Reef + rainforest45 minutes
45 min45-Min Reef & Rainforest
★ 4.8 · 24 reviews
- Reef one way, rainforest the other
- Barron Gorge and the falls from above
- Two World Heritage areas in one flight
- Free cancellation
$457$609.33 / hour
Check availability→ Two World Heritage areas
Cairns rainforest scenic flight: reef one way, Wet Tropics the other
A reef and rainforest scenic flight from Cairns costs $457 for forty-five minutes or $652 for the full hour. It is the only flight here that crosses two World Heritage areas in one trip: the Great Barrier Reef on the way out, Barron Gorge and the Wet Tropics rainforest on the way back.
Quick answer
The short answer. Forty-five minutes at $457 is the best value flight from Cairns. You get the outer reef and the rainforest, which is a genuinely different landscape rather than more of the same, and the price per minute is lower than the shorter reef-only flights. The full hour at $652 does the same thing unhurried.
Reef and rainforest flights at a glance
- 45 minutes
- $457reef and rainforest
- 60 minutes
- $652the full hour, both
- 20-minute rainforest only
- ~$232Barron Gorge and the falls
- What you see
- Reef, gorge, falls, canopyin one flight
- World Heritage areas
- Twothe reef and the Wet Tropics
- Barron Falls
- Best after rainwet season is spectacular
- Aircraft
- Small helicopterseverybody gets a window
- Cancellation
- Free to 24 h
What the rainforest half shows you
Gorge, falls and canopy
Rainforest meeting reef is the thing this coast is famous for.
Barron Gorge. A steep river gorge cut into the range immediately behind Cairns, with the Barron River dropping through it. From the air you look straight down into it, which is not possible from the Skyrail or the railway.
Barron Falls. In the dry season a modest fall over a wide rock face. After heavy rain in the wet it becomes a genuinely large waterfall and it is the reason locals recommend this flight in January rather than August.
The canopy. The Wet Tropics rainforest is among the oldest continuously surviving on earth, and from a few hundred feet it reads as an unbroken green surface with rivers cut through it. The contrast with the turquoise reef fifteen minutes earlier is the point of the flight.
Book direct
The flights
Two that include the rainforest, two that stay over the reef.
The full hourBoth worlds
1 h60-Minute Reef & Rainforest
★ 5.0 · 2 reviews
- A full hour over reef and rainforest
- The longest scenic flight from Cairns
- Small aircraft, everybody gets a window
- Free cancellation
$652$652.00 / hour
Check availability→ 
30 minutesOuter reef
30 min30-Minute Reef Flight
★ 4.6 · 37 reviews
- Thirty minutes over the outer reef
- Ribbon reefs, sand cays and deep channels
- The shape of the reef, which no boat shows you
- Free cancellation
$329$658.00 / hour
Check availability→ 
40 minutesWider loop
40 min40-Minute Reef Flight
★ 4.7 · 7 reviews
- Forty minutes and a wider loop
- More reef, more cays, more colour changes
- Window seat guaranteed on most departures
- Free cancellation
$395$592.50 / hour
Check availability→ Why it is better value
More landscape per minute
A thirty-minute reef flight at $329 spends a good part of itself getting to the reef and back. Forty-five minutes at $457 costs about forty per cent more and gives you fifty per cent more time, and the extra time is spent over a completely different landscape rather than more reef.
Per minute it is cheaper. Per experience it is a different flight, and the one people describe afterwards.
The full hour adds unhurried time over both. If money is not the constraint it is the best flight from Cairns; if it is, forty-five minutes is the sensible answer.
Practical
Six things about these flights
- Fly mid-morning
Reef colour needs high sun; the gorge is fine at any hour.
- After rain for the falls
Barron Falls in the wet season is a different waterfall.
- Cloud closes the gorge
The rainforest section needs cloud base above the range.
- Motion sickness
The rainforest half involves more turning than the reef half.
- Cameras
Video over the canopy; stills over the reef.
- Weight declared at booking
Standard for all helicopter operations.
The reef half of this flight is the same reef the cruises visit.
Reef cruises from Cairns→Every trip, current fare
Every trip
Twelve trips, priced per person and per hour.
| Trip | Time out | Price | In the water | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Catamaran Reef CruiseA full day on the outer reef, best value | 9 h | $186 | Yes, most of the day | $20.67 | 4.8 · 3,821 |
| Reef Cruise + Scenic HeliThe reef from the water and from the air | 8.5 h | $297 | Yes, most of the day | $34.94 | 4.6 · 1,140 |
| Reef Pontoon by HelicopterHelicopter out, a day on the pontoon | 6–7 h | $456 | Yes, on the pontoon | $70.15 | 5.0 · 6 |
| Outer Reef & Coral Cay CruiseTwo reef sites, dives available | 8.5 h | $195 | Yes, two sites | $22.94 | 4.8 · 1,611 |
| Reef Cruise + 10-Min HeliPontoon day with a ten-minute flight | 7 h | $317 | Yes, on the pontoon | $45.29 | 4.6 · 32 |
| Rainforest & Barron Falls FlightTwenty minutes over gorge, falls and rainforest | 20 min | $233 | No | $699.00 | 4.4 · 2 |
| 30-Minute Reef FlightHalf an hour over the ribbon reefs | 30 min | $329 | No | $658.00 | 4.6 · 37 |
| Port Douglas Reef FlightHalf an hour over the reef, from Port Douglas | 30 min | $329 | No | $658.00 | 4.7 · 10 |
| 40-Minute Reef FlightA wider loop over the outer reef | 40 min | $395 | No | $592.50 | 4.7 · 7 |
| 45-Min Reef & RainforestReef and rainforest in one flight | 45 min | $457 | No | $609.33 | 4.8 · 24 |
| 60-Minute Reef & RainforestThe longest scenic flight from Cairns | 1 h | $652 | No | $652.00 | 5.0 · 2 |
| Port Douglas Outer ReefFrom Port Douglas to the Agincourt reefs | 7.5 h | $216 | Yes, most of the day | $28.80 | 4.8 · 506 |
Common questions
Reef and rainforest flights, answered
How much is a reef and rainforest scenic flight?
$457 for forty-five minutes and $652 for the full hour.
What do you see on the rainforest half?
Barron Gorge, Barron Falls and the Wet Tropics canopy — one of the oldest continuously surviving rainforests on earth.
Is it better than a reef-only flight?
It is better value per minute and it shows you two different landscapes. If you only want the reef, the thirty-minute flight is cheaper.
When are Barron Falls at their best?
After heavy rain, which means the wet season from January to April.
Can you do rainforest only?
Yes, a twenty-minute Barron Gorge flight runs separately and costs less.
Is the flight bumpy over the range?
There is more turning than over the reef, and thermals build over land during the day. A morning flight is smoother.
Go deeper
More on the reef from Cairns
Flights
Cairns scenic flights
Every scenic flight from Cairns, by duration and by what you actually see.
By airThe reef by helicopter
What the Great Barrier Reef looks like from five hundred feet, and what it costs.
PricesWhat a Cairns flight costs
Twelve trips priced per person and per hour, plus the reef tax nobody mentions.
VerdictThe best Cairns tour
Twelve trips ranked for one decision, with a straight answer at the end.
CruisesReef cruises from Cairns
Every full-day trip to the outer reef, and how to tell them apart.
SnorkellingSnorkelling the reef
What you see, what is provided, and whether you need to be a strong swimmer.
