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Fitzroy Island Adventures provide full day Cairns Fitzroy Island tours. Fitzroy Island is beloved by locals for the diverse range of activities and experiences. From snorkelling off the beach, to exploring the island on its many tracks and trails, to relaxing and sliding into the island vibe for the day. Salty hair and smiles are the order of the day here. This Cairns Fitzroy Island day tour has 2 departure times – leaving Cairns at 8.30am or 10.45am – and departing Fitzroy Island at 4pm, travel time is 45 minutes each way. This means pending your itinerary, you can enjoy around 6 hours at Fitzroy Island.
To make their Cairns Fitzroy Island day tour affordable, the base price of this tour includes return transfers only. However, there are a range of optional extras which you can opt in or out of. This includes snorkel hire, snorkel safari tour, glass bottom boat tour, guided snorkel from the beach and a picnic lunch.
We’ve been on all the tours we book. As a couple, as a family with a baby, then with a young child and now pre-teen. We’ve taken non-swimming friends and older relatives to the reef. So, we have first-hand experience and can help you make the right choice for your Cairns Reef Tour. Chat with us or send us an enquiry and we’ll get back to you.
Get In Touch Chat With UsThe tour price itself covers the return transfers to and from Cairns to Fitzroy Island. There are lots of free things you can do on the island, which is mostly National Park. This includes relaxing on the beaches, swimming and snorkelling (if you have your own snorkelling equipment bring it – or you can hire it as an optional extra) and exploring the island’s many tracks and trails. In fact, there’s 4 different tracks, all going to different parts of the island and of varying difficulty. More below. You can also add some optional extras to your tour, to make the most of your day, again – more below.
Snorkelling at Fitzroy Island is directly from the beach. If you have your own equipment, then this is a free activity, or you can choose to hire equipment at additional cost. The snorkel hire includes mask, snorkel and fins, lycra sunsuits and flotation vests. If you want to learn more about what you are seeing, then there are two guided snorkel options to choose from, both of which are in addition to the tour price. The Snorkel Experience is straight from the beach, and guided by a marine biologist who will point out corals and fish and provide information about the reef. This is 35 minutes and includes equipment rental. The second option is a Snorkel Safari tour, where you jump on a boat and head to more remote areas for a 50 minute guided snorkel tour with a marine biologist. Again, this is extra to the tour price, but equipment is included. You will be snorkelling in open water sites and as such, you should be confident in the water. Flotation devices are available, if these make you feel more comfortable.
Glass bottom boat tours are a great way to see the reef and learn more about it, while staying dry. Fitzroy Island’s glass bottom boat tours will suit families and non-swimmers, as well as those wanting to get a different perspective and understanding of the reef. During the tour the glass bottom boat will glide over some of Fitzroy Island’s fringing reefs, what you will see depends on the day, but you might see sea turtles, butterfly fish, wrasse and more. Generally speaking, glass bottom boat tours are run in the morning, giving you the rest of the day to explore at your leisure – but this is tide dependent and timing will be advised on your day of travel.
When you book this Cairns Fitzroy Island day tour, there’s a few different options for lunch and snacks. Firstly, you can choose to self-cater and bring your own, perfect for those on a budget. Secondly, you can opt in for the Fitzroy Island Adventures picnic lunch package. This includes baguettes or wraps, a piece of fruit, museli bar and water. This is in addition to the tour price. Finally, you can visit Foxy’s Bar & Bistro, which serves up burgers, beers, salads, snacks and cocktails (purchased at own cost, in addition to the tour price). Download the 2024 Foxy’s Menu here.
When you book the Fitzroy Island Adventures – Cairns Fitzroy Island Day Tour you can choose between 2 departure times from Cairns – 8.30am or 10.45am. The boat departs Fitzroy Island to return to Cairns at 4pm. There is lots to see and do at Fitzroy Island, so we recommend the 8.30am departure which gives you around 6 hours at the island. Check in is at the boat, which is moored at A Finger, Marlin Marina. You should take a towel, sunglasses, hat, change of clothes and sunblock for the day, as well as cash or credit cards to make any food and beverage purchases, or the optional extra tour activities (glass bottom boat tours, snorkelling equipment and guided snorkel tours).
Check in is at the Fitzroy Island Adventures boat, which is moored at A Finger, Marlin Marina, adjacent to the Cairns Reef Fleet Terminal. You will receive reminder directions the day before travel on text or email.
The Fitzroy Island Adventures boat departs Cairns and commences its 45 minute transfer to Fitzroy Island, at 8.30am. You can choose to sit in the air conditioned interiors or on the top sun deck. There is also the option for a 10.45am departure from Cairns – regardless of which you time you choose to depart – you will return to Cairns with a 4pm departure from Fitzroy Island
Arrive at Fitzroy Island. If you have booked snorkel equipment hire, then this will be provided to you on the boat. If you have booked any of the guided snorkel options or glass bottom boat tour, this will generally be run in the morning (pending tides) and times will be advised on the boat, prior to your departure for the day. If you have not booked any of these things, then your time is your own – go, enjoy and explore the beautiful Fitzroy Island.
If you have pre-booked a picnic lunch with Fitzroy Island Adventures, which is in addition to the tour price, then you can collect this from the boat. You are welcome to eat this on any of the island’s beautiful beaches.
