Snorkelling and Glass Bottom Boat at Green Island from Cairns
Description
Green Island offers the unique opportunity for a combined reef and rainforest experience, just 45 minutes from Cairns by fast catamaran. Home to over 120 native plant species and colourful bird life, surrounded by abundant marine life. Full and half day options available. Your day can be as active or as relaxing as you choose. As a Great Adventures guest, you’ll also be able to enjoy many exclusive inclusions such as the use of the island swimming pool and a self guided eco island walk to discover some of the island’s unique rainforest flora. The island’s well appointed day visitor facilities include a pool bar, plus restaurant and retail outlets. A delicious range of lunch and snacks can be purchased from the island’s food and refreshment outlets.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Green Island is a beautiful 6000 year old coral cay. It's the only coral cay on the Great Barrier Reef with a rainforest! Snorkel from the white sandy beaches, see the island's reef from the glass bottom boat and walk through the lush rainforest.
Explore Green Island
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Snorkelling can be a strenuous activity. We recommend informing crew of any medical conditions.
Reviews(405)
It didn’t seem enough time to enjoy the island snorkel only in high tide as well as the glass bottom boat the reef looked sad the fish were great to see but the reef was disappointing seeing all the broken coral on the bottom and discolouration tells me that these tourist boats are doing more harm then good and seems to be all about making money food on the island was expensive there should be more Indigenous staff to explain the meaning and importance of this beautiful place
Thank you for sharing your feedback. The Great Barrier Reef is a living ecosystem, and weather, tides and water visibility can all influence how it appears on the day. We’re committed to the ongoing protection of the Great Barrier Reef through responsible tourism and appreciate your comments regarding Indigenous representation and education. We hope you’ll return one day to experience the reef’s incredible beauty in different conditions.
The boats to/from are comfy, spacious and smooth sailing. Glass bottom boat was terrific, then it just got better from there with the snorkelling. We saw some amazing fish, coral, giant clams, a turtle etc... Finished the day with a packed lunch on the beach, then a swim in the pool at the resort and a nature walk.
Sounds like an incredible day for the whole family! Thank you for sharing your experience with us at Green Island.
Excellent organization. Enthusiastic guides. Perfect day on a beautiful island.
Thank you sharing your experience with us at Green Island. Safe travels!
Nice day trip but check the tides this is not good at low tide as reef is not covered glass bottom boat was good though
Thank you for sharing your feedback! We’re glad to read that you enjoyed the glass-bottom boat experience. At low tide, some areas of the reef can be exposed or have less water covering them. We appreciate you highlighting this, as checking the tide conditions can be helpful when planning your visit.
Green Island is fantastic! The GBB was amazing, good organization, professional team.
Thank you for sharing your experience at Green Island! We hope to welcome you back again one day.
The glass bottom boat was great. We saw a lot of different species even seeing a reef shark and a stingray. Snorkeling was ok but by the time we had done the glass bottom boat and come back in the tide had gone out and we had to be very careful to not bump into the coral. Some information on when the low and high tides were for the day would have been helpful in planning when to do our snorkel adventure.
Thank you for your feedback. We’re thrilled you enjoyed the glass bottom boat and had some amazing marine life sightings, including a reef shark and stingray! We appreciate your comments regarding the tides and snorkelling conditions. We’ll take this feedback on board, as we understand how helpful this information can be when planning your day. Thanks for joining us, and we hope to welcome you back soon.
We had a lovely time at Green Island. Unfortunately weather was rough for our trip - the staff were so lovely and caring for everyone on board making every effort to ensure people had what they needed to make the trip as ok as possible. Amenities on the island were ok - some of the showers weren't working and there wasn't enough table and chairs at the cafe so found ourselves sitting on stairs that were pretty filthy. Didn't see much life on the reef though suspect that was more to do with conditions than anything else. A great trip, but we were left a little underwhelmed overall.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re pleased to hear our crew took great care of everyone and helped make your trip as comfortable as possible despite the rough weather conditions. We appreciate your comments regarding the island facilities and will share these with the relevant teams. We hope to welcome you back on a calmer day for an even more enjoyable Green Island experience.
Nice one day adventure. Great location for safe and beginner snorkeling. Even with a lot of people coming it doesn't get too crowded. If you have your own gear carry them and getting a ticket directly from the counter. That would save you a lot of money.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. Visiting Green Island is one of the most affordable ways to experience the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns. We’re pleased to read that you enjoyed the safe, beginner-friendly snorkelling environment. We really appreciate your comments and hope to welcome you back again soon for another memorable day on the reef.
We had a fantastic day at Green Island. The snorkeling, the glass bottom boat, the convenience and all was excellent. Really was an easy and extremely enjoyable and memorable day.
Thank you for your wonderful 5-star review of your day with us at Green Island. We hope the memories last a lifetime!
This was such a fun experience with the girls, and we really enjoyed it. While the reef has definitely changed a lot since our last visit — with very limited sea life and almost no coral, which was quite a shock — the overall outing was still memorable. The boat ride offered a full guided experience with loads of information, and we took time to feed the local fish before cruising further out. The highlight for me was spotting turtles — there were so many, and as a sea‑turtle lover, it absolutely made my day. This was such a fun experience with the girls, and we really enjoyed it. While the reef has definitely changed a lot since our last visit — with very limited sea life and almost no coral, which was quite a shock — the overall outing was still memorable. The boat ride offered a full guided experience with loads of information, and we had a full ride but everyone had a seat, and it never felt overcrowded. The staff and guides were genuinely lovely — friendly, patient, and happy to help, which made the whole experience feel relaxed and easy. We took time to feed the local fish before cruising further out, and the highlight for me was spotting turtles — there were so many, and as a sea‑turtle lover, it absolutely made my day. The pace was perfect for my daughter, who has a disability, and she managed the experience far better than we expected. It ended up being a gentle, enjoyable adventure for all of us. If you’re visiting Cairns, this is still a worthwhile experience for the guided elements and the chance to see turtles up close, even though the reef itself has changed dramatically over the years. The pace was perfect for my daughter, who has a disability, and she managed the experience far better than we expected. It ended up being a lovely, relaxed adventure for all of us. If you’re visiting Cairns, this is still a worthwhile experience for the guided elements and the chance to see turtles up close, even though the reef itself has changed dramatically over the years.
Thank you so much for sharing such a thoughtful and detailed review. We’re delighted to hear you and the girls had a fun, relaxed day and that the experience suited your daughter so well, that means a lot to us. It’s wonderful to know our crew helped make the day easy and enjoyable, and that you were able to enjoy the guided commentary and see so many turtles in particular, they are always a highlight on the reef! We also appreciate your reflections on the reef itself. Conditions can vary over time and with the environment, and we understand it can feel different compared to previous visits. We’re glad that despite this, the day was still memorable for your family. Thank you again for choosing to spend your time with us, and we hope to welcome you back to Cairns and the reef again in the future.
