Cairns Inner Reef Explorer Scenic Helicopter Flight

Depart from Cairns Airport
and follow the coast to the reef

Your flight departs from the Zoom Helicopters helipad in the Cairns Airport precinct. Wear a noise-canceling headset and listen to your pilot's English commentary as you fly. Complimentary water and soft drinks are provided.

After takeoff, look down on Cairns city and Trinity Inlet, then pass False Cape, where remnants of World War II defenses can be seen, Yarrabah, Mission Bay and Cape Grafton.

Look down on Green Island and Arlington Reef

Head to the inner edge of the reef and fly over Green Island, a 6,000-year-old coral cay with its own rainforest ecosystem. Then continue north to explore the western side of Arlington Reef, home to turtles, sharks, rays and other marine life.

Fly past Vlasoff Cay and Upolu Cay on the way back

Circle Vlasoff Cay, a tiny sand cay in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef that shrinks to just a few square meters at high tide. Then fly west over Upolu Cay and return to Cairns, enjoying views of the North Queensland coastline and the lush rainforest covering the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range.

※ Wildlife lives in the wild, so sightings are not guaranteed.