"Fitzroy island was amazing. it was beautiful and had food on the island and enough things to do. Beaches, snorkel, views, walks and hikes. Was nice for a day out adventure. Definitely do one island in one day, it didn’t seem enough to fit 2 islands."
Rainforest Island
Fitzroy Island Tours from Cairns
Ferries, trails and beach snorkelling, from $74.
From
$76
per person
Free cancellation
- 4.5 / 5 1,980+ Reviews
- 8 hours Duration
- 94% Rainforest Cover
- 5 Trails National Park Walks
- Free Cancellation
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
Select your preferred date and time. Instant confirmation — free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
The Experience
What the Fitzroy Island Day Includes
Our top pick gives you up to seven hours on the island, with gear or lunch as options.
Highlights
- Up to seven hours on Fitzroy Island to plan exactly as you like
- Snorkel the fringing reef straight off the beach, with turtles often spotted near the jetty
- Choose from five national park walking tracks, from 30-minute strolls to a three-hour climb
- Hike up to lookouts over the Coral Sea and the island's lighthouse
- Swim and relax at Nudey Beach and the sheltered bays around the island
- A short 45-minute crossing from Cairns on an air-conditioned catamaran
What's Included
- Return ferry from Cairns on an air-conditioned catamaran
- Up to 7 hours on Fitzroy Island
- Access to the national park walking trails and beaches
- Snorkel gear or a glass-bottom boat activity, if selected at booking
- Picnic lunch, if selected at booking
Booking a Fitzroy Island Day
Four steps from this page to the island jetty.
Choose your package
The starting fare is the return ferry and your time on the island. Add snorkel gear or a glass-bottom boat ride, and a picnic lunch, when you book.
Book with free cancellation
Pick a date in the calendar. You can cancel up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund. Children aged 4 to 15 pay the child rate, and under-4s travel free.
Board at Marlin Marina
The air-conditioned catamaran leaves from the Cairns marina and reaches Fitzroy Island in about 45 minutes.
Wear shoes you can walk in
The beaches are crushed coral and granite, and the national park trails climb to lookouts. Reef shoes or sandals help, along with water, a hat and sunscreen.
Photo Gallery
Fitzroy Island
Rainforest, granite headlands and the reef off the beach.
Three Ways to Reach Fitzroy Island
Two ferries, and a reef day that ends on the island.
| Feature | RECOMMENDED Fitzroy Island Full Day (Our Top Pick) | Sunlover Ferry | Reef and Fitzroy Island Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $76/per person | From $74 per person | From $200 per person |
| Rating | 4.5 from 1,980 guests | 4.4 from 884 guests | 4.6 from 239 guests |
| Time on the Island | Up to 7 hours | 4 to 5 hours, by departure | About 3 hours, with lunch |
| Outer Reef Stop | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ 2 hours at Moore Reef pontoon |
| Snorkel Gear | Option at booking | Option at booking | ✓ at the pontoon, ✗ on the island |
| Lunch | Picnic lunch option | Picnic lunch box option | ✓ buffet at Zephyrs restaurant |
| Glass-Bottom Boat | Option at booking | Option at booking | ✓ at the pontoon |
| Best For | A long, flexible day of walking and swimming | The lowest fare, with add-ons to suit | The outer reef and the island in one day |
| Check Dates | See Sunlover Ferry | See Reef and Island |
More Options
Every Cairns Reef Trip, Compared
Outer reef cruises, islands, pontoons and flights, ranked by what guests actually rated them.
FROM $76Fitzroy Island Full-Day Trip from Cairns
A return ferry from the Cairns waterfront to Fitzroy Island with up to seven hours to snorkel off the beach, walk the national park trails and swim, with snorkel gear, a glass-bottom boat ride or a picnic lunch added through the package you choose.
HALF DAYGreat Barrier Reef Half-Day Snorkelling Tour from Cairns
Reef Adventures' half-day trip takes a fast boat from Marlin Marina to one of two reefs for an hour and a half of guided snorkelling, with a maximum of 27 guests and three departures a day.
