11 days in Cairns Itinerary

A neat, cosmopolitan city of shaded plazas and laid-back neighborhoods, Cairns serves as a popular base for exploration of the surrounding region and the Great Barrier Reef, as well as a center for watersport activities like surfing or waterskiing.

Get out of town with these interesting Cairns side-trips: Palm Cove Beach (in Palm Cove), Australian Butterfly Sanctuary (in Kuranda) and Port Douglas (Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas, Safaris, &more). Spend the 19th (Wed) among aquatic life with a scuba or snorkeling tour. Spend the 27th (Thu) wandering through the wild on a nature and wildlife tour. There's still lots to do: hike along Esplanade Boardwalk, get up close and personal with brilliant marine life at Cairns Aquarium, make a trip to Green Island, and indulge in some personalized pampering at some of the best spas.

To see other places to visit, reviews, more things to do, and other tourist information, refer to the Cairns road trip planning app.

Expect a daytime high around 31°C in August, and nighttime lows around 20°C.