Cairns is the unofficial capital of Far North QLD and home base for trips to two World Heritage sites: The Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest. In this 7 day Cairns and Great Barrier Reef itinerary, you’ll get a taste of both of these iconic World Heritage sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just before we jump into the Cairns itinerary, let’s run through a few safety tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These tips are by no means exhaustive but they will hopefully help you get to the end of your Cairns trip alive!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cairns and the surrounding region is generally quite safe, but you should exercise general caution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The key things to beware of are the wildlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saltwater crocs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Saltwater crocodiles must be treated with caution. These prehistoric behemoths live year-round in the waters around Cairns, particularly the murkier rivers and creeks and saltwater inlets. There are warning signs everywhere, and even the locations that are considered safe to swim in should be approached with caution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marine Stingers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cairns stinger season brings with it both the box jellyfish and Irukandji.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cairns stinger season is roughly November through May, however, they have been known to be in the ocean outside of this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is possible to swim in the ocean during stinger season by wearing a stinger suit and ideally also swimming in stinger nets. Fortunately, this doesn’t need to stop you from going on a Great Barrier Reef snorkel tour as tour providers will include stinger suits if they are needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regardless, always listen to the advice of local authorities and operators and always pay attention to the warning signs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I highly recommend staying somewhere close to the Esplanade and in the heart of the city. Ideally between Minnie St and the Wharf. There are great options outside of this area, like Rydges Esplanade Resort<\/a>, but the Wharf side of Minnie St is definitely the most convenient location for this itinerary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n >> Browse accommodation in Cairns.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nAccommodation In Cairns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n