Things To Do In Kuranda Cairns
Kuranda is a mountain village that has become a popular tourist attraction near Cairns, in Qld, Australia.
Kuranda Village is accessible by car, however it is a popular destination to reach by taking the Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.
Get more information on taking the Kuranda Scenic Railway.
Get more information on taking the Kuranda Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.
Kuranda Markets
There are two market locations at Kuranda. The Original Markets are located near to the Skyrail and Kuranda Station, making them the first you will come across when visiting Kuranda. The Heritage Markets are further down the main street of Kuranda and contain the entrances to Kuranda Koala Gardens and Birdworld Kuranda.
The Kuranda Markets are a fun place to browse and pick up handmade goods such as jewellery and woodwork. Aboriginal artefacts are also available for sale, and local produce like macadamia nuts and honey.
The shops are mostly locally family owned businesses, which makes it even better to know you’re supporting the local community with purchases made.
Australian Butterfly Sanctuary
Home to over 1500 butterflies, the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary is the largest butterfly light aviary and exhibit in Australia and the southern hemisphere. Wear something bright (red, white or hot pink) if you want a butterfly to land on you.
The majestic green and yellow Cairns Birdwing and the Monarch butterfly can be spotted flittering about the aviary.
We enjoyed watching the butterflies hatching and eating nectar from flowers.
Be sure to walk through the breeding laboratory which houses 4000 caterpillars in their varying stages of development.
We did have some luck with butterflies landing on our bags, heads and clothes, but they are so fast that it’s hard to get photos! Some butterflies were extremely tame and landed on people’s shoulders and hats and remained there for quite a long time.
There is a free shuttle service operating from the Kuranda Skyrail Terminal and the Kuranda Scenic Railway Station to the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, or it is only a short 10-minute walk.
Get more information about the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary.
Kuranda Koala Gardens
Cuddle a koala at Kuranda Koala Gardens. The garden is home to a reasonable selection of iconic Australian animals including koalas, wallabies, wombats, snakes and lizards, bilbys gliders and Australia’s freshwater crocodile.
Allow around an hour to walk around and meet all of the animals at Kuranda Koala gardens.
The attraction is located in the Kuranda Heritage Markets. Free shuttle service operates from the Kuranda Skyrail Terminal and the Kuranda Scenic Railway Station to Koala Gardens, or it is only a short 10-minute walk.
Get more information on Kuranda Koala Gardens.
Birdworld Kuranda
Get up close to over 350 birds roaming freely at Birdworld Kuranda, one of Australia’s largest collections of free flying birds and the giant rainforest cassowary. The birds come from all over the world, including plenty of native Australian species.
We spotted Amazonian macaws, the cassowary, rainbow lorikeets, bright coloured parrots, pink galahs and many more. As we entered we were given a handy information sheet with all of the bird species along with coloured pictures of birds to help with identification.
Many of the birds are quite happy to get up close to visitors and will swoop down and land on your head, shoulder or arm. You can buy a small bag of bird seed and nuts at the entrance to entice the birds to land on you or feed from your hand.
The birds are attracted to shiny things so you will be asked to remove jewellery and hats when you enter to avoid them being stolen. Also note that while the birds are comfortable around people they are not tame animals and will give you a nip if you get too close and they don’t want a bar of it, so give them plenty of respect and space and you will make some happy feathered friends.
The attraction is conveniently located in the Kuranda Heritage Markets. Free shuttle service operates from the Kuranda Skyrail Terminal and the Kuranda Scenic Railway Station to Birdworld, or it is only a short 10-minute walk.
Get more information about Birdworld Kuranda.
Kuranda Cafes and Restaurants
Allow plenty of time for your visit to Kuranda, including a stop at one of the many cafes and restaurants. You can find a full list of the cafes and restaurants in Kuranda here.
Get more information on things to do in Kuranda here.
We were hosted at Birdworld Kuranda, the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary and Kuranda Koala Gardens. All opinions are my own.
