Kuranda is a rain forest, World Heritage of Humanity, which is only 25 km from Cairns. Because of its proximity, it is a perfect day trip, whether you prepare it for free or if you sign up for one of the many organized tours that include transportation and activities. We did it with Greyline and the truth is that the day was very complete, we had a great time! Although accustomed to traveling by van during all these days, we have to recognize that it was one of the most tourist days we live in Australia, but it is undeniable that we enjoy it as dwarves.
Here we tell you more information about the excursion to Kurandafrom Cairns of a day.
The first thing was to get to the train station of Freswater Station, which in itself is a real tourist attraction. From there the Historic train (Kuranda Scenic Railway) that crosses the heart of the Kuranda Forest. The route is barely 37 km, but it takes neither more nor less than about 2 hours to complete. The tracks that run parallel as two snakes are ascending and are introduced into the forest, while on them the train loaded with tourists slowly glides between beautiful passages. Until you reach theWrights Lookout, where the train makes the only intermediate stop, a few minutes, and they leave to see an impressive viewpoint with the Barron Falls in the background.
From the train window he leaveswe pass waterfalls, forests, tunnels and vertigo bridges. And from time to time, the panorama opened letting the coast glimpse in the background. Although what took our breath away was our traveling companion: a huge tarantula was hidden in our car. Luckily she seemed to be more afraid than we were, so we continued to enjoy the trip without bothering each other.
After those two hours we arrived at Kuranda Village, a little village lost - literally - in the forest. The fact that there are people living in such remote places ... is surprising, although it is true that the location is only remote: the town is full of bars, restaurants, shops (mostly tourism-oriented) and museums. One of which was a butterfly sanctuary where you can see hundreds of species and learn more about this curious insect.
In the Kuranda Village we witness a super emotional moment: a ceremony in honor of the fallen soldiers in World War II, followed by ... a hand request! The boy dressed as marine on his knees and the girl was lying mucus. It was very romantic and beautiful, really.
One of the most important attractions of Kuranda is the Rainforest station, a kind of natural theme park where we did several things:
The first thing was to cram ourselves into a food buffet where, without realizing it, we ate a kangaroo pinchito. As soon as we realized we could not continue chewing, it was delicious, but we remembered his pretty face and it was impossible for us.
The next thing was to ride in some authentic military cars adapted for the visit of the forest, both by land and by water. About the Army Duck we enjoyed a walk with a guide who told us a thousand things about Australian fauna and flora and suddenly zas! It became a little boat and we navigated a nearby lake (without crocodiles, luckily).
After this strange walk we went to see a Aboriginal dance and singing shows. Very curious (especially the mosquito dance, during which the dancers did not stop hitting with some branches ... we suppose to scare the possible mosquitoes). Fun and interesting.
The next step was learn more about aboriginal people, one of the oldest towns in toooodo the world and that has been (and is) treated in a way, say, unfair. We saw how they played the didgeridoo What art they have! They also taught us how to launch the boomerang and told us more curiosities about this town.
Finally, they left us the time to take a tour of the "Sanctuary" of animals which, as in other parts of Australia, seemed more like a zoo than a sanctuary. We saw a little how the subject was going and decided to leave. There are quite a few caretakers working there, and at first it seems that the animals are well cared for, but in the end the feeling is that they have them only to make box, dedicated entirely to tourism. The truth is that we did not like (it is a personal opinion, many travelers believe they are recovery centers where animals are very well cared for).
To return to the starting point we were waiting for the main course of the day: the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, one of the longest cable cars in the world (it is 7.5 km long). Seeing from above the Kuranda Rainforest is a real experience. It makes several stops, to connect a cable car with another. In one of them it is advisable to get off and take a walk along a path with several viewpoints over the Barron Falls and the Red Peak. The views are very cool.
The cable car arrives at its destination, where the bus awaits you to return you to your accommodation in Cairns. You spend a whole day full of interesting visits (and others not so much), in a recommended excursion from Carins to Kuranda Rainforest.
Useful info: The Greyline tour lasted the entire day (includes all tickets, transportation, shows and food). The price is € 154. There are cheaper options (although they clearly do not include all activities) like this.
