Where to Ride: The 7 Best Cairns and the Tropical North Train Journeys

1.Kuranda Scenic Railway Day Trip from Cairns

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,075 reviews · from $150Our pick

Review of the Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail day trip from Cairns, with itinerary details, costs, tips, drawbacks, and booking advice.

“Of course we booked a Great Barrier Reef trip while in Cairns, and this seemed like the other "must see". The Skyway ride was fun and had some amazing views. The stops along the way were informative and again great views. The town itself was far less impressive. On the October Sunday we were there about half the restaurants and stores seemed to be closed. The zoo was fine but very small. The train ride back was not as impressive as the skyway. It was slow, hot, and much of the time you aren't seeing much of anything. Overall, glad we did it but might have been better to rent…”

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2.Grand Kuranda including Skyrail and Kuranda Scenic Railway

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 598 reviews · from $230

Review of Cairns’ Kuranda day tour with Scenic Railway, Skyrail, rainforest wildlife, Aboriginal culture, lunch, and practical tips.

“Get the Glass Boat or Snorkelling and then decide. The cruise boat takes 50 minutes to get out to the Green Island. Bring strong sunblock for the summer sun so your souvenir is not a bad sunburn to mess up your time off. I say get the gRead more”

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3.Skip the Line Kuranda Scenic Railway Gold Class and Skyrail Rainforest Cableway

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 574 reviews · from $199

Ride Kuranda’s historic railway and Skyrail over ancient rainforest, with Gold Class comfort, free village time, and practical booking tips.

“The views are spectacular. The guided tours very informative and interesting. This gave us more things to look out for which made the trip enjoyable.”

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4.Cairns Super Saver: Reef Cruise, Daintree & Kuranda Rail/Skyrail

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 157 reviews · from $423

Review of Cairns Super Saver, combining Great Barrier Reef snorkeling, Kuranda Rail and Skyrail, and a Daintree Cape Tribulation day.

“The trip was good, but the Chef was very rude on a request for vegetarian food. This made the whole cruise experience unpleasant. Please try to understand that It is How you say that matters. I am very disappointed after booking this cruise and taking along my parents.”

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5.Cairns Small-Group Kuranda Tour: Skyrail & Scenic Railway

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 112 reviews · from $186Top rated

Review of the Cairns Kuranda small-group tour with Skyrail, Scenic Railway, hotel pickup, guide support, tips, costs, and drawbacks.

“Great experience, great tour guide. Only the weather was an issue, it was really hot, so better to come in winters”

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6.Classic Kuranda by Skyrail and Scenic Railway, Rainforestation & lunch. CKB

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 105 reviews · from $213

Review of the Kuranda Skyrail, Scenic Railway, Rainforestation and lunch tour from Cairns, with practical tips, costs and honest drawbacks.

“The gondola ride was great. Would have liked to have more walking and learning to do on the way. Kuranda was good but there are options in the village that are very similar to part of this tour. Was not a huge fan of being isolated at a destination and not really being able to do things at our leisure. Train ride was LONG. May have booked differently if exact times were understood.”

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7.Kuranda Village, Army Duck Tour with Train and Skyrail (KDB)

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 71 reviews · from $167

Review of the Kuranda Army Duck, Skyrail, and Scenic Railway tour from Cairns, with practical advice on timing, value, stops, and drawbacks.

“Good tour of a rain forest and free time to get to know nature or shop whichever was your preference. Train ride up and gondola down was perfect trip.”

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