The Daintree or Kuranda? Which is Best for a Day Trip from Cairns
Are you tossing up between the Daintree or Kuranda? Visiting Australia’s ancient rainforests is a magical experience, but which should you choose for a day trip from Cairns.
The short answer is that you can choose either to enjoy Australia’s stunning tropical rainforests. Both the Daintree and Kuranda are part of the Wet Tropics of far north Queensland, recognised by UNESCO and both are within easy reach of Cairns.
If you’re short of time, you might be wondering whether the Daintree or Kuranda is the best rainforest to visit, and on a recent holiday in Cairns, I asked the same question. Luckily, I had time to visit both and I discovered that the Daintree and Kuranda offer quite different experiences.
In this article, I’ll compare the two, look at the pros and cons of each, and share my personal experiences of visiting Kuranda and the Daintree Rainforest from Cairns.
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Daintree vs Kuranda for a day trip from Cairns?
The good news is, you can choose either the Daintree and Kuranda and have a wonderful day and if you only have time for one, you can’t go wrong. But whether the Daintree or Kuranda is best is a matter of personal opinion.
Kuranda is a more touristy experience with a cable car and a historic train ride. If you want to see Barron Falls, have lunch in a nice café, buy souvenirs and pat a koala, then Kuranda is a good fit.
But if you want to escape into the wilderness, spot crocodiles in the wild, and learn about Aboriginal heritage, then the Daintree Rainforest is a better choice.
Here are some pros and cons:
Daintree or Kuranda: Pros & Cons
| Kuranda Pros | Kuranda Cons |
| Closer to Cairns: 40 minutes by car | Very touristy |
| Easily accessible by Cable car or historic train | Very popular and can be crowded |
| Wild & dramatic scenery, Barron Falls | Many souvenir shops |
| UNESCO World Heritage-listed rainforest | Must book in advance for the Skyrail and train |
| Rainforest walks from Kuranda village | Tickets are expensive |
| Easy access to lookout points from the cable car stops & train stations | |
| Not much fitness is required | |
| Many options for lunch & shopping | |
| Souvenir Shops, Art & craft shops & markets | |
| Butterfly Sanctuary / Koala Gardens – have your photo taken with a koala / BirdWorld Aviary / River cruise | |
| Access by bus or car is also an option |
| Daintree Rainforest Pros | Daintree Rainforest Cons |
| Ancient & pristine tropical rainforest | Further away: 124km from Cairns |
| UNESCO World Heritage Wilderness area | A long 11-12-hour day trip, and quite tiring |
| Wild, rugged, and natural | Dangerous man-eating crocodiles live in the Daintree River |
| Swimming spots at Mossman Gorge | A wilderness area with few amenities |
| Stunning scenery at Mossman Gorge & Cape Tribulation | Access to the Upper Daintree and Cape Tribulation is by ferry across the Daintree River |
| Mossman Gorge Visitors’ Centre offers an introduction to Aboriginal Culture | A queue of traffic was waiting for the ferry across the Daintree River, and we waited for over an hour. |
| Daintree River Cruise | Few amenities |
| Spotting Crocodiles, & the elusive cassowary in the wild | No train, cable car or shopping |
| Ferry over the Daintree River | |
| 2 UNESCO World Heritage sites converge where the Daintree Rainforest meets the Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef | |
| Scenic coastal drive from Cairns to Port Douglas |
Kuranda vs Daintree: Location
Winner: Kuranda is closer to Cairns
Both the Daintree and Kuranda are located outside Cairns, a regional city on Australia’s east coast near the Great Barrier Reef in far north Queensland.
The Kuranda Rainforest Village is approximately 29 kilometres and a 40-minute drive from Cairns but the Daintree Rainforest is further away,124km from Cairns, and it takes around 3 hours to drive to Cape Tribulation.
My Daintree day tour from Cairns also picked up passengers in Port Douglas.
Kuranda is a much shorter day trip, as it’s much closer to Cairns.
Kuranda or Daintree? What to Expect
If you’re short on time, and need to choose between the Daintree and Kuranda, the Kuranda Rainforest Village offers a scenic escape into the rainforest, featuring dramatic scenery, plunging Barron Falls, a historic train ride, and a scenic cable car ride over the treetops.
In the comparison between the Daintree and Kuranda, it’s the easiest option and very popular, but you’ll share the experience with a lot of other people. It was a bit too touristy for me, but I did enjoy the scenic train ride and the markets.
The Daintree rainforest, on the other hand, is located further away from Cairns, a UNESCO World Heritage wilderness area with untouched forests, mountains, waterfalls, and rivers. Mossman Gorge in the lower Daintree is absolutely stunning and has a Visitor’s Centre that offers an introduction to Australia’s indigenous culture.
Daintree or Kuranda: Getting there
Winner: Kuranda
If you’re choosing between Kuranda and Daintree Rainforest, Kurandia is closer and easier to get to.
The Daintree Rainforest has a remote location in a wilderness area in far north Queensland and the only way to get there is by road, either in a tour bus or by car. I visited as a solo traveller in Australia, chose a Daintree bus tour from Cairns.
I enjoyed my Daintree day trip but it took around 12 hours and was a very long day. I suggest leaving from Port Douglas rather than Cairns, as this saves 2 hours of driving time.
Kuranda, on the other hand, is much easier to access via the Cable car or train. The Skyrail Rainforest Cableway travels into the rainforest over the treetops and the ride to Kuranda takes around 1.5 hours. There are 2 stops on the way where you can take a short walk into the rainforest to enjoy the waterfalls and dramatic scenery of the gorge.
The heritage Kuranda Train takes 2 hours with stops along the way to enjoy a stunning view of Barron Falls.
If you’re on a budget, there’s also a public bus to Kuranda Village in the rainforest, and it’s a much cheaper way to get there than the scenic train or Skyrail but a lot less interesting.
If you’re choosing between a Daintree or Kuranda day trip, Kuranda is easier to get to than the Daintree Rainforest.
Kuranda and Daintree: What sets them apart?
The Daintree Rainforest is ancient and unique, with stunning scenery, crocodiles and cassowaries. But the historic Kuranda train has a fascinating story and follows a historic route through the rainforest to Kuranda village in the Rainforest.
My Experience Visiting Kuranda
If you’re asking, “Is Kuranda worth visiting?” my answer is yes, I enjoyed the experience, but Kuranda village is very touristy, and for me, this was a drawback.
I booked my Kuranda Skyrail and train tickets online in advance and they were heavily booked, so I recommend booking ahead.
I took the Cablecar to Kuranda and caught the train back to Cairns but you can travel skip either the cable car or the train.
My Kuranda day trip started and ended at the Cairns train station, and the ticket included a transfer by bus to (or from) the Skyrail Cableway station.
From the Cablecar I enjoyed the sweeping views over Cairns to the Coral Sea and across the treetops into the rainforest.
There were a couple of stops along the way and a short walk into the rainforest to enjoy dramatic scenery and lush greenery. Breaking the ride to explore the rainforest is definitely worthwhile.
Kuranda village is a short walk from the cable car station and has a lot of souvenir shops and cafes. I walked through the busier part of town to the art and craft market and stopped there for lunch.
Kuranda also has a Butterfly Sanctuary and the Birdworld Aviary is also very popular. The Kuranda Koala Garden is one of the few places in Australia where you can pat a koala and have your photo taken. It’s a delightful way to meet the local wildlife. (I did this in Brisbane and loved the experience)
Kuranda has a Visitors Information Centre near the Butterfly Sanctuary where you can find information and maps for walking trails outside the village. After lunch, I left most of the other tourists behind and went for a walk in the rainforest.
I took a short path into the gully, but you can walk the 3km track to the top of Barron Falls for spectacular views. There are also stunning views of Barron Falls from the Kuranda train on the ride back to Cairns.
This was a favourite part of the day for me. I loved the spectacular scenery, met other passengers and enjoyed learning about the19th-century engineering feats and the history of the railway.
Overall, I can recommend the Kuranda rainforest tour as a fun addition to a Cairns itinerary. Highlights for me were the rainforest walks, the stunning waterfalls and riding in the heritage Kuranda train. It was a good day out, but a bit expensive and the village was aimed at tourists.
Is the Kuranda Skyrail worth it? It was nice with some lovely views, but also quite expensive. I enjoyed the experience, but I’m not sure if I would do it again.
The best time for a Kuranda day trip from Cairns is during the wet season when the waterfalls are at their most dramatic.
Why Visit the Daintree Rainforest?
Australia’s Daintree Rainforest is ancient, unique and wild, with dense forests, stunning mountains, gorges and crocodile-infested rivers.
The ancient Daintree Rainforest is Australia’s largest tropical rainforest and covers around 1200 square kilometres in far north Queensland. It’s around 130 million years old, and is one of the most biologically diverse landscapes in the world.
The Daintree supports 900 species of trees, and 130 species of reptiles, including man-eating crocodiles, frogs, bats and insects. The cassowary, a large flightless tropical bird, lives in the Daintree.
On a day trip to the Daintree Rainforest I saw crocodiles in their natural habitat, sunning themselves on the banks of the river. The Daintree River cruise was included on the tour and the crocodiles were easy to spot from the boat.
** Crocodiles are dangerous! They live in rivers, estuaries and waterways in the Daintree and Kuranda. Stay away from the water’s edge and always follow the safety signs.
Saltwater crocodiles are predators that swim out to sea and can attack from the beach. Stay away from the waters edge.
My Experience Visiting the Daintree Rainforest
I booked a Daintree day tour from Cairns and was picked up from my hotel early in the morning. We we drove along the scenic coastal road to Port Douglas and from there, to Mossman Gorge in the lower Daintree where we were welcomed with an Aboriginal smoking ceremony at the visitors’ Centre.
This part of the tour was an introduction to the local indigenous culture aimed at overseas visitors. The smoke made my eyes sting and I would probably skip it next time as it was a bit touristy.
From there, we took a shuttle bus into the National Park and enjoyed a short walk into the gorge. The scenery at Mossman Gorge was stunning, but unfortunately, we only had a short time to spend here before travelling further into the rainforest.
Our next stop was a Daintree River crocodile & wildlife cruise and we spent an hour or so spotting crocodiles sunning themselves on the riverbanks. Our guide knew the names of all the local crocs and had lots of entertaining stories to tell. We also saw lots of birds and learnt about the local wildlife.
Highlights of my Daintree day trip were exploring stunning Mossman Gorge and Cape Tribulation and the panoramic views from Mount Alexandra Lookout, where the rainforest meets the Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef. I also loved the gorgeous coastal views on the drive from Cairns to Port Douglas.
I enjoyed venturing into remote parts of Australia that I had never been to before.
Final Thoughts: Daintree or Kuranda Day Trip
Visiting Kuranda is a fun day out, but if I had to choose between the Daintree or Kuranda, the pristine wilderness of the Daintree Rainforest wins for me.
But spending a day enjoying Australia’s lush tropical rainforests is a highlight of visiting Cairns, and I think a Kuranda day trip is also worthwhile. Even though it’s very touristy, Kuranda Rainforest village has a lovely location, and is much closer to Cairns and easier to access than the Daintree.
Kuranda is a good choice if you’re short of time, or you want to visit the wildlife parks like the Kuranda Koala Garden, Butterfly Sanctuary or Bird Park. Animal encounters and feeding sessions are a delightful way to meet the local wildlife, and the Kuranda Koala Gardens is one of the few places in Australia where you can pat a koala and have your photo taken.
If you have the time to venture a bit further into the wilderness, the Daintree is a wonderful place to see crocodiles in the wild. For me, experiencing the ancient tropical wilderness of the Daintree was a highlight of far north Queensland, and wins this comparison between the Daintree and Kuranda.
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