A Day In Kuranda, the Village in the Rainforest

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The picturesque mountain village of Kuranda is just under 30km northwest of Cairns. The village is surrounded by the world’s oldest living tropical rainforest and is often referred to as the Village in the Rainforest. This post explains everything you need to know to visit this gorgeous place in the Far North Queensland.

A note before we start: When we visited Cairns, due to the nature of our accommodation booking, we had to drive up to Kuranda the previous night itself to stay in our hotel Kuranda Rainforest Accommodation Park. So, this itinerary essentially starts from Kuranda, takes you to Smithfield Skyrail Terminal via car first, then to Kuranda via the Skyrail and then to Smithfield via the Kuranda Scenic Train. If you would rather prefer to stay in Cairns, you can park your car in Smithfield terminal in the morning, start to Kuranda via the Skyrail and adjust this itinerary accordingly.

We found out early in the morning that our hotel Kuranda Rainforest Accommodation Park had a walking track so we went ahead exploring it. After a nice walk through the bush, we ended up at a railway track that we later in the day realised was the track for the famous Kuranda Scenic Railway! We definitely enjoyed the walking track, especially after the previous night’s rain.

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It’s now time to head to Kuranda Skyrail but on the way, we stumbled upon a nice lookout on our left so we stopped to check out and that was none other than the Henry Ross Lookout! The lookout allows panoramic views of Cairns, with Trinity Bay and the Coral Sea in the background. Parking is available at the lookout and we recommend you to stop by this place during your return trip from Kuranda, like we did as said above, so it’s easier to stop on the side of the flowing traffic.

Ok, it’s now really time to head to Kuranda Skyrail! We booked our tickets online and chose to take the Skyrail from the Smithfield Terminal at 9AM to reach Kuranda around 10:30AM and then take the Kuranda Scenic Railway at 2PM to reach back Smithfield around 4PM. The Scenic Railway arrives at the Freshwater station around 3:30PM from where you need to transfer to Smithfield Terminal to pick up your car. The online booking includes a free shuttle transfer from Freshwater to Smithfield Terminal. Our idea was to explore Kuranda Village between 10:30AM and 2PM and that’s enough time, honestly! You will have some spectacular views of the Kuranda region from the Skyrail.

The Skyrail has 2 stops, viz. Red Peak and Barron Falls, before reaching its destination that is Kuranda. Red Peak is the home to lush ferns, climbing palms, rare butterflies and birds, all of which are in constant competition for light. We recommend you to allow at least 20 minutes to explore this beautiful rainforest at Red Peak via the well-maintained Rainforest Boardwalk Loop. If the timing works right, you can be part of the complimentary Ranger guided boardwalk tour. Try to spend some time visiting the Rainforest Discovery Zone as well, which is quite educational.

The next stop is Barron Falls, known as Din Din to the Djabuganydji people, where you can immerse yourself in the panoramic views of the gorge and the waterfall from the Edge Lookout or visit the Rainforest Interpretation Centre and Historical Precinct. We visited the Falls during the Easter Holidays in April which was the end of the wet season and the waterfall was of low volume. It is recommended that you visit Barron Falls during the wet season (December to March), when tropical rains bring the waterfall to life.

The next stop is Kuranda Terminal, which was our destination stop as well. There is a Souvenir Gift Shop within the Terminal if you’re looking for local souvenirs and gifts.

Upon disembarking from the Skyrail, we headed to visit the birds at Birdworld Kuranda, which is located inside the Kuranda Heritage Markets. The kids spent some time exploring the C-47 cargo plane wreckage at the Kuranda Heritage Markets before entering the markets.

Birdworld Kuranda replicates the natural rainforest habitat with almost 60 native and exotic species and there are hand-feeding and photo opportunities so make sure to bring your camera with you. The birds fly around you and even land on you so it’s much fun for not only kids but also adults! Visit their official website for more details including timings and tickets.

Our next stop was the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, which was just the next building.

This is the largest butterfly flight aviary and exhibit in the Southern Hemisphere and is home to over 1500 butterflies from a variety of species. We walked around and experienced butterflies landing on us several times, which was so much fun!

After all the walk with the kids, it was time for lunch so we headed to the Frogs restaurant within the Kuranda Heritage Markets. We tried a couple of curries for lunch and they were super delicious. Their sticky date pudding was super yummy as well. They also have some unique items on their menu such as Crocodile & Green Apple so go ahead and try them out if you’re quite adventurous!

It’s worth noting that Kuranda Heritage Markets itself is a great place to spend some time, with a variety of local organic produce as well as mixed spices and healthy treats. We did end up spending some time shopping in the markets! Another attraction worth mentioning is the Koala Gardens, a boutique wildlife attraction that is home to an amazing array of Australian animals, including wallabies, wombats, quokkas, gliders, and freshwater crocodiles. Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time so we had to skip the Koala Gardens.

It was time to catch the 2PM Kuranda Scenic Railway so we headed to the Kuranda Train Station.

Rising from sea level to 327 metres, Kuranda Scenic Railway is an unforgettable must-do journey through a tropical paradise. More details including fares and timings can be found on their official website. When you book your tickets online as we did, your assigned train seats will be sent via SMS at approximately 12:30pm on the day of travel so make sure you have access to your phone messages.

The train departed on time and our first stop (and the only stop before reaching its destination, the Freshwater Station) was Barron Falls.

After providing time for some good photo opportunities at the Barron Falls station, the train left for its destination stop, the Freshwater station, and on the way, we enjoyed some spectacular views.

Upon reaching the Freshwater station, we took the shuttle bus from the station to Smithfield Terminal where we parked our car and from there, we reached Cairns Airport to catch our Qantas flight back to Sydney.

Please note that this trip to the village of Kuranda was part of a 5-day holiday in the Far North Queensland, the itinerary of which is covered in detail in 5 memorable days in Far North Queensland.

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