Explore the island, on one of its many walks. The shortest walk is to Secret Garden, which is 700m and around 45 minutes return. There is some elevation involved. The next one is 1.2km to Nudey Beach. This is highly recommended, Nudey Beach is one of the only sandy beaches on Fitzroy and is seriously postcard worthy – in fact it was named Australia’s best beach in 2018. Return walking time is around 45 minutes. This is suggested timing – you can choose to do the walks whenever you want, during your day. The last two walks – as follows – are very strenuous and should be done in the morning. There is the Lighthouse Track, which is 3.6km and quite steep, you should allow around 2 hour return for this one. Or the Summit Circuit, which is an extension to the Lighthouse Track and is 4.2km return, you should allow around 3 hours return.
You have to be back at the boat by 3.45pm, so you should aim to be in the Welcome Bay area (which is the same place you arrived to) from around 3pm. You can continue to snorkel, swim and relax, or grab a cool drink and enjoy the views from Foxy’s Bar & Bistro.
Board the Fitzroy Island Adventures boat and prepare for the 4pm departure, to Cairns. You can sit in the air conditioned interiors or on the exterior sun deck. The travel time between Fitzroy Island and Cairns is around 45 minutes.
Fitzroy Island Adventures arrives back into Cairns’ Marlin Marina.
Check in is at the Fitzroy Island Adventures boat, which is moored at A Finger, Marlin Marina, adjacent to the Cairns Reef Fleet Terminal. You will receive reminder directions the day before travel on text or email.
The Fitzroy Island Adventures boat departs Cairns and commences its 45 minute transfer to Fitzroy Island, at 10.45am. You can choose to sit in the air conditioned interiors or on the top sun deck.
Arrive at Fitzroy Island. If you have booked snorkel equipment hire, then this will be provided to you on the boat. If you have booked any of the guided snorkel options or glass bottom boat tour – times will be advised on the boat, prior to your departure for the day. If you have not booked any of these things, then your time is your own – go, enjoy and explore the beautiful Fitzroy Island.
If you have pre-booked a picnic lunch with Fitzroy Island Adventures, which is in addition to the tour price, then you can collect this from the boat. You are welcome to eat this on any of the island’s beautiful beaches.
Explore the island, on one of its many walks. The shortest walk is to Secret Garden, which is 700m and around 45 minutes return. There is some elevation involved. The next one is 1.2km to Nudey Beach. This is highly recommended, Nudey Beach is one of the only sandy beaches on Fitzroy and is seriously postcard worthy – in fact it was named Australia’s best beach in 2018. Return walking time is around 45 minutes. This is suggested timing – you can choose to do the walks whenever you want, during your day. Please note: There is no time to attempt the other walks – being the Lighthouse Track and Summit Circuit – as these take over 2 hours to complete. If you want to try the longer walks, then book the earlier departure time.
You have to be back at the boat by 3.45pm, so you should aim to be in the Welcome Bay area (which is the same place you arrived to) from around 3pm. You can continue to snorkel, swim and relax, or grab a cool drink and enjoy the views from Foxy’s Bar & Bistro.
Board the Fitzroy Island Adventures boat and prepare for the 4pm departure, to Cairns. You can sit in the air conditioned interiors or on the exterior sun deck. The travel time between Fitzroy Island and Cairns is around 45 minutes.
Fitzroy Island Adventures arrives back into Cairns’ Marlin Marina.
The tour price includes return transfers to and from Cairns to Fitzroy Island. You can take your own lunch, which makes this a very budget friendly trip. There’s lots of free things to do on Fitzroy Island, including swimming from the beach and exploring the island’s walking tracks and trails. If you pick the 8.30am departure, you will have around 6 hours at the island. If you want to do more at the island, there are a range of optional extras, which are in addition to the tour price. These are as follows.
It goes to Fitzroy Island, which is around 25km offshore from Cairns. The travel time between the two destinations is around 45 minutes on the Fitzroy Island Adventures boat. The majority of Fitzroy Island is National Park, which you can explore on walking tracks and from the beach. There is also a resort on the island. The resort pool is for the exclusive use of resort guests, day tour guests can enjoy drinks and meals at Foxy’s Bar & Bistro. There is also the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre on Fitzroy Island.
The ‘free’ snorkelling on Fitzroy Island is from the beach. You can enhance your snorkel experience by either taking a snorkel safari from the beach, with a marine biologist, or jump on a boat and head to the fringing reefs, again with a marine biologist as a guide. It is open water snorkelling, so you should be comfortable about swimming in the open ocean. Buoyancy vests are available, should you require them.
No, you can not scuba dive on this tour. It is snorkelling only, with a glass bottom boat tour (optional extra to tour price).
Yes, this day tour is suitable for non-swimmers. At Fitzroy Island you can explore the many rainforest tracks and trails. Relax on the beach and/or sit in the shallows. Take a glass bottom boat tour (optional extra to tour price) and enjoy the meals and beverages (at own cost, in addition to the tour price) at Foxy’s Bar & Bistro.
Yes, this day tour and Fitzroy Island itself is suitable for kids. There’s always lots of families at Fitzroy Island.
Yes, it is – we’ve taken our family to Fitzroy Island many times, including our young son and older aunt. There are activities suitable for all members of the family at Fitzroy Island.
Lunch is not included in the standard tour price, this gives you the opportunity to self-cater, which is great if you are on a budget. Should you wish, you can add a picnic lunch to your tour price – which is an optional extra –it includes a baguette, roll or wrap, piece of fruit, museli bar and bottle of water.
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