exciting end to the trip. Kuranda itself, however, was dominated by the local market shops and stalls - firmly aimed at extracting tourist dollars! No longer the hippie town it used to be back in the seventies....
Review by: Green, September 2017
Full day. Train up and Gondola down. Great views of the rainforest and lots of to do options to choose. Enjoyed the traditional dance and boomerang and hunting demonstrations. Some lovely ice cream and shopping areas and Lunch was very good and plentiful. Highly recommend.
Review by: Christine S, September 2017
This is is a trip not to be missed. It was absolutely breathtaking. I can't wait to go back. The Village is lovely as well.
Review by: Linda R, August 2017
Fun and interesting. Lots to look at and buy.
Review by: Anita S, August 2017
The trip is really good, the train was very full and not a little cramped but we did see the views and the waterfalls...... and the train and track are something to behold! There was a very little time to explore the shops on the way to catch the bus up to the attractions but too little time to do them justice. The lunch was superb and the duck tour very informative and enjoyable but the day on the whole was too rushed.
Review by: Valerie W, August 2017
The tour was very well organised with prompt pickups from accommodations. The train was lovely with stops for photographs and a good commentary. Kuranda is an interesting village with plenty of galleries and shops, and places to eat......recommend The Frog for lunch._br/_ The SkyRail was stunning. Definately best to go train and then SkyRail return. Great return to accommodation
Review by: Natalia F, August 2017
Organisation was great and also the staff, but Kuranda was a bit disappointing, such touristy little town, just shops. I went to the Koala Gardens, that was fun, but the animals are just constantly surrounded by people bothering them a bit I think. The butterfly sanctuary though was totally worth it, this and the cable car were the best of the day.
Review by: DoDi, August 2017
Amazing Experience
Review by: Lisa G, July 2017
This tour was absolutely amazing. We chose the Aboriginal Cultural Center option with the sky way option to Kuranda. We took the train back down to Cairns. It was so much fun, very educational and worth every penny. It was a highlight of our trip.
Review by: Carol M, July 2017
A bit pricey as you can drive to Kuranda from Cairns is about a half hour. Rainforest canopy views were great. Recommended if you haven't done other rainforest walks/tours. Kuranda is a great little town. Koala Gardens lots of fun. Shopping opportunities in Kuranda are boundless. Stop in the shop Our Animals Our Earth. Great artwork and souvenirs, Owner, Rebecca, is using her proceeds to save the flying foxes. We enjoyed Kuranda so much we drove back up another day.
Review by: Celine D, July 2017
The Tjapukai park was really interesting, nicely made and even exciting with the many activities we could participate in throwing a spear, a boomerang, singing with the local team. Lunch was very tasty and included traditionally cooked kanguru we saw how it was done I recommend booking it with the tour!
Review by: Jane L, June 2017
We did the train ride to kuranda with a shuttle to the rainforestation and returned home on the sky rail. The entire trip was well planned out and very worthwhile. Lots of picture taking opportunities on the train and the sky rail. A little more time in Kuranda would have been nice but our iterary did not allow it. Once we got to the park we had a wildlife tour where you could feed the kangaroos. We were then provided a buffet lunch which was great. You also had an option of paying to get a picture with a koala which our friends did. We had time in the gift store and then had an aboriginal dance show followed by boomerang throwing lessons. It was a full day and a lot of fun. We had a shuttle to and from our hotel.
Review by: Shelly B, May 2017
Spent a lovely day unfortunately we were unable to take the train ride as there had been some really bad weather which caused a _br/_ landslide on the tracks because of the bad rain fall.so we went on the sky rail there and back,but it gave us more time to enjoy kuranda._br/_ we had a great time the weather was lovely the day we went and we spent time wandering around the bird park which although small was very enjoyable and colourful the birds were literally eating out of my hand.then a visit to the kangaroo enclosure was brilliant had an opportunity to feed and pet them.the market place was pleasant to wander around and pick up souvenirs.we had a great time
Review by: mfeit71, May 2017
The tour was well organized. Great views from the gondolas and the scenic train. I enjoyed the park ranger tour at the midway stop of the Gondola. But Kuranda is a bit of a tourist trap town -- nothing much to see or do there. So the most interesting part of the day is going there and back. I should add that the historic train got stifling hot: by the end I thought I'd have a heat stroke. So bring plenty of water for that part of the trip.
Review by: ceklund53, May 2017
Train and skyway were nice. _br/_ Great to have transportation to/from hotel. _br/_ Kuranda itself was just ok.
Review by: Pui Cheung Y, April 2017
Good to get on and off next to my hotel. The price is quite expensive because it only included railway and skyrail ticket as well as air conditioned shuttle bus between stations and hotel. No free meal or army duck included. Also, no tour guide services.
Review by: Kareena H, April 2017
I really enjoyed this day trip. I took the train up to Kurana and the Skyrail down. Both options provided nice views but I could have ridden the Skyrail back and forth all day. It was like gliding above the rain-forest with a birds eye view of the area and all the way down to the water. Peaceful, beautiful and at roughly 20 min no stops well worth the journey.
Review by: dj538phillips, April 2017
This was a great trip however the best way is to combine theTjapukai with it. And or spend more time for Kurunda. It is easy to confuse both trips as you may end up at the same place two days in a row. Tour companies need to make more clear where they are going.
Review by: Bernard J, March 2017
Very good. Well worth it. Much to do
Review by: debbiemahannah, March 2017
This was a great day, starting with the railway ride into Kuranda. Scenery is beautiful and the ride is very relaxing. We enjoyed visiting the village, the great lunch, and the spectacular skyway ride back. One of the nice things was that at the time we went, it was not at all crowded, so plenty of room. We loved the wildlife park. It was small but you could get up close to the animals. All in all, a great day.
Review by: bilybala, February 2017
It's was a fantastic experience at tjapakai aboriginal culture park!! But nothing much to shop or see at the top hill, and the train inside is pretty hot during summer.
RSS Feed