Atherton Tablelands, Waterfalls and Rainforest Tour from Cairns

Recommended

Great experience - would recommend to friends. Our tour guide Orion did a great job during the day. The ride to the falls was long, but he filled it with his knowledge of local areas and his personal stories interacting with the wild lives here. He made sure everyone feel comfortable to go into the water and offered support and encouragent to me, a not very confident swimmer, to have a swim in one of the falls. It worthed it. And that became the highlight of my multiple days tour in Cairns. Thank you :)

a spectacular, must do tour

O'Brien was an amazing guide! The sites were fabulous, his narrative interesting, the activities were fun. We were entertained the whole time. Even though we had many stops, it did not seem rushed. Overall a spectacular, must do tour.

Water, water, water

Give it a go if you love swimming in clear water. I am not a swimmer but I enjoyed the tour since I would not have been able to visit all the places on my own.

The tour guide made the...

The tour guide made the trip very enjoyable and she drove safely. Fortunately it was a sunny day which made the scenery very good for photography.

A nice day!

Beautiful waterfalls, impressive rainforest, nice lunch. Guide Carlos wants to entertain the group and with that loves to talk about himself which might be a bit too much. But I have to admit, they are good stories and beside that he also knows a lot about the indigenous and the rainforest. So it was a nice day!

Excellent afternoon and evening nature exploration.

We went with the company Wait a While and enjoyed an excellent afternoon and evening nature exploration walk. The tour was in a minibus, had a maximum number of 9 (I think - but we were only 6 ;0) and included an evening meal in a typical ‘pub’ (as hotels are called in Australia!?). A short walk in the rainforest was excellent and we all learned a lot including why a fairly common plant is nicknamed ‘Wait a While’! During the afternoon we spotted quite a few animals in the wild including the famous and rare duck billed platypus (yay!). Good binoculars - a pair each for everyone in the party - were provided for the whole day as well as umbrellas when it rained. We didn’t see as much as we had hoped for in the evening but think the rain may have caused some animals to shelter!? The overall view of everyone - including some people we didn’t know from other countries - was excellent and well worth doing.

Breathtaking and fun

Really incredible. The tour guides were fun and stopped at each spot depending how long the people on the tour wanted to stay, maximizing what everyone wanted to do. I forgot their names, but the guides working on May 08th were loads of fun, we even got an opera solo. Definetly bring your swimmers!

Views, Guides and Music

Amazing views, waterfalls, guides and music. Clinton and Benedict impressed us the whole time with their knowledge of the area expertise and experience. Highly recommend.

Fantastic rainforest adventure.

Great day out with plenty of amazing sights to see. The scenery was incredible and Christian was an excellent guide who kept us entertained and well informed throughout all our stops along the way.

Great day

Our tour guide Damian was excellent, he told us a lot of interesting facts, didn't pressure us and was all around great to be with. Thanks for a beautiful day at stunning waterfalls.

Atherton tablelands, waterfalls etc

All were fabulous and the tour guide demeanor and wealth of knowledge he shared was so appreciated and made the experience even more enjoyable

Good time was had by all

The sun came out just at the right time. Our guide Orion was great. He pointed out a lot of the large butterflies and told personal stories of interactions with local nature.

Amazing highly recommend

We had an unbelievable day, swimming and jumping into amazing waterfalls and swimming spots. Our tour guide was lovely, very friendly and informative but didn’t talk too much like on some tours I have done and let you rest on the bus between stops. Great lunch stop and perfect amount of time in each swimming spot to really enjoy the stops.

No stop for looking for platypus

Liked very much the waterfalls and the lake, but the tour included looking for platypus and they didn't even tried to make that stop, and that's the reason why I booked this tour

Great day in the Atherton Tablelands

Great day, Clinton was a mine of information and managed us to visit all places, plus a few extras. Will recommend to others.

Serendipity

One of the best tours I have ever been on, it had the most beautiful scenery that just made me feel so ant peace while on the tour I met some amazing people especially the internationals! I got to learn about people and why they are here and on the excursion.

Lots of fun and breathtaking scenery

A long day with a lot of driving but definitely rewarded by the stunning views and swimming spots. The day was quite wet so we couldn’t go in at Josephine falls but everywhere else we were able to go for a dip. Got a bit cold going from place to place on air conditioned bus in wet swimming togs. Perhaps this could be adjusted but there was a lot to pack into the day so time was limited in order to get to everything. Lunch was nice and staff friendly and attentive.

Swimming in the lake and...

Swimming in the lake and waterfalls. The water was too high to swim at The Boulders and after reading the warning, it wasn’t a deal breaker at all. Seeing the sugarcane growing and seeing the railroad crossings for the sugarcane trains was something I had never seen before. We grow sugar beets where I come from.

We enjoyed seeing the...

We enjoyed seeing the waterfalls and lakes and swimming in all of them. All different and beautiful!

Great tour!

