Things to do on Green Island

Green Island sits 27 kilometres off Cairns, about 45 minutes away by fast catamaran, and it looks different from most reef cays because a genuine rainforest covers it rather than a bare sandbank. Boats dock at a jetty leading straight onto a swimming beach, with a coral garden close enough to reach by wading and snorkelling from the shore, no tender required.

A footpath circles the island in roughly 20 minutes, an easy stretch for anyone waiting on a glass-bottom boat or a lunch sitting.

The gentle, shallow setup suits families with young kids and travellers who don't swim confidently, though the reef tax (Environmental Management Charge, around 8 Australian dollars per person per day) is charged on top of whatever fare you're quoted, so budget for it separately.