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 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.
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
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Options
Sky-Rail
Travel to Kuranda on Skyrail and return on the Scenic Railway; approx. 10 hours; departs at 8am and 8:45am
Pickup included
Kuranda Scenic Rail and Coach
Scenic Rail + Coach Tour: Operates on dates Skyrail is closed for planned works from 20 Jul to 25 Oct 2026.
FREE Kuranda Wildlife Park : Includes BONUS entry voucher to either Birdworld OR Koala Gardens!
Pickup included
Coach & Kuranda Scenic Rail
Coach Tour + Scenic Rail: Operates on dates Skyrail is closed for planned works from 20 Jul to 25 Oct 2026.
FREE Kuranda Wildlife Park : Includes BONUS entry voucher to either Birdworld OR Koala Gardens!
Pickup included
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
Reviews
1,098 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Amazing views whether...
Andrew N,Apr 14, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Amazing views whether it’s the cable car or the rail. The booking leaves you to your own devices, it isn’t guided which is perfect.
Kuranda ❤️
Kristy B,Apr 12, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00We were picked up on time by the tour bus. The driver was informative, friendly and helpful. The skyrail gave stunning views of the mountain side, sea and surrounding suburbs. Kuranda was amazing. There's fair bit of walking but we'll worth it. We chose to visit Birdworld and the butterfly house. Both attractions were a lot of fun but birdworlds was definitely the favourite for my kid.
Kuranda train ride
Jacqueline B,Apr 11, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Even with a bit of rainy weather the experience was great! Would recommend this if you are visiting Cairns!
Nice family day trip.
ericgC3821XT,Apr 11, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00Nice day trip for the family. The kids enjoyed the journey to and from Kuranda. There are nice activities and options for the kids. However, the food options was disappointing. For example, they ran out of sushi and hotdogs at 1pm during school holidays! Just what my kids wanted to eat. Sausage rolls was the back up choice hehe. I recommend taking food for kids. Many stores closed as well. Not a good impression for our overseas tourists who travelled so far...happy travels!
Great way to also support...
Anna M,Apr 9, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Great way to also support the preservation of the rich flora and fauna of Cairns. Really good to see the beauty pf what the state has to offer
A Unique Rainforest Attraction
John O,Apr 7, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00If you book with Viator, they run you through a third party. This creates additional Hoopes to jump through when you arrive at the Tramway. We had a helpful employee who made a call and printed our tickets so it all worked—book directly with the tram or railway.
Disappointed!!
Alan H,Apr 6, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00The experience is cool but the tour is a total price gauge to be fair! We got picked up at time of 8.40 am and what was meant to be 45 mins to cable car was 20 mins which is fine , once we got off bus that was it , we done cable car to to village with 3 stops and 2 scenic views before village. We arrived at village at 10.40 am but notice our train back down was 3.30 pm which was very long , yes the village is nice but just about 2/3 hours is enough time or less if you don’t want to pay extra for other activities liked bird sanctuary etc! We had no say on time coming back and train assigned but folk who was on our outbound were showing train back at 2 pm , 5 hours in village was way too much time so felt it was badly organised time wise. I did message and request change in time and got the 2 pm train in end! So for price of 460$ Aus it’s not worth it for two adults! Bus took less than 20 mins to rail car so uber could of sorted that and just buy tickets at company for 132$ each and then uber back once arriving in cairns off train , so about 264$ and maybe 50$ Ubers so 310-320$ aus compare to 460$ aus we paid so easily 140$ just for 30-40 mins bus ride to and from seems lot! Driver was friendly though but I feel price wise it’s not worth it!
Beautiful scenery and wonderful day out
leonies728,Apr 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was a wonderful day the most beautiful scenery and the waterfalls are stunning. The town is quite hilly but very pretty with plenty of options for shopping or eating. Highly recommend doing this day trip
Kuranda village train and skyrail
Ron S,Apr 5, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00We took the train ride up to Kuranda and the Sky Rail back down. This is the recommended route. The train was a replica of what was used to transport people back in the day. Be advised, on a warm humid day, the lack of AC on board can be uncomfortable, bring a portable fan, you will thank me later! The train ride waws about 2hours going up- its a slow go- one stop at Barron Falls, you can get out for about 10mins and take some great photos. Depending on the time of year, the falls were be stronger than others. There was an automated recording documenting certain points of interest along the train route and you are given a map to follow along. Kuranda village is super cute. Lots of gift shops, different places to eat and get drinks. We did the Koala experience which is an extra purchase and well worth it. You do not hold the little guy but you can touch / pet it and get to take a picture with it as well. We purchased all tickets ahead of time just to guarantee we had a spot. We also got to interact with the Kangaroos slightly , they seemed to be bothered by the rain and did not have much interest interacting with us. Sky rail return lets you get off at two stops to enjoy small walks thru the rainforest. Return trip was approx 45min to an hour. Soaring high over the rainforest offered impeccable views of the coastline. Highly recommend this experience.
Very scenic, Kuranda was...
Terri S,Apr 1, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Very scenic, Kuranda was a cute small town plenty to do and see. Great ride on the sky rail. Plenty of great pictures to share.
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