Cairns is the gateway city for the region and is a vibrant city framed by the spectacular twin backdrops of rainforest mountain ranges and the sparkling Coral Sea. However we recommend our clients travel north to one of the charming small towns along the tropical coast.

Palm Cove is located about 20 minutes north of Cairns. Here you’ll spend your days lazing away on the beach or take a stroll along the waterfront esplanade past the many boutique shops, cafes, bars and excellent restaurants. The town also has lots of award winning spas for you to try, each with its own special signature treatment.

Located an hour’s drive north of Cairns, Port Douglas offers a sophisticated and low-key escape. You'll only find buildings up to three stories high, not much taller than the nearby palm trees, boutique clothing shops and exquisite alfresco restaurants.  A visit to Four Mile Beach, where you can laze away the day on the pristine sand, is essential. Enjoy lunch at one of the many cafes scattered along Macrossan Street or spend the afternoon shopping at the Marina Mirage.

Port Douglas and Palm Cove are popular base from which to explore the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforests of the Daintree and Cape Tribulation. Other excursions we can arrange include hot air ballooning, helicopter trips to the reef and rainforest, and trips into the hinterland.
Located in Australia’s tropical north about 2 hours drive from Cairns the Daintree Rainforest is the oldest surviving tropical rainforest on earth. It can easily be visited on a day tour or self drive from Cairns, Palm Cove or Port Douglas or, if time permits, you could spend a couple of night in one of the rainforest lodges in the area.

Even further north Cooktown is a small frontier town and is so isolated that you’ll really feel like you’ve stumbled back in time and across a local secret. Cooktown is Australia’s first non-indigenous settlement, discovered and settled by Captain Cook and his crew in 1770. You can visit the James Cook Historical Museum, visit to Grassy Hill Lookout, where you can experience 360 degree views of the countryside and beaches. From Cooktown you can explore many aboriginal art sites and we highly recommend a tour with Willie Gordon, a local aboriginal elder.

Located on the northernmost tip of Australia, Cape York Peninsula is a wild and sparsely populated wilderness area with a rugged coastline pointing towards Papua New Guinea while the eastern side of Cape York is fringed by the coral gardens of the Great Barrier Reef. This is a vast area of unexplored wilderness, magnificent national parks, sacred Aboriginal sites, unexplored rainforest, rugged mountains and swampy marshlands.

The best time to visit Tropical North Queensland is between Easter and early October, avoiding ‘The Wet’ summer months.  

For details of Cairns and Tropical North accommodation or any North Queensland tours click on the links on the right. Our experienced consultants can easily build any of these experiences into a tailor-made Australia holiday quote for you.