This 8-day cruise offers the ultimate Great Barrier Reef experience! Board the Coral Expeditions II and discover the best parts of the Reef, spectacular rainforest trails, and beautiful tropical islands including Dunk and Fitzroy Island. Snorkel, swim and kayak over colorful coral gardens, visit a private tropical island, and walk on Dunk Island's rainforest looking for the striking electric-blue Ulysses butterfly.
Highlights
Walk through historic Cooktown's streets, museum, and botanic gardens
Snorkel Lizard Island, one of Australia's most beautiful tropical islands
View a fish feeding display in Thetford Reef and join a scuba dive plunge
Kayak in some of the most pristine waters in the Great Barrier Reef
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Board the Coral Expeditions II small ship for an afternoon departure from Cairns. While departing Cairns and cruising Trinity Bay, settle in and discover "home" for the next seven nights. In the evening, join the crew and traveling companions on the top deck to enjoy a glass of champagne as the expedition cruise heads northward, passing Double Island and the pretty beach-side village of Palm Cove. Admire a spectacular sunset over the World Heritage-listed rainforest of the Macalister Range before sitting down to a sumptuous dinner. In the evening enjoy the Captain’s Welcome Seafood Buffet.
Discover historic Cooktown, with building dating back to the 1870s. Visit the botanic gardens and the James Cook Museum to see original artifacts from the HMB Endeavour. Enjoy an afternoon snorkel and sunset drinks at Turtle Beach on Lizard Island, and see giant trevally and tawny nurse sharks during an after dinner fish feed off the back deck.
Awaken moored beside beautiful Lizard Island. The energetic may join the guides on a walk to “Cook’s Look” on the island’s peak (hiking shoes or boots are recommended). It was from here, the highest lookout on this part of the reef, that Captain Cook was able to navigate a safe passage back through the treacherous waters after repairing the Endeavour near Cooktown over 200 years ago. A photographer’s delight, the views from the lookout over the World Heritage-listed reef and surrounding tropical islands are magnificent.
Lizard Island’s fringing reef, in the shallow waters just meters off the beach, offers some fantastic snorkeling opportunities. Discover giant clams and a profusion of fish. Simply relax on the beach, join the Marine Biologist for a glass-bottomed boat tour, or for the ultimate Great Barrier Reef experience, accompany the dive instructor on an unforgettable scuba dive. The choice is yours!
Cruise to Ribbon Reef No. 9, a spectacular and seldom-visited part of the reef where activities include more snorkeling opportunities and glass-bottomed boat tours with the Marine Biologist.
The Great Barrier Reef is not actually one continuous reef, but a series of thousands of individual coral cays stretching over 1800 miles between the town of Bundaberg and the tip of Australia at Cape York. Visit two of the most spectacular sections of the reef, Ribbon Reef No. 3 and Rachel Carson Reef. Explore the coral gardens and marine life with guided snorkeling and glass-bottomed boat tours. A Marine Biologist explains the natural history and evolution of the reef and the local wildlife, which includes sea turtles, giant clams, rays and over 200 different species of native birds.
Return to Trinity Wharf, Cairns at 8:00am and enjoy some time to explore. You may enjoy a complimentary visit to the Cairns Museum. Reboard your ship at 10:00am, and cruise Trinity Bay. Visit Sudbury Reef, and enjoy snorkeling, glass-bottomed boat tours, and optional Scuba diving. Finish the day with sunset drinks ashore on the deserted sandy cay.
Cruise the majestic Hinchinbrook Channel whilst enjoying a top deck breakfast in the sunshine. Look for wildlife during a mangrove tour. Stretch your legs on Dunk Island, with a hike up Mt Kootaloo or a beach walk. With the aid of your guides, you may spot the electric blue Ulysses butterfly.
Discover Nathan Reef on a guided snorkel: this reef is teeming with abundant fish life, including clownfish and Maori Wrasse. Later, visit colorful Coates Reef – see plate corals and parrotfish during an optional SCUBA dive, or stay dry and view marine life from the comfort of the glass-bottomed boat, with expert interpretation by your on-board marine biologist.
Day 8: Fitzroy Island | Cairns | Disembark
1 Breakfast
Enjoy a rainforest walk or a hike to the lighthouse. Snorkel over fringing reef and swim with Green Sea Turtles, before learning all about them during a visit to the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Center. Return to Cairns to disembark at 1:30pm.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
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Cabin
Five cabins, located on Deck C. 10.5-14 sqm, bunk beds or twin beds.
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Stateroom
Four staterooms, located on Deck C. 14 sqm, twin or double beds.
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Upper Deck Stateroom
Nine Upper Deck staterooms located on Deck B. 14 sqm, with twin or double beds.
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Deluxe Stateroom
Four Deluxe staterooms located on Deck B. 15 sqm, with twin or double beds.
Notes
Important Fare Information:
Rates are posted based off of the current exchange rates from Australian Dollars. Please contact us for current exchange rates.
Initial deposit is 25%, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 100 days prior to departure by bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
This was my first experience with Adventure Life - and I couldn't have been more pleased with the trip. The guides and local staff in both Buenos Aires and Uruguay were terrific - extremely helpful and accommodating. I really enjoyed meeting the friendly staff in Buenos Aires in person (I left my bags with them for the afternoon).
Karen Snider
TrustScore 4.7 | 115 reviews
TrustScore 4.7 of 5
Based on 115 reviews on
2 hours ago
Erin is great to work with on our adventure to Antartica. She gave us great choices and is very knowledgeable about the options. Her recommendations saved us from making some big mistakes.
Carla
1 day ago
A Mind Blowing Adventure!
Adventure Life kept me well informed and up to date in the lead up to my trip and Albatros delivered a once in a lifetime adventure in full. A totally awesome experience from start to finish.
Jan Price
1 day ago
Jane Packer helped us through the cancellation of our trip due to American Queen Voyages bankruptcy and then finding another cruise with American Cruise Lines.
Jane is very prompt in response, answers any questions, and makes good suggestions thereby making the process much easier!
Deb Donaldson
2 days ago
Adventure Life did an excellent job of planning, organizing and executing a great trip to Argentina. It was nice to have the trip with just the two of us which allowed for a more personable tour with excellent tour guides in all four locations visited. We learned lots of details of the beautiful sites in BA, Mendoza,Baliloche and Iguazu Falls. We want to do another trip with Adventure Life some day.
John WhartonMary Jo Catlett
3 days ago
Kassandra rocks! She had our trip planned and helped us arrange our air travel within the day we contacted her. She has helped us with our trips to Chile Argentina and Costa Rica, and she always finds us wonderful activities and accommodations. We’re looking forward to seeing what she’s planning for us this time when we go to Easter island