The tour guide was amazing! He seemed really enthusiastic and to be enjoying this much as us! The places we visited were beautiful too. Pickup and drop off went very smooth and we were on time. Value for money was pretty decent, the van was nice and airconditioned en lunch was pretty good. However I do think it could be a bit cheaper as I don’t think we had to pay any admission tickets. Overall it was a great day!

Great tour to experience!

I would like to recommend this tour to anybody who's looking for a day trip out of Cairns. There are many natural spots to see and many opportunities to cool down. We enjoyed lake Eachem where we had around one hour stop. Altough we were unable to swim in Josephine Falls due to recent heavy rain there were other opportunities to swim in Millaa Millaa Falls and in Babinda Boulders. I think that free time given at the spots is adequate and takes into consideration distance between each spot that you visit during the day. We were also very lucky to have Oscar as our tour guide as he is very knowledgeable and always has interesting stories to share and you will definitely just don't spend a day on a tour but you'll return with many interesting facts as well! If we ever come back to Cairns we will definitely book another tour!

Waterfalls!

We had a great time. Waterfalls and scenery are amazing. Our guide offered great commentary during our rides as well as on our walks. Hats off to Lizzy.

Long day exploring nature

This is a long day exploring nature around Cairns. Our driver Clinton was great at sharing his passion for the area. The crater lake was beautiful and perfect for swimming. The waterfalls were fun to swim behind! Seeing a huge fig tree was unbelievable. I only gave 4* as the lunch was mushy lasagna! Long day but really interesting

Perfect day trip

Orion was an amazing tour guide: funny, knowledgeable, professional and kind. The tour is perfect and very chill which we liked. The waterfalls are outstanding and the drive was gorgeous. We learned a lot, we had fun and we loved all the swims. Definitely a tour you wanna do. Highly recommend

Waterfall Explorer

The views were amazing! My tour guide, Lizzie, made it even better. However, I wish we would’ve been able to swim at Josephine Falls :((

Higy recommend Tour

Oscar is the best your guide! Highly recommend this tour. Beautiful waterfalls and learned alot during the tour

Wanded some waterfalls.

Great tour. Saw some beautiful places and now have some great memories. We were lucky to have Oscar as our guide, kept us all very entertained between stops with some interesting stories whilst throwing in some mind blowing facts.

Great time on this tour!

I really enjoyed this tour! The waterfalls are beautiful and the curtain fig tree is so cool! I loved swimming in the beautiful water of eacham lake. It is a lot of driving to the different locations. You drive on a windy section of mountain roads called gillies, so if you are easily car sick you may want to take a preventative medication. Great vegan lunch😋. Our tour guide Steph was friendly and offered lots of education on the various trees and animals in the area. Of note, Josephine falls is sooo fun but may be difficult for those who are limited physically.

Great views and swimming.

Enjoyed all the swimming options and beautiful views. Waterfalls were great and swimming hole was fun

Atherton Tablelands

An absolutely amazing and awesome tour for those travelers that love nature and swimming. Great for first time travelers to Cairns as well. This one is a must do

Wonderful

10/10 day! Lizzie was absolutely amazing and everything we saw was stunning, only wish we could’ve stayed at each place longer, but wouldn’t have skipped anything. Totally worth it!

I would NOT do this again!!! A refund would be nice!!!.

The guide, Lizzie was great. We were not told that the cyclone in December had washed away roads and we would have to retrack the tour instead of doing a loop. This added more driving time. We probably were driving 6 plus hours and seeing thing for not quite 3 hours, and that included the 35 minute lunch!!!!! Several, 4 stops to get in cold water for 10-20 minutes each. Then wet bodies back on a small bus for another hour or so! Lizzie, the guide was fun and tried to make the best of a bad tour.

Amazing day

Amazing day with great energy and knowledgable tour guides! Lunch could def be better for such a long day of adventures, but grateful for some cookie breaks from tour guides. Josephine Falls was the highlight. Great adventures for the price!

Great Day

We really enjoyed seeing the actual countryside in addition to the waterfalls and lake. The natural beauty of the area was on display! And we really enjoyed our guide, Lizzie, she was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor!

An excellent tour

It was such a great tour. The guide was very entertaining and visiting different sites for a swim was fabulous.I can wholeheartedly recommend the tour.

My FAVORITE booking of my trip!

This was one of my favorite bookings of my trip to Australia for several reasons. Whilst doing research for my trip, I knew from travel guides and reviews that I wanted to see Josephine Falls, Babinda Boulders, and Millaa Millaa falls, which is exactly what you get to see on this tour. I really wish we had more time than 1 hour at the Babinda Boulders to swim longer, but I know that's my personal preference and it's already quite a long day as it is. I also say this with great bias because I got to see a platypus for the first (and possibly only) time in my life, which has been an absolute dream of mine for years. Our tour guide, Orion, said that he's only seen 2 platypuses out of 70 trips he's done, so it felt extra special and serendipitous, and it will be a moment I will never forget. We also got to swim in the BEAUTIFUL Lake Eachem, which is a gorgeous blue-green lake with magnificent clarity. It's perfect for swimming, paddle boarding, kayaking, or the like. It is clearly a local favorite. There are also picnic tables there if you want to have a group picnic or gathering. CAUTION! If you get motion sick, BRING SOMETHING FOR MOTION SICKNESS, as you drive along Australia's windiest road, called the Gillies Range Road. Can't recommend this excursion enough.

