There are four great options for your Kuranda Tour from Cairns:
• The Kuranda Experience
• The Kuranda Experience with Tjapukai
• The Kuranda Experience (Train - Gold class)
• The Kuranda Experience+Tjapukai (Train - Gold class)
The Kuranda Experience with Tjapukai:
At the start of this tour you will be picked up from your hotel and taken to the station to board the Kuranda Scenic Railway.
You will embark on a spectacular rail journey comprising matchless views of dense rainforest, steep ravines and picturesque waterfalls. This famous railway winds its way on a journey of approximately 1 hour 45 minutes from Cairns to Kuranda, the ‘village in the rainforest’.
The Cairns-Kuranda Railway was built between 1882 and 1891 and even today is considered a tremendous feat of engineering. Hundreds of men were employed to build the 15 hand-made tunnels and 37 bridges on the route and many sadly lost their lives carrying out this difficult and dangerous work.
From the train windows, you will enjoy incredible views of North Queensland's World Heritage Listed rainforests, and the Barron Gorge National Park.
You alight at Kuranda Village, a quaint township in the rainforest famous for its arts, crafts and Aboriginal artifacts. Kuranda is also the location for popular attractions such as the Butterfly Sanctuary, Kuranda Koala Gardens and Birdworld. Guests on the Kuranda Tour from Cairns may obtain a discount entry at these venues by showing their Scenic Train or Skyrail pass. You have 3 or 5 hours to spend in Kuranda.
If you opt for 3 hours in Kuranda, you will board Skyrail at 1300h (01:00 pm). Jump into a gondola for a 7.5 km journey over the top of the rainforest back to Cairns. As you glide just metres above the tops of the trees in a comfortable six-person gondola cabin, your Skyrail experience will reveal one of the most botanically fascinating and diverse areas on earth.
Voted Australia’s Best Major Tourist Attraction, the multi-award winning Skyrail is recognized not only as a premier tourist experience, but as a world leader in eco-tourism, providing you with a truly unique rainforest experience available nowhere else in the world.
If you opt for 5 hours in Kuranda, you will board the Skyrail at 1500h (03:00pm).
This tour also includes entry to Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, which is located close to the base of the Skyrail, near Cairns. At the Park you will enjoy a fascinating experience which combines the latest in theatrics and technology with interactive activities with local Aborigines, featuring traditional culture and customs. The session includes:
• Aboriginal dance performance
• Lessons on how to play the didgeridoo
• Learning how to throw a boomerang
• Interactive demonstrations of bush food
• A museum gallery of modern and ancient artworks
At the end of your tour a coach will drop you back at your hotel.
The Kuranda Experience+Tjapukai (Train - Gold class):
This Tour is the same as the one above except that you also enjoy the luxury of Gold Class travel on the Kuranda Scenic Railway. You will travel in a distinctive Heritage Green carriage with a plush Victorian-inspired interior and brass insignias.
While you enjoy the views from the train windows, a KSR Gold Class Attendant will serve drinks such as sparkling wine or cold beer and delicious finger foods. As well as providing excellent service, your host will be able to tell you wonderful stories and enthralling legends about this beautiful region.
At the end of your tour you will be dropped back at your hotel.
The Kuranda Experience:
The Kuranda Experience is the same as The Kuranda Experience with Tjapukai but does not include the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park.
At the end of your tour you will be dropped back at your hotel.
The Kuranda Experience (Train - Gold class):
This is the same as The Kuranda Experience but includes Gold Class service on the Kuranda Scenic Train.
At the end of your tour you will be dropped back at your hotel.