Barrier Reef Australia Blog

This a is a question that is very hard to answer simply because a scenic flight in a helicopter across the Great Barrier Reef is an experience that you may do 10 times a day but each time you fly you will see something different. 

When going to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef for a holiday there are so many options and ways that a visitor can experience this amazing world recognised icon and the best way in our opinion is on a helicopter and Great Barrier Reef combo tour where you have a 25 minute scenic helicopter flight to or from or a fly/fly out to an outer reef floating pontoon or to Green Island. 

From Cairns you can also fly along the coastline up to Port Douglas and out to the Quicksilver pontoon or simply take a transfer from the airport up to your resort.

So how do you choose the best Great Barrier Reef Helicopter tour?

To find the best Great Barrier Reef helicopter ride you need to look at the amount of time you will be spending in Cairns and ensure that you book in advance to reserve your seats on the scenic flight tour that is most appealing to your personal travel desires. The size and type of helicopters used each day are dictated by the number of bookings, passenger weights and the flying destinations.

There are two departure points in Cairns for helicopter flights to the Great Barrier Reef with one based at the General Aviation area at the Cairns International airport and the other in Cairns city on the Marina.

Some questions you need to ask yourself when considering a helicopter ride from Cairns is do you wish for and all day tour that also encompasses a landing on the reef or a floating pontoon or do you simply wish to fly over the Great Barrier Reef on a 30 – 60 minute scenic flight to see the coral reef structures, islands and sand cays?

Each one of these tours offers the visitor a new and unique experience and another consideration that must be taken into account is who you are travelling with and their desires.  

Here are the some of the Best and most popular helicopter tours in Cairns

1. A private charter helicopter flight from Cairns to Vlassof Sand Cay on the outer reef is simply the best scenic flight for a couple or a group to experience something extra special on their Great Barrier Reef tour. This helicopter ride encompasses a 30-minute flight from Cairns and a landing on a pure white pristine sand cay in the middle of the ocean where you spend 30 minutes just drinking in the beauty of your surroundings and enjoying a celebratory glass of bubbles or cold beverage.
2. A half day tour that combines a 25-minute scenic flight one way or return from Cairns to an outer reef floating pontoon at Moore Reef where you can enjoy snorkelling, Seawalker helmet diving, a glass bottom boat ride, a semi-submersible submarine tour and even some fun on a spaghetti waterslide for both the little and big kids all in this half day tour.
3. This is one of best helicopter and Great Barrier Reef tour combos where you can choose to depart from Cairns by boat or helicopter and make you way out across the reef to the Moore Reef interactive floating pontoon where you can enjoy all the activities in the water from the pontoon. Book the 25-minute helicopter flight with a take-off from Cairns to fly out to the pontoon or enjoy a 10-minute scenic flight from the floating pontoon. This tour combines a trip to the very popular Fitzroy Island, and you can choose to spend either 3 hours of island time with lunch included or spend more time out on the floating pontoon.  
4. Another one of our most popular helicopter tour combos from Cairns is the half day outer reef pontoon tour where guests can fly out from Cairns to the pontoon and fly from the pontoon back to Cairns or take a cruise out to the pontoon on the boat and fly back on the helicopter to enjoy 25 minutes flying time over the coral reef and islands. 
5. For an introduction to the reef jump onboard a 30-minute scenic flight and explore historic sights, tropical islands, fly over Vlasoff Sand Cay and see the lush green rainforests in the background on your arrival back to Cairns. This is a great tour for cruise ship passengers and those on quick visits to Cairns.
6. When in Cairns you should combine a scenic flight over the World Heritage Listed rainforests alongside your Great Barrier Reef flight to complete your bucket list items in Tropical North Queensland and this is one of the best dual adventures you can experience. It’s a 45 minute reef and rainforest flight that takes off from Cairns and tracks north to Double Island then out over the Great Dividing Range to Kuranda, Barron Gorge and Stoney Creek. 

The list above is just a brief introduction to some of the best helicopter tours in Cairns, so we have listed below the full selection and combination of helicopter rides for you to make your own choice. Just be aware that helicopter departures and seat capacity is limited on a daily basis so to ensure you can book the best scenic flight for your holiday in Tropical North Queensland you must book in advance.  

The Best Helicopter Rides in Cairns

• All 13 helicopter and Great Barrier Reef Combo Rides.
• All 19 helicopter scenic flights

Learn more about helicopter scenic flights from Cairns and other parts of the Great Barrier Reef on our Scenic Flights Blog or call the team at Barrier Reef Australia to discuss your helicopter ride questions.