An amazing day full of beautiful swimming spots

An amazing day out getting to experience some amazing creeks, waterfalls and lakes. Started the day at the rock slide, then checked out the Boulders, before heading for a decent lunch. Then went to the waterfall, followed by the lake, and all of them were brilliant to swim in. Tom was a great guide and made everyone feel at ease. Only thing worth mentioning is that the switchback roads did cause a few people on the bus to feel a bit motion sick, so might be worth bringing some tablets and taking them after you leave the Boulders if you’re prone to travel sickness.

average

The scenery was stunning and the swim spots amazing but the driving ve between places was very long with no commentary along the way about what we were passing which we would have expected . The pub for lunch was a strange choice unfortunately my meal was inedible however my husbands lasagne was average , Trip needs some tweaking

Great tour to see the nicest waterfalls and lakes around cairns

Tour was great! This tour is best for people that want to see lots of nice sights in a short period of time and without a guide talking to you about the different locations. You spend 30-45 mins at each spot. Josephine Falls and swim if conditions allow, Babinda Boulders (sight-seeing, amazing), Curtain Fig Tree (sight seeing, amazing), Millaa Millaa falls (swim and sightseeing, amazing), and Lake Eacham (swim, amazing). Lunch was great. Tour guide Stef was great. Overall, great way to see lots of rainforests and waterfalls in one day and didn't feel too rushed. If you are looking for a really in depth, information dense tour, this wouldn't be the tour for you.

Awesome awesomeness fun, memorable stunning good value

Excellent fun great tour guide Lizzie. She was funny and a great driver. Best part running in the rain to get into Millaa Millaa fall! Lunch was good. Day flew by, my son aged 14 loved it also. Saw fish,birds and the water was warm and it was all stunning.

Best tour we did in Cairns

This was a great day tour. The waterfalls were great, the guide entertaining. It's a good blend of sightseeing and activity, definitely for those who prefer to get out and do things rather than just sit and watch it go by.

A poor experience but a safe driver

Bad music all day long on the bus, terrible food in a dark cavernous bar. The travel agency did its utmost to find such a horrible place in wonder/tableland. One positive note - a safe driver with great energy Don’t waste your money. Rent a car and go on your own. I wish we had done that.

Wonderful Experience

This was such a great tour that created some amazing memories for us. We had a very knowledgeable guide named Oscar who had some fantastic stories that made the trip that much better. The only reason I rated a 4 is because it felt very rushed. I would have loved to spend more time at Josephine and Millaa Millaa falls. Lake Eachum didn’t seem to fit the theme and was more or less just a rest stop. Also, the tour bus was very loud and squeaky. Sounded like the bus was going to fall apart any minute. Lasagna lunch was good. All and all, worth the experience 100%. Fingers crossed you get Oscar.

Great Adventure

Fantastic tour. Couldn’t ask for anything better. Loved Milla Milla falls the best. Our guide (Wish I could remember his name) was amazing.

Great tour

This is a great tour . We enjoyed swimming, and enjoyed sightseeing in the bus . The guide is very knowledgeable

Not worth to go

maybe you shouldn't put more rainforest on this tour because a lot of people thought they were also going to Daintree rainforest but didn't tell Lizzy. It clearly says: waterfalls and rainforest, but we did not visit those at all. It's also better to skip that part in the beginning. worthless. And the fact that everyone was back at the bus immediately after 10 minutes says it all!

You’ll regret NOT going!!

A fantastic trip had by all - should warn you about the very winding road in the bus - take travel sick pills would be good advice! Our guide was brilliant - lovely cheeky chappy - made us laugh all day

Atherton Tour

Our guide, Orion, did a fabulous job. He was fun, informative, and kept everyone on schedule. The tour was 10 hours. It would have been better if it was 12 hours instead, so we could spend more time at the waterfalls. It felt rushed/ we didn’t have enough time to enjoy each waterfall. Or if the tour has to stay at 10 hours, you could reduce the time at Eacham lake- a hour wasn’t necessary.

Waste of time and money

We were an older couple (early 50,s) on a trip that was obviously aimed at 18-30. This wasn’t advertised for young solo travellers. The tour was 8 hours approx and 6 hours of that was on a small coach which stank. We only saw 2 waterfalls as the guide couldn’t be bothered to stop at some of the other stops. We were told we would see lots of wildlife and only saw cows! The tour was very unfriendly as I assume the rest of the bus thought their parents had joined them for a school outing. Don’t waste your money there are lots of better tours to go on.

The swimming spots were fantastic.

Really enjoyed the tour with Cairns Adventure Group. The swimming spots were fantastic. Clinton was amazing.