SMALL GROUPSmall-Group Great Barrier Reef Snorkelling Tour from Cairns
Reef Adventures runs a small-group snorkelling day from Marlin Marina on a fast boat, with a guided snorkel at two reef locations, lunch, snacks and free GoPro photos.
MICHAELMAS CAYMichaelmas Cay and Great Barrier Reef Full-Day Snorkel
A 32-metre sailing catamaran spends four hours at Michaelmas Cay, a protected seabird island, where you snorkel off the beach, ride a semi-submersible and eat a prawn buffet lunch before sailing back with a glass of sparkling wine.
SCENIC FLIGHTOuter Edges of the Great Barrier Reef Scenic Flight
A 30- or 40-minute fixed-wing flight from Cairns over Green Island, Arlington Reef, Vlasoff Cay and out to the edge of the outer reef, with a window seat and pilot commentary through headsets.
OVERNIGHT2-Day Great Barrier Reef Dive and Snorkel Liveaboard from Cairns
An overnight trip for up to 12 guests on the 16-metre Coral Sea Dreaming, snorkelling as much as you like across outer reef moorings such as Flynn and Milln reefs, with meals, a cabin and dives available to buy on board.
A Continental Island
Spending a Day on Fitzroy Island
Three ferries, one reef-and-island combo, and what to do when you land.
Fitzroy Island sits about 29 km from Cairns, roughly 45 minutes away by catamaran. Unlike Green Island, it is a granite continental island, almost all of it national park rainforest, with walking tracks up to lookouts over the Coral Sea and a fringing reef you can snorkel straight off the beach. It is also the cheapest island day from Cairns: the ferries start at $74, the lowest fare of any trip on this site.
Our top pick: a full day with Fitzroy Island Adventures
The Fitzroy Island full-day trip (our breakdown) is the most-reviewed Fitzroy Island trip on this site, rated 4.5 by 1,980 guests, from $76. You board an air-conditioned catamaran at Marlin Marina and get up to seven hours on the island. The base fare is the ferry, the trails and the beaches; snorkel gear or a glass-bottom boat ride and a picnic lunch are options you pick when booking. Children from 4 to 15 pay the child rate, and under-4s travel free. The same operator runs a half-day version, leaving Cairns at 10:45am and the island at 2pm, from $76.
The other ferries
Sunlover’s Fitzroy Island ferry with optional lunch starts at $74 and is rated 4.4 by 884 guests. Boats leave Cairns at 8:45am or around 10:10am and come back from the island at 3:30pm, giving you four to five hours ashore. Packages add any combination of a picnic lunch box, a glass-bottom boat ride and snorkel gear, and the lunch box can be ordered for most diets if you ask before 5pm the day before.
The Fitzroy Flyer day trip, run by the island resort, is also $74 and rated 4.7 by 131 guests. It gives you the longest day: out at 8am and back from the island at 5pm. Snorkel gear is an option, and food isn’t included, but the resort’s bar and café overlooks Welcome Bay. For a guide in the water, the resort’s ferry and snorkel safari ($118) adds a guided snorkel at 10am and snorkel hire until 4pm.
The reef and the island together
Sunlover’s reef and Fitzroy Island boat tour (our breakdown) starts with two hours at its Moore Reef pontoon, snorkel gear, glass-bottom boat and semi-submersible included, then cruises on to the island for a buffet lunch at Zephyrs restaurant and a couple of hours ashore. It costs $200 and is rated 4.6 by 239 guests. Snorkel gear isn’t provided on Fitzroy itself on this trip, so do your snorkelling at the pontoon. More pontoon days are on our pontoon page.
On the island
There are five main walking trails, from 30 minutes to about three hours, with lookouts above the Coral Sea. They include the Summit Trail, Lighthouse Road and the Secret Garden, and one leads to Nudey Beach. The Turtle Rehabilitation Centre runs visits most days but closes on Mondays and Tuesdays, and kayaking and guided rainforest walks can be booked on the island. The beaches are crushed coral and granite, so reef shoes or sturdy sandals make a big difference. Turtles are a common sighting around the reef but never a guaranteed one, and stinger suits are the sensible choice from roughly November to May.
