Kuranda Rainforestation & Kuranda Scenic Rail (R1bt)

We had such a great day on the Kuranda tour. The Duck tour was way more fun than we expected. Our guide had the perfect mix of facts and jokes, so we learned about the rainforest while actually laughing. Driving straight into the water never gets old. After that, we explored the Kuranda markets and they were great to wander through. Lots of handmade crafts, Indigenous art, and little food spots. It’s touristy in the best way — you can easily spend an hour just browsing. And finally, the Kuranda Scenic Railway was amazing. Sitting back as the train cut through tunnels, past Barron Falls and lush rainforest — it felt like stepping into a postcard. All together it was a great blend of adventure, scenery, and local culture. If you want one day trip from Cairns that gives you everything, this is it.

From point of reservation/booking, the staff at Tropic Wings Cairns was most prompt and helpful with their replies.

Great time and a lot to do and see despite the rain. Very good bus guide, attentive and caring. Though the your company could have given options for pick up, not only one place. Train trip was very exciting, with lots of amazing views and thrilling gorge moments. Amphibian journey through the rainforest was very impressive and the guide was very entertaining and introduced the main inhabitants of the nature. Aboriginal dance and bumerang throwing was great.

This excursion is a lot of fun and not at all physically taxing. A decent amount of time on a bus to start your day but the wildlife preserve and other activities make it worth it. You’ll get up close with kangaroos and other native animals, learn some history and see a lot of natural beauty. The train down the mountain is a great end to the day. Have your camera ready. Plenty of good views.

Train was great and seeing the Baron falls it was flowing due to all the rain Karunda a nice little town

Very informative guide and the duck boat was good fun. The aboriginal section of the trip was much better than I expected only the train journey while really nice is quite long two hour journey Would however recommend the trip, well organised and informative

People were friendly, informative and right on time. Transportation was good to the Rainforestation. Sit on the left side of the train in direction of travel if taking the scenic railway back to Cairns. (Heritage class)

Firstly, driver had 8 different lots of info to give out on the bus there, and mine was the last. Was totally confused by the time we got to my stop. I thought the ‘Rainforestation’ was outdated, small and obviously man manufactured. Very different to the Daintree experience. Constant flow of tourists being shuttled in and out. My main concern was seeing a Koala trying to protect her baby from us, crossing her arms in-front then lowering her head so the baby was out of sight. Really upset me! Then there was the pictures of people holding very sad looking koalas, its banned in NSW and they are aware its detrimental to the animals, yet they still encourage you to do it. For a price of course! The Dingos had a very small enclosure and were pacing up and down and the free roaming Kangaroos cowered at the back trying to stay inconspicuous. We were constantly be reminded to visit the ‘ Butterfly Sanctuary’ in Kuranda again as an extra cost. Why butterflies need a sanctuary I dont understand, surely they are better off free?! And finally, we were given a numbered seat to sit in on the train. Mine was in the middle seat. There were two men by the window. I couldnt see a thing and literally got one photo of a waterfall on the right of the train! I definitely wont be travelling with Tropic Wings again.

Bus driver was very informative and took us to Kuranda rain forest. The animal park was small but had a good selection of Australian animals which you could get close to. The duck vehicle tour was good but could be a little more off road. The aboriginal dance and activities were good. The driver took us to Leura and we then walked to the train station. The train ride back was very good.

This experience was even better than the description. Even though we visited the Rainforest early in our trip this tour offered very different views. Having a chance to hold a Koala was unforgettable. The DUWK (Duck) boat experience was perfect - Scott was humorous but extremely knowledgeable. The aboriginal sessions added a great deal to our day. A little shopping time in Kuranda was well spent (no pun intended) The train ride back to Cairns was the perfect way to end our day.

The Duck Army experience was excessive, but I appreciate that the rest of the trip was really great and not too much hassle. It was worth choosing Kuranda over Daintree Forest, and it was easy and convenient to enjoy a night in Cairns.

