How to Book a Great Barrier Reef Flight from Cairns + What to Expect

How to Book a Great Barrier Reef Flight from Cairns + What to Expect

Flying to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns is by far one of the best ways to experience the beauty of the largest coral reef system in the world. Read about my experience as I give you some useful tips on how to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Cairns is truly Australia's gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. Having spent so much time exploring Cairns and Tropical Far North Queensland, I am often asked what is the best way to see the reef. A simple answer is that the best way to experience its size and beauty is from the air – on a scenic flight over the Great Barrier Reef!

Whether you're an Australian traveling in your own backyard or you're visiting from overseas for the first time, you'll definitely want to book this experience in Cairns!

In this guide, I'll give you all the information you need to book and enjoy an incredible flight over the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns.

Straight to the deal: I booked my Great Barrier Reef flight from Cairns with GSL Aviation via Get Your Guide.

How to book a Great Barrier Reef sightseeing flight from Cairns

There are a number of airlines in Cairns that offer sightseeing flights to the reef.

For me, choosing GSL Aviation was super easy as they have by far the best reviews in Cairns. They also operate out of the Whitsundays and have a great reputation down there too.

Below are some reasons why I would choose this flight over others:

• Jeder Sitzplatz ist ein Fensterplatz
• Sie haben drei kleinere Flugzeuge, was bedeutet, dass sie nie überfüllt sind
• 40-Minuten-Flug statt 30-Minuten-Flug
• Einer der günstigsten, auch ohne Pandemie-Rabatt
• Sie versenden detaillierte Wegbeschreibungen und bieten sogar einen Shuttleservice von Cairns an
• Sie fliegen nicht, wenn das Wetter schlecht ist oder Sie das Riff nicht gut sehen können. Sie werden Sie kostenlos umbuchen.

I usually find that a Google search returns mostly “sponsored” ads, which don’t always give you results with the best reviews or offers. Instead, I choose to check reviews on booking sites like Get Your Guide.

If you've never used sites like this before, they basically just cut out the "travel agent" middleman and allow independent travelers to easily make and manage bookings for experiences and activities like this Cairns reef flight.

The best part is that you'll always get the best prices, which are often even cheaper than going directly to the supplier since everything goes through their platform.

Click here to book the same Great Barrier Reef flight from Cairns that I took.

Tips for planning a scenic flight over the Great Barrier Reef

Here are some quick tips for those planning the scenic reef flight from Cairns. Remember that these are group bookings, so there will be other people on the plane. If you booked the same trip as me, it doesn't matter as you'll still get a window seat.

alt=“GREEN ISLAND FROM THE SKY, GREAT BARRIER REEF, CAIRNS, QUEENSLAND”>
alt=“SMALL SIX-SEATER REEF HOPPER PLANE”>
alt=“VLASSOFF CAY AERIAL VIEW OF CAIRNS “>

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Expect a small plane!

The small six-seat plane we took was by far the smallest plane I have ever flown. Luckily I got a front row seat next to the pilot. It was truly an epic experience flying 500 feet above the Great Barrier Reef in a small propeller plane.

However, if you plan to book a reef flight with a group, keep in mind that due to the small size, seats are allocated based on weight. It's pretty clear that this is intended to balance the plane, but it basically means you can't swap seats at will. On the other hand, if you get the six-seater like me, everyone is within reach anyway!
alt="GSR Aviation Airplane Cairