Green Island Experience from Cairns: Snorkelling or Glass Bottom Boat Tour

Experience the beauty of Green Island with a choice of snorkelling or a glass bottom boat tour. Limited time? Choose a half or full day option and enjoy exclusive inclusions!

Duration: 12 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Green Island - Green Island is a stunning coral cay that is 6,000 years old. It is unique as the only coral cay on the Great Barrier Reef that features a rainforest! Visitors can choose to snorkel from the pristine white sandy beaches or remain dry while viewing the island’s reef from a glass-bottom boat. A stroll through the vibrant rainforest is…
What's Included
  • Use of island swimming pool, exclusive to Great Adventures
  • Self guided island walk
  • Return fast catamaran transfers from Cairns
  • Use of island day visitor facilities
  • Morning tea/coffee served onboard until departure from Cairns
  • Choice of snorkelling equipment (mask, snorkel & fins) or glass bottom boat tour
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop off
  • Optional activities
  • Surcharges on fuel
Additional Information

With three daily departures available from Cairns, this Green Island cruise is ideal for those with limited time, offering either a half or full day experience (up to 7 hours). Guests can choose between a glass-bottom boat coral viewing tour or snorkeling equipment.
As a Great Adventures guest, enjoy exclusive benefits such as access to the island…

Location
1 Spence St
Spence Street
Important: Please check-in & collect your boarding pass at the Great Adventures Counter inside the Reef Fleet Terminal 45 minutes prior to departure.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.2
(296 Ratings)
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Rudy_h
Mar 18, 2026
Green Island is a great intro to viewing Great Barrier Reef - Great way for an intro into viewing the Great Barrier Reef(GBR)! Tour cruiser was on time and met all expectations of excursions. Green Island provided all facilities (toilets, showers, changing rooms, dive shop, restaurant) even though it was a small island I am a novice at snorkeling and was too anxious about going out to deeper eaters of GBR. Snorkeling off the beach better suited me. Although the coral reef I saw while snorkeling was not so overly abundant, it was still plenty coral with sea creatures for me. Seeing the GBR on the glass bottom boats was very satisfying for me. A great way to go out to deeper waters & see so much more of the reef and abundant fish
Review provided by Viator
Mara_t
Mar 6, 2026
Great experience. The... - Great experience. The ferries were punctual out to Green Island and the staff courteous and helpful. The Glass Bottom Boat tour guide was very informative.
Review provided by Viator
Carola_j
Mar 5, 2026
John was a great guide.... - John was a great guide. Long day full of interesting sites and information. Beautiful scenic drive and lunch was excellent.
Review provided by Viator
Maria_r
Feb 28, 2026
Perfect - Everything was smooth, the staff were friendly and knowledgeable, and the places were stunning. I would definitely come back!
Review provided by Viator
Shelley_m
Feb 27, 2026
Glass bottom boat was amazing - The glass bottom boat was great as well as the operator named Ashley. She had so much information to share. We saw amazing coral, sea turtles, fish etc. Super glad we did not choose snorkeling as area where you go isn't that big and others were heard to say "we have met seen anything". Plus this time of year jellyfish are around. What we didn't care for was time spent on Green Island. Felt it was too long, a few short trails, a few fast food type places. Just killing time really. Shorter duration there would have been better. Good value for the price. Our trip was 4 hrs from start to finish. We could not go longer as we were on a cruiseship and didn't have the time available. Overall a great experience and would highly recommend if you have limited time.
Review provided by Viator
Maria_m
Feb 12, 2026
Great option - Logistics are well planned and easy to understand. The guide was informative and funny. Best option if you do not want to get wet.
Review provided by Viator
Georgi_s
Mar 10, 2026
Our day at Green Island - I booked the tour in advance, and I was satisfied with snorkelling although my wife was not that impressed with the glass bottom boat tour. We spent some great time on the secluded beaches of the island and the serenity of the rain forest. It was time well spent, but if you want to see more from the reef you must book some other tour that goes further into it.
Review provided by Viator
David_l
Feb 14, 2026
Green Island day visit - Beautiful island, if you don’t snorkel though there not much to do. Glass bottom boat is good. Food sold on the island is basic. Not all menu”s are written in other languages with pictures. Overall relaxing day.
Review provided by Viator
Willard_t
Feb 12, 2026
You get what you pay for - Ferry to island 50 minutes then choice of snorkeling vs glass bottom boat. Added cost if you wanted both. Good facilities on island. Problem is that it was not the deeper reef area which was another 45 minutes further out with much greater diversity of species and much larger fish. Several friends took that trip and I now wish we had. Didn’t feel like the real Great Barrier Reef. More money but the real deal. Glass bottom boat 30 minutes duration then several hours remaining to walk or swim or eat.
Review provided by Viator
Elizabethj_s
Mar 22, 2026
Inconsiderate - Unfortunely it rained but staff could have let us board earlier..we all got drenched before & after..
Review provided by Viator
From $88
up to 8 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).