Kuranda Scenic Railway Day Trip from Cairns
Overview
Available languages
7 hours
Mobile ticket
Experience the rainforest beauty of Tropical North Queensland on a scenic day trip from Cairns. Enjoy a journey on the historic Kuranda Scenic Railway and a ride on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. You’ll have free time in the village of Kuranda to browse its markets, have lunch or visit wildlife attractions like Birdworld or Kuranda Koala Gardens or choose the option including Rainforestation Nature Park. (Food, drinks and activities in Kuranda are at your own expense)
Additional Info
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Written itinerary available in German, Italian, French, Spanish, Japanese and Mandarin
One-way trip on Kuranda Scenic Railway
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
Rainforestation Nature Park (if option selected)
Cairns pickup and drop-off
Kuranda Boarding Pass
Food and drinks, unless specified
Birdworld, Kuranda Koala Gardens & Butterfly Sanctuary (own expense)
Any other optional activities not mentioned
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
What To Expect
Australian Butterfly Sanctuary
The largest butterfly flight aviary & exhibit in Australia. Situated next to the Kuranda Markets, it is home to over 1500 tropical butterflies. Wander through the aviary's lush tropical gardens and breeding laboratory to learn more about a butterfly's life cycle & behaviour.
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
Glide over and through the canopy of the ancient rainforest and marvel at the spectacular views from Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. There are two stops along this gondola journey where you can alight and explore the rainforest from within.
Options
Rail-Sky
Travel to Kuranda on the Scenic Railway and return on Skyrail; approx. 8 hours; departs at 8am and 7:45am
Pickup included
Sky-Rainforestation-Rail
Rail-Rainforestation-Sky: Travel to Kuranda on Skyrail, visit Rainforestation Nature Park and return from Kuranda on Kuranda Scenic Rail.
Pickup included
Sky-Rail
Travel to Kuranda on Skyrail and return on the Scenic Railway; approx. 10 hours; departs at 8am and 8:45am
Pickup included
Reviews
1,022 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Underwhelming for us
Nina,
Sep 13, 2025
- Viator
2.00Skyrail was worth it. Great views. Kuranda village was underwhelming. If youre not into hippy things its not worth it at all. Train was boring due to not much views. The forest and trees were blocking everything.
A beautiful day in Kuranda
Alberto C,
Sep 12, 2025
- Viator
5.00It's a nice trip on an ancient train, from which you can see the valley, the waterfalls and nature descending from Kuranda towards Cairns. Get seats by the window, otherwise it's more complicated to take pictures and videos. The journey is long because the train travels very slowly and makes two intermediate stops. The pick-up and drop-off Service is taken care of, but you could spend a lot of time on the bus before reaching the accommodation, because the bus does just many laps to accompany everyone. Kuranda is a nice town, but basically a souvenir market that I wouldn't swear are all Australian... visit to the butterflies very suggestive especially for the little ones, wildlife park instead sad. Very scenic cable car! A little expensive, organizing it yourself costs a little less, about 30%
Do NOT book through Viatour!
Lee O,
Sep 11, 2025
- Viator
1.00The Kuranda Railroad and the skyway themselves were spectacular but it was a BIG MISTAKE booking through Viator. They got everything wrong and caused great confusion, delay and frustration. They sent a lot of incorrect information and did NOT send the vouchers we actually needed. Book directly with the railway and skyway and AVOID Viatoru like the plague!
Sky Rail to Kuranda
Gary M,
Sep 1, 2025
- Viator
5.00Ideal way to see into and experience rainforest especially with Ranger talk at first stop on way up.
Very fun experience, down...
Erika K,
Aug 28, 2025
- Viator
5.00Very fun experience, down under picked me up in time and were there when the trip was over to take me back. Lots of fun shops and food options
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Operated by Down Under Tours