Let's start with saying this is a long day and many activities packed into it. If you are looking to make the most of your day, this is your way to go. If you want it at a slower paces, have a look at the other tours they provide. The day starts with an early morning pickup. The time depends where you are on the list, but it can be pretty early if you are one of the first. There won't be a guide with you all the time. So you have to listen and know where you have to be at what time. The driver of the buss will make that pretty clear to you. You will get dropped at the Freshwater train station for the train ride to Kuranda. Along the way you will stop for a view of the Barron falls. Along the way you have some great views and you are also able to view the train itself while it winds its way to Kuranda. When you arrive at Kuranda, it is a short walk to the butterfly sanctuary. You do have a little time to have a quick look at some shops along the way, but don't lose track of time. The butterfly sanctuary allows you to have a look at some nice butterflies and offers the opportunity for some nice pictures. Next the buss will take you to the lunch location for a warm buffet lunch. Water is included, other drinks are not and need to be purchased. After lunch you will embark in a WWII 'duck' to drive around the rainforest and enter the water as well. It is just a short trip, but the explanations of the ranger are excellent. Also included is a visit to the small theater for the Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience. This includes music and dancing and gives some insight in the lives of the local people. This is followed by explanations of didgeridoo playing, spear throwing and boomerang throwing. At the last one you can have a go yourself, although it is limited to one try. The last part before returning to Cairns is a visit to the small zoo, with the typical Australian animals. Nice that it is included but it doesn't add too much. Along the way it is possible to have a picture taken with a koala (additional payment required). The bus will then take you back to the skyrail. Try to make sure you go as one of the first. Because of a ticket issue, we went last which prevented us from having time to walk around during one of the stops. We did manage to go out and see the Barron Falls again, but a ranger was making sure that we made it back on time to continue downwards towards Cairns where the bus took us back to the hotel. In all it was an action packed day. Would I do it again? Probably not as I would have liked to spend a little more time in Kuranda and visit the shops there. However it is a very good way to get a good feel about the area and the people that live here.

A lovely day spent at the Kuranda - starting with the bus ride up - soundless thanks to the electric bus, but with a chatty driver Adrian who gave us all the information we needed for the day trip. Had a lovely time feeding the kangaroos and seeing all the animals there. Then came the Army duck tour - with our extremely entertaining and funny guide - Mark - from Germany!! He did make us all comfortable about the fact that he is a German driving our WW2 army vehicle haha. Thanks for a marvellous time!

Lovely day at the rainforest being driven on an army duck. A well organised trip with lots of pick ups before arriving the Kuranda RF. unfortunately we were unable to do the scenic rail part of the tour due to weather conditions, but a very reasonable refund was granted.

If you were an outdoors person and an animal lover, this is the tour for you. Animals everywhere, and the koalas and the kangaroos are so wonderful to see and hold. The staff was excellent and everything was quality. I highly recommend this to anyone.

I mostly took this tour to ride in the military amphibious boat. Expert driver and went from land to water and back again. Quite the experience! Rainforestation was fun as well but a bit rushed running from event to event. I got 2 tries throwing a boomerang so that was fun! The rail back to Cairns was also good. Pretty scenic.

Great day. Worthwhile. Train the best part. Too long between morning rain forest activities and train back. Day can be shortened by 2 hours.

Had a great time at Rainforestation. Also got good contacts in Kuranda village. Train ride back was very nice too. Maybe a more extensive explanation of what to find at the village would have been even better.

It was a fun and great day! Loved the culture of the rainforest station and all the shops and activities of the Kurandra markets

What a great day we had we were picked up from our hotel at 8 am and arrived at the Rainforest Park I couldn’t believe how quick the time went…looked at the animals and then went on an Army Duck where Chris our guide was so interesting and informative..then we experience the indigenous dream walk with boomerang throwing and indigenous dancing…then off to Kuranda village which is unique so many shops etc…we then got on the Kuranda steam train for our trip back to Cairns…great day and well worth the money…our coach driver and guide was very good thankyou Ashit….

The experience was amazing. The scenic railway was the highlight of the trip. The Aboriginal Dance was a little bit disappointed as they are not performing at their best. Overall trip was good. Adrian was a great driver who look after us during the trip.

<p>This was a great, well organised tour. Our guide George was friendly and very interesting and the accommodation was comfortable. The food served at the beach house was amazing but a bit pricey and the wonderful beach could be accessed easily from our rooms. All activities were excellent. The only disadvantage was that we were unclear as to what the daily agenda was, but it was easy enough to ask people who worked at the beach house for clarification. It should also be highlighted in the description of the tour that there isn't a lot to do in the free afternoons if you don't have a car. It is possible to book on to additional tours I recommend the night walk, go to the beach or go for walks though. This tour was well worth the money and I would highly recommend it.</p>

<p>Good value for money. Excellent snorkeling trip and conopy zip line experience.</p>

<p>Excellent tour - great range of activities and beautiful accommodation. Only issue was the fact that at no point did we get an itinerary, and so we did not know what was happening from one day to the next, or even throughout each day. This left us a little confused at times and unsure where we needed to be.</p>

Very nice, very interesting.

The excursion was super well organized and punctual!! The driver was very nice and accommodating. The national park was beautiful. But it's too bad the animals have so little space. But all in all a successful trip

I went there at my daughter's request to hold a koala. There are fewer and fewer places in Australia to cuddle. The koala came out and posed so well while being held that the family was talking to people like "That's a Pro." The boomerang was strange, I threw it myself and it came back beautifully and I applauded. The people who were also dancing were serious and were emaciated after the dance. Thank you very much. Amphibious vehicles are interesting. I have felt the presence of nature, such as a laid-back crocodile, a bird bathing in the water, and a plant that hurts for three months when touched. We went there by rental car, so we could relax without worrying about time. Of course, you can buy tickets locally, so it would be nice to enjoy it on the course of your choice.