Cairns: Reef and Rainforest in Five Days

Fly into Cairns Airport (CNS) and pick up the rental car. The town is fifteen minutes from the airport. Walk the Esplanade lagoon, book your reef tour for the next day at one of the many operators along the boardwalk, and have an early dinner. Most reef boats leave between 7:30 and 8:30am.

Take a full-day boat to the outer reef. The most popular operators visit Norman Reef, Saxon Reef and Hastings Reef on a single day trip. Each boat anchors at two or three sites and provides snorkel gear, lunch and reef interpretation. If you're certified you can add scuba dives on the same trip; introductory dives are also available for first-timers. Aim to be back at the marina by 5pm.

Drive north along the coast through Port Douglas (worth a stop for the Saturday market, if you arrive on the right day) and on to the Daintree River ferry. Cross the river and continue north into the rainforest proper. Stop at the Daintree Discovery Centre for the canopy boardwalk, then continue to Cape Tribulation, where the rainforest meets the reef. There are no shops or fuel north of the ferry, so fill up beforehand.

Drive south back to Cairns and inland up the Gillies Range to the Atherton Tablelands. The waterfall circuit is a loop drive through Millaa Millaa Falls (the most famous), Zillie Falls, Ellinjaa Falls and Nandroya Falls. The lakes Eacham and Barrine are crater lakes near Yungaburra. Stop at the Curtain Fig Tree on the way down. Return to Cairns by evening.

Use the final day for whatever you have time and budget for. Options: a scenic flight over the reef and Heart Reef from Cairns; the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and Kuranda Scenic Railway combo; another reef trip to the quieter Frankland Islands; or a day at Tjapukai Cultural Park. Fly out from Cairns Airport in the late afternoon or evening.