Whitewater Rafting Cairns (Barron River) – What to Expect, Photos & Tips

Whitewater Rafting Cairns (Barron River) – What to Expect, Photos & Tips

Everything you need to know about the Cairns whitewater rafting trip on the Barron River. Includes an honest review with photos and a personal account of my trip.

Have you always wanted to try white water rafting? Maybe you're visiting Cairns and looking for an action-packed half-day activity that won't break the bank.

I have you covered. In this short blog post I'll tell you everything you need to know about whitewater rafting on the Barron River in Cairns. I've included a quick review and a section of photos and videos as well as a breakdown of my experience so you know what to expect.

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Where to book the white water rafting trip (cheapest)

Before we get into the details, let me help you with some advice on how to get a good deal.

After looking around a bit, I found that BackpackerDeals currently has the best deal on this white water rafting tour in Cairns.

BackpackerDeals is owned by Travello, one of the most trusted booking websites in the world. I teamed up with these guys after shopping around for the best price so I can guarantee my readers get the best deals.

Due to special partnerships and with the promo code above, booking this way is even cheaper than booking directly!
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Whitewater rafting video in Cairns

Check out my short video below that I recorded from my trip!

About the Cairns White Water Rafting Tour

This fantastic whitewater rafting tour in Cairns includes 2 hours of rafting led by professional guides. What I loved about this tour is that it is suitable for both beginners and experienced rafters.

Here are the inclusions:

• 2 Stunden Wildwasser-Rafting auf Stromschnellen bis Grad 3
• Hotelabholung/-rückgabe in Cairns oder Northern Beaches (zahlen Sie 20 $ mehr von Port Douglas)
• Unglaubliche Aussicht auf die Barron Gorge
• Alle Sicherheitsausrüstung
• Einweisung und Training durch professionelle und zertifizierte Flussführer

As you can see, this trip is pretty good value right off the bat.
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My experience on the Cairns White Water Rafting Tour

Since I had a temporary base in Cairns and my own car, I decided to skip the transfer and drive myself directly to Lake Placid to meet the team.

Lake Placid is close to the suburb of Caravonica, a beautiful stretch of the Barron Gorge just 15 minutes from Cairns CBD. Confusingly, this isn't technically a lake at all, just a wide stretch of the Barron River before it flows further into the Coral Sea.
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Bus transfers

Right on time, the crew rocked up with the rest of the whitewater rafters to pick me up and continue on to the head of the Barron River.
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The journey begins at the hydroelectric power station. Consequently, this station stores accumulated fresh water and releases it daily. This is when the excitement really begins! It also allows this trip to take place all year round, even in the dry season!

I was pretty impressed with how efficiently this whitewater rafting tour in Cairns went. The team carried out a detailed safety briefing on the bus which meant we were all ready to gear up as soon as we arrived 15 minutes later.
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After a detailed briefing and briefing from the river guides, we grabbed our life jackets, helmets and paddles and headed to the river.
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Rapids of the Barron River

Barron Gorge is one of the most scenic regions near Cairns. Dense, tropical rainforest vegetation cascades from the towering cliffs into a deep, rich river. Just a little further upstream you'll find the mighty Barron Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in Cairns, so I knew I was in for a treat!
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The whitewater rafting trip started off pretty tame, which was good since we were all just warming up for our paddles and getting our raft legs. One thing that our guide Andy stressed a lot is that it is important to listen to your command at all times.
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It's important to work together as a team, and he mentioned that he's had a few heroes on board who thought they'd ignore his calls and help steer the boat themselves. Andy says don't be like that guy!
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Our boat was pretty confident and as we continued downstream we tackled some of the bigger rapids sideways and backwards and bouncing off big boulders!
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Between the larger drops we were able to jump out of the raft and let ourselves drift. This was quite relaxing and definitely one of the most unique ways to enjoy the scenic sights of Barron Gorge National Park.
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After about 2 hours we tackled the final set of rapids and headed back to Lake Placid. We really loved our guide Andy, who was not only very knowledgeable but also a great, down-to-earth person - thanks buddy!
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Featured in: The 10 Best Tours and Experiences in Cairns

Tips & useful information

• Der Bus ist Ihr Schließfach und Umkleideraum
• Am Ende des Flusses in der Nähe von Lake Placid gibt es eine Toilette und ein Restaurant
• Tragen Sie feste Schuhe, bei denen es Ihnen nichts ausmacht, nass zu werden, wie die von Teva oder alte Läufer
• Bringen Sie eine Mütze oder einen Hut mit, aber keine mit einem „Knopf“, da es unter dem Helm unangenehm werden kann
• Sonnencreme ist an einem heißen Tag eine gute Idee, aber trage sie nicht auf deine Beine auf, sonst können sie rutschig werden
• Wenn Sie eine GoPro mitbringen, bringen Sie einen kurzen Griff mit

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Verdict: Is it worth it?

As you can probably tell, I'm a big fan of the whitewater rafting trip on the Barron River in Cairns. This trip to mine is great value for money and is definitely one of the best half day tours in Cairns.

Everything went really smoothly. I found this trip would work well for both beginners and those with some rafting experience. Although I have done a few tours in other parts of the world, it was refreshing to jump on a professional trip like this!
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More activities in Cairns and the tropical north

And… that concludes this short guide/review of the popular Barron River whitewater rafting experience from Cairns. I really hope you found this article useful and that it helps you during your visit to Cairns.

While you're here, check out some of my other blogs, like this list of the best things to do in Cairns. Or check out my comprehensive accommodation guide to find out where to stay.

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