Where to go from here
For the flat coral cay with a pool and a boardwalk, see Green Island tours from Cairns. If the outer reef matters more than the island, the snorkelling tours head straight out there, and our guide to which reef tour is right for you weighs them all up.
Ready to go? Check availability for the Fitzroy Island full day.
Guest Reviews
What Fitzroy Island Visitors Say
4.5/5
from 1980 verified guests
Ratings and review counts are the tour operators' live figures on GetYourGuide and may shift slightly day to day.
"No guide with you. Just exploring the island which was pretty amazing! Big walks or let’s say hike to be more appropriate. Stunning views, good for a refreshing swim! Got to meet new people during the day. Loved it!"
"Great day trip to do when you're in Cairns. The ride there and back was smooth and there was someone going around with a map of the island. She was also there to explain and answer any questions we had and if you wanted to add on anything for the trip. She pointed out the best location for snorkeling and did not disappoint! Saw turtles and fish and the visibility was pretty good. Nudey beach was nice to walk around and sit, take pictures. You can hike to the lighthouse and summit which I highly recommend if you like hiking. It wasn't that far of a hike and the views on the top of the mountain were amazing. There is a cafe for food and drinks."
"It was fun, good way to see the island for yourself. Would do again!"
"The ferry to Fitzroy Island is quick and efficient and we had the most fabulous day together as a family. Recommend."
"The snorkelling off the beach was amazing, with lots of fish turtles to see."
"really enjoyed this trip— i upgraded to the guided snorkel tour with Natalie, the marine biologist on-board. saw two sea turtles and schools of colourful fish! a highlight of my trip in Oz for sure."
"We did a snorkeling safari with the biologist Ally in the Shark point. It was pretty amazing and I finally found Nemo! 🥰 She was amazing explaing us all about the coral reef. We did more snorkelling leaving from the beach near jetty. We found lots of green turtles! An amazing luck. Then we went to Nudey Beach! A little of paradise! Turquoise and clean water! Forest kissing the see! Beautiful! Only the lunch is not great!"
Read all 1980 verified reviews
See All ReviewsUp to Seven Hours on Fitzroy Island
A return catamaran from Cairns, the national park walking trails and beaches, and your choice of snorkel gear or a glass-bottom boat ride and a picnic lunch. Rated 4.5 by 1,980 guests. Starting from $76 per person.
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Fitzroy Island: Common Questions
What people ask before booking a Fitzroy Island day from Cairns.
By catamaran from the Cairns marina, about 45 minutes each way. Three ferry services sell day trips on this site: Fitzroy Island Adventures, Sunlover and the island resort's Fitzroy Flyer.
The ferries start at $74 per person, the lowest fare of any trip on this site, and our top pick, the Fitzroy Island full day, starts at $76. Snorkel gear, a glass-bottom boat ride and a picnic lunch are add-ons. The reef and Fitzroy Island tour starts at $200 with a pontoon stop and lunch.
They depend on the operator. Sunlover leaves Cairns at 8:45am or around 10:10am and leaves the island at 3:30pm. The Fitzroy Flyer leaves Cairns at 8am and the island at 5pm. The half-day trip with Fitzroy Island Adventures leaves Cairns at 10:45am and the island at 2pm. Your booking confirms the exact times.
Yes, straight off the beach over the fringing reef. Choose a package with snorkel gear when you book, or the resort's snorkel safari if you want a guide. On the Sunlover reef-and-island tour, snorkel gear is provided at the pontoon but not on the island.
Walk the national park trails, which run from 30 minutes to about three hours, swim at the beaches, snorkel, or take a glass-bottom boat ride. Kayaking, guided rainforest walks and visits to the Turtle Rehabilitation Centre (closed Mondays and Tuesdays) can be booked on the island.
Fitzroy is the better choice for walking, with rainforest trails and lookouts on a granite island. Green Island is a coral cay with a boardwalk, a pool and easy beach snorkelling. Compare the cruises on our Green Island page.
Still have questions? Email us at info@greatbarrierreeffromcairns.com
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