Whitehaven Beach Morning or Afternoon Tour
Overview
Available languages
6 hours 15 minutes
Mobile ticket
Embark on a scenic cruise from Port of Airlie, stopping at
Daydream Island and Hamilton Island to collect more guests
before discovering the Southern end of the pristine 7km
stretch of silica sand at Whitehaven Beach. Once on the
beach, you will experience a diverse range of beach activities
including swimming, hiking, beach games and stand-up paddle
boarding, or simply relax and enjoy this world-famous icon for
up to two hours.
PLEASE NOTE: this tour does not visit Hill Inlet or the Hill Inlet Lookout. To visit these locations, please see the Whitehaven Beach Full Day Chill & Grill or the Camira sailing Adventure.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Snacks available to purchase
This experience operates in all weather conditions
In the unlikely event of northerly winds, the vessel master will assess the beach conditions, and, if required, a safer alternate beach location may be visited.
Please note this tour does not visit Hill Inlet or the Hill Inlet Lookout. To visit these locations, please see the Whitehaven Beach Full Day Chill & Grill or the Camira sailing Adventure.
Please note if travelling from Port of Airlie or Daydream Island vessel changes are required. There may also be stops along the way to collect additional guests.
Please advise dietary requirements
Cancellation Policy
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
What To Expect
Cruise Whitsundays
Check in at Port of Airlie for your cruise to Whitehaven Beach
Whitehaven Beach
Spend 1.5-2hours on one of the most famous beaches in the world!
What‘s Included
Morning or afternoon tea on board vessel
Island cruise a large air-conditioned catamaran
Environmental Management Charge (Reef tax)
Beach activities including a self guided bush walk
Option Extras: shade cabana hire available for purchase
Up to 2 hours on the southern end of Whitehaven Beach
Protective stinger suits
Gratuities
Food and drinks, unless specified (snacks and drinks available for purchase)
Hotel pickup and drop-off
This tour does not visit Hill Inlet
Options
PM: Port of Airlie
PM: Port Airlie: Half-day cruise to Whitehaven Beach afternoon departure from Port Airlie at 11:30am. Returns at 6:05pm
AM: Port of Airlie
AM: Port Airlie: Half-day cruise to Whitehaven Beach morning departure from Port Airlie at 7:15am. Returns at 2:30pm
Reviews
391 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Well worth it
Brad C,,Dec 19, 2025
- Review from Viator
4.00Great day out. Well worth the money and good having morning tea on board. Variety of morning tea could’ve been better fantastic how the big boat goes all the way to the beach to get off. Stinger suits included for free.
Water and staff are...
Kural A,,Dec 18, 2025
- Review from Viator
4.00Water and staff are amazing. The itinerary states it takes ‘30 minutes to Whitsunday ‘ , this is misleading , they do drops offs at islands and each way takes two hours.
the beach and sand at...
Eric F,,Dec 1, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00the beach and sand at whitehaven is amazing and getting on and off the boat directly onto the sand is an experience!
DON'T GO WITH THIS COMPANY
an5599,,Dec 1, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00The staff made us who booked a half day tour feel like second class constantly. All the best seats had been reserved for those who booked the full day tour, rather than first come first served. The others who booked the whole day also got better service, received water, more attention and information. Never experienced this poor treatment of guests on a tour before. Also the trip was 7 hours and only 2 hours at the beach. It felt more like a long time for logistics with picking everyone up from 3 different locations, the change of vessels etc. Also extremely over-priced at $150. I have visted 20 countries this year alone and this was not just the worst tour in Australia - it was the worst tour of 2025 and all 20 countries visited.
Very poor communication/experience
Coastal33391674114,,Dec 1, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00Awful /non-existent communication. Was scheduled to do the afternoon Whitehaven beach tour. On the morning tour someone seemingly got hurt and required medical attention once back at the dock- totally understandable. However, this process dragged on for over an hour (the woman seemeingly had non-life threatening injury as there wasn't much urgency) and Cruise Whitsundays seemingly has no back up boats to use because we were left at the dock just watching everything unfold. Cruise Whitsundays provided no updates for an hour just letting us figure things out for ourselves. Finally the captain came to talk to the waiting participants and said that not only would the tour be severely shortened because of the incident but also they were never planning to go to Whitehaven anyway because of the weather! Would have been a useful piece of information to know at any point so we didn't waste an afternoon watching a paramedic bandage someone up. To top it off because the cruise would go on a shortened sail to a different location, CW refused to offer refunds which seems like poor customer service given the inconvenience. Just beware if you book with this company be prepared for poor communication and an altered experience
Poor
weatherhead1,,Nov 21, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
2.00Commentary was awful . Couldn’t hear anything outside upstairs so no idea of what was going on, when we were eating, getting on/getting off. Photographer completely ignored me on the beach . Ugly? Old? Solo? I don’t know . But hope you’re never in that position of trying to adapt to solo life after many years of marriage Sadly my husband passed away so any kindness is appreciated! FYI , the half-day Whitsunday cruise starts at 7.15am, gets to Whitehaven Beach at 9.30, leaves at 11.30 but on the way back you go to Hamilton island get off and wait for another boat which takes you back to Airlie via the airport! Gets back at 1430.
There are toilets at...
michelle c,,Oct 12, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00There are toilets at Whitehaven and the crew have a BBQ and beers that we can purchase. But I still bought my own food. Afternoon tea was serperb. Water was a beautiful 25 degrees 😍
Smooth boat ride in one of the most pristine waterways in the world
P146OTsharonb,,Oct 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00Great experience. Boat ride was relaxing although perfect conditions. Crew and staff were excellent, friendly and helpful.
Paradise front of you
Rangini S,,Sep 21, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00It’s a great experience Service is very good.. staff are very friendly and helpful. It’s a quiet beautiful place
Would not recommend. entire day wasted on travel
938renaek,,Sep 3, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
2.00Wouldn't recommend, spent at least 2 hours each way (total 4 hours in travel) as they just put you on a transit boat which also takes travellers to and from other islands with luggage all day, only spent 1.5 hours on the beach and then wasted the rest of the day doing stops along the way to pick up other travellers and were made to swap boats at Hamilton island. Have had much better experiences for the same money with other tours. Very dissapointed.
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