If you are visiting Australia, visiting Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef should be a top priority! It is a one of a kind experience as it is not every day you can explore one of the wonders of the world. I spent some quality time researching my trip to Cairns and choosing a quality reef tour. Here is my experience with some helpful tips on how to plan your time during your stay.
Transportation
There is a Sun Palm booth at the Cairns Airport.
Cairns is a small city and the airport is also quite small, therefore, there are limited transportation options. To and from the airport and city center, the options are limited to taxi and shuttle bus. For shuttle buses, the main company is Sun Palm and the trip from the airport to the city costs AUD 15 (USD 11). I recommend booking online in advance to pay only AUD 10 (USD 7) and save money. Another option for backpackers that are staying in a hostel is to try Backpacker Shuttles Cairns. It is also run by Sun Palm, but they give backpackers a huge discount and you only pay AUD 6 (USD 4) one way! It may be a better deal to book the round trip transportation to and from the airport during your stay. For travelling around the city, I recommend finding accommodation in the center so that you can reach all the important places by walking. Otherwise, you can always take a taxi or the limited buses or trains available.
Accommodation
I stayed at Corona Backpackers Hostel as it was the cheapest hostel with a central location and also suitable cleanliness standards. The hostel cost me AUD 20 (USD 15) for a 4 bed dorm and required an AUD 20 key deposit (which you receive upon check out). I recommend the hostel as it was easy to walk around the center and it was a 12 minute walk to the marina to catch any reef tour. In addition, the hostel offers restaurant coupons, underwater camera rental promotions, and 10% off tours. The only downsides about the hostel was that there were no lockers in the room, although reception had a safe for valuables; it was not convenient though since reception is not open 24/7. I would recommend the hostel for a few nights or more.
On another note, you may also want to check out Gilligan’s (across the street from Corona Hostel) or other budget backpacker accommodation. Sometimes other hostels are a few more dollars, but they offer free airport pick-up or other perks which amounts to a better deal.
Food
Gilligan’s offers budget meals, such as fish and chips. Yum!
During my stay, I tried out a few restaurants in the city center. I tried the Mexican restaurant chain, Zambrero, for nachos and a margarita; not bad but it was not a great deal compared to other places. I decided to use the food coupons from my hostel. Corona Hostel offered coupons for Gilligan’s which offers AUD 4 (USD 3) backpacker meals and AUD 12 (USD 9) meals with generous portions, among other deals. I tried the fish and chips with salad and a choice of drink. I was satisfied with the meal. Also, feel free to check out any parties with free food from travel agencies, such as Peter Pan. Peter Pan hosted a party at The Woolshed Bar with free pizza, chips, wings, free drinks, and extras especially for Ladie’s Night. There are many similar events hosted by travel companies if you walk along the center. They will probably reel you in if you walk by their office in the evening. Enjoy the discounts and free food! 😉
Reef Tour
I did my reef tour with Reef Experience because a friend personally recommended the tour and my hostel offered a 10% discount. I had researched online and asked Australian friends which tours were the best and I received similar responses. Most people said the tours are the same and the price differentiates according to the reef location; I honestly encountered several Australians who had not visited the reef or did not remember their tour company. I did hear a diving enthusiast suggest to go to Port Douglas (70 km/40 mi north of Cairns) because the reef was much more beautiful. However, I decided to stick to exploring the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns with Reef Experience. Stay tuned for my story about the reef tour in Part 2!
Note: Prices mentioned in the post are from 2016 and are subject to change.