Scuba Diving Vacations At The Great Barrier Reef In Cairns, Australia

In the world are many amazing scuba diving resorts, but very few of them can be compared to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Cairns is a small city in the northern part of Queensland, founded by miners heading to gold fields of Hodgkinson River and developed later to a major port on the Australian northeastern coast. What makes Cairns today famous is the short distance to the Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef system in the world with 900 islands and roughly 2,900 individual reefs! A large part of the region is included in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to protect better the aquatic species living there. Along with this main attraction, people travel to Cairns eager to observe the rich wildlife in the surrounding rainforests, but especially in the Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation.

Many scuba dive fans from all over the world take trips to Cairns and participate in diving cruises on Coral Sea, especially during the dry season (May - November), in order to see the beauties of the Great Barrier Reef. The richness of the aquatic life (including many endangered species) is amazing and there can be seen a multitude of fish (over 1,500 species), sea turtles (6 species), whales, salt-water crocodile, 5,000 species of mollusk, 17 species of sea snakes, and 215 species of birds. As part of the Coral Sea, the Great Barrier Reef features many species of marine plants (500 species of algae or seaweed live on this reefs) and around four hundred species of coral. With so many interesting plants and animals to watch, tourists are advised to book longer scuba diving vacations in Cairns and pick at least 3-day dive cruises in order to enjoy more of the best natural treasures in the world.

Due to the large number of scuba divers and other tourists who spend vacations in Cairns, in the whole region have been developed many resorts where people find very good accommodation amenities. Beach resorts in Cairns are excellent headquarters for daily scuba dive trips and excursions to other attractions in the region. On the coast are settled hotels that address to vacation budgets of all sizes, from 3-star accommodations up to luxury residences offering high-class amenities. Some of the favorite luxury hotels in Cairns are Hotel Hayman Island Resort Great Barrier Reef, Hotel Shangri-La The Marina Cairns, Hotel Cairns Beach Resort, Hotel Cape Tribulation Resort & Spa, Hotel Brampton Island Resort by Voyages, Hotel Dunk Island Resort by Voyages, Hotel The Sebel Reef House & Spa Palm Cove, Hotel Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas, Hotel Paradise Palms Resort & Country Club, Hotel The Lakes Cairns Resort & Spa, Hotel Rendezvous Reef Resort Cairns, and Hotel Coral Sea Resort Cairns, while to the best-rated budget lodgings belong Hotel Hides Cairns, Hotel Cairns Queens Court, Hotel Figtree Lodge, Hotel Ferntree Rainforest Lodge, and Hotel Long Island Resort Whitsundays.

After several hours of diving, tourists taking delight in vacations in Cairns region can enjoy many other things. Some choose to relax the rest of the day on beautiful beaches, to swim in the emerald-green waters of Pacific Ocean or just to lounge under sun-umbrellas. Others play golf, practice white-water rafting or take sightseeing tours to the Daintree Rainforest, Atherton Tableland and Paronella Park. In Cairns are also available scenic flights, day trips to Kuranda (a small town at 16 miles or 25 kilometers to Cairns) via Kuranda Scenic Railway, visits to crocodile farms, and wine tours including some of the best cellars in the region. To attract even more people, in the city and its suburbs have been developed several theme parks such as Rainforestation Nature Park, the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park and the Kuranda Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, turning holidays in Australia to unique life experiences.

Diving packages to Cairns are very rewarding, and therefore many travelers come back over years to this region of Australia to enjoy once again its natural wonders. Actually, the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef and of the entire area made Cairns so famous that the most convenient cruise packages including diving, as well as rooms in most hotels in Cairns, are booked by tourists long time before the start of the peak vacation season.