5 best animal encounters in Cairns
As Australia’s top holiday destination for animal lovers, Cairns is one of the most amazing places on the planet to see native wildlife.
Credit: Tourism Tropical North Queensland
Looking for the best animal attractions in Cairns from Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest and beyond?
Tropical North Queensland is one of the best places in Australia for ticking off your Australian wildlife bucket list: cuddling koalas, feeding crocodiles, gazing at tropical birds, seeing extraordinary marine life, getting close to kangaroos, meeting Tasmanian devils, and encountering cassowaries.
There’s plenty to see and experience for any animal lover in and around the beautiful city of Cairns, from finding Nemo in the form of cute clownfish on the Great Barrier Reef, to encountering fascinating rainforest inhabitants.
We’ve curated the ultimate guide to the best fauna experiences in Cairns and surrounds.
Ready to meet the wildlife of the tropics? Read on to find out exactly where to look.
Credit: Cairns Aquarium
Credit: Tourism Tropical North Queensland
COME FACE-TO-FACE WITH FISHY FRIENDS
A trip to Cairns is incomplete without diving into the turquoise waters of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef, a true bucket-list paradise for wildlife enthusiasts. There are endless ways to experience the world's largest coral reef system. Setting sail on a Great Barrier Reef day trip from Cairns puts you face-to-face with an unbelievable array of marine life. Snorkel alongside beautiful green sea turtles, weave through vibrant coral gardens and swim with over 1,500 species of fish, before ticking off the iconic "Great Eight" creatures from friendly clownfish hiding in anemones and massive Maori wrasse to gentle reef sharks and graceful manta rays. Whether you’re on a once-in-a-lifetime snorkelling tour or scuba diving excursion, a glass-bottom boat tour, or a scenic large sightseeing vessel, exploring Australia's most famous natural wonder will take you on a spectacular marine safari.
HOT TIP FROM A LOCAL
“Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel offers a tour to two premium reef sites, and along the way the Indigenous rangers share their creation story of the Great Barrier Reef. It is an inspirational way of understanding the ancient relationship between man and marine life.”
- Glen Macdonald, General Manager, Cairns Harbourside Hotel
Aquarium by Twilight - Couple in Viewing Tunnel. Credit: Cairns Aquarium.
2. DISCOVER A SPECTACULAR ARRAY OF SEA LIFE
What’s home to over 16,000 animals and only a short walk, or complimentary shuttle bus, from our hotel on the Esplanade? Located in the heart of Cairns city, Cairns Aquarium is the place for animal lovers to learn all about the biodiversity of life in Tropical North Queensland. An immersive aquatic world awaits with a marine touch tank, daily animal presentations, habitat talks, daily shark and Cownose ray feeds, a turtle rehabilitation facility, and plenty more fun activities for all ages. Discover 11 breathtaking marine ecosystems at different times of the day for different experiences, from sunrise and twilight, to after dark. Get up close to the thousands of aquatic animal life from the mountain tops of the Wet Tropics Rainforest, to the Great Barrier Reef and out the Coral Sea. This world-class aquarium is open every day and is the perfect rainy day activity in Cairns during the wet weather, so you can be under the sea without getting wet.
Credit: Shelly Collins
3. GET UP CLOSE TO CROCS
If you’re wondering where’s the best place to safely encounter crocodiles, head out north from our hotel on a half-hour drive, along the scenic Great Barrier Reef Drive toward Port Douglas, to Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures. The largest and most diverse wildlife attraction in North Queensland, Hartley’s is an incredible wildlife sanctuary and ecotourism park. Venture out on a journey of discovery through rainforest and woodlands and witness fascinating Australian wildlife up close from beautiful tropical birds, reptiles, insects and other native fauna. If you take your animal encounters seriously, you can even go behind the scenes and book a premium wildlife encounter to enjoy a personalised guided tour with one of Hartley’s dedicated wildlife keepers. Or immerse yourself in engaging educational animal presentations including cassowaries, koalas, snakes, quolls and many more captivating creatures. From enjoying breakfast with the koalas to pole-feeding 4.5-metre crocodiles on a heart-racing boat cruise on Hartley’s Lagoon, this wonderful wildlife sanctuary with guaranteed family fun is not one to miss.
Credit: Jordan Whitt
4. MEET A BABY KOALA
Looking to see all of Australia’s most iconic mammals in one stop? Make sure you add award-winning Rainforestation Nature Park to the top of your must-visit list in Cairns. This wildlife sanctuary is full of unforgettable animal experiences with everything from the usual suspects like crocodiles, wallabies, kangaroos and dingoes, to rare Australian wildlife like tree kangaroos, Tasmanian devils and adorable baby koalas. And you don’t even need to work up a sweat to explore this massive park on foot, when you can rest easy on an amphibious World War II Army Ducks vehicle tour. Explore the mesmerising world of Australian wildlife at this all-weather attraction, set amongst the stunning leafy rainforest and only a half-hour drive from our waterfront hotel in Cairns.
A Blue-banded Eggfly butterfly. Native to Australia and Melanesia. Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, Kuranda. Credit: David Clode.
5. EXPLORE KURANDA’S TOP WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES
Tucked away in the misty rainforest village of Kuranda, you’ll find a trio of incredible wildlife sanctuaries offering an up-close look at Australia’s most iconic creatures. At Kuranda Koala Gardens, you can cuddle a sleepy koala, hand-feed friendly kangaroos, and check out native freshwater crocodiles soaking up the sun. Just next door, Birdworld Kuranda immerses you in a vibrant, free-flight rainforest aviary where over 350 brilliant tropical birds fly freely around you, including cheeky macaws, galahs, and rainbow lorikeets. For one of the most unique activities in Tropical North Queensland, you can even meet and hand-feed an endangered cassowary. To top off your Kuranda village adventure, step into one of the most Instagrammable places in Cairns at the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, home to over 1,200 fluttering butterflies, including the magnificent electric-blue Ulysses butterfly. It’s an unmissable day trip full of must-see attractions for animal lovers of all ages, easily accessible via the Kuranda Scenic Railway or Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.