Great Barrier Reef

The world's largest coral reef system, stretching 2,300 km along the Queensland coast, with Cairns, Port Douglas and the Whitsundays as the main gateways.

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef ecosystem, made up of about 2,900 individual reefs and over 900 islands, stretching roughly 2,300 km along the coast of Queensland, Australia, and listed as a World Natural Heritage site in 1981. Visitors mainly head out from a few gateways: Cairns is the largest, with boats to snorkeling and diving platforms on the outer reef, Green Island and Fitzroy Island, and the Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail cableway into the tropical rainforest. To the north, Port Douglas is quieter, with trips out to the Low Isles and Agincourt Reef, and on the way you can visit the Daintree, one of the world's oldest tropical rainforests. To the south, the Whitsundays have Whitehaven Beach and Heart Reef, which you can visit by seaplane or on an overnight sailing trip; Townsville and Magnetic Island have Australia's largest coral reef aquarium and koalas; and farther south, Hervey Bay and Lady Elliot Island are whale-watching and turtle-nesting sites. We suggest 4–5 days for Cairns–Port Douglas and 2–3 days for the Whitsundays. Use sun protection (reef-safe sunscreen) and stinger protection in jellyfish season, and choose eco-certified tour operators; coral bleaching has been frequent in recent years, so check reef health before you go.

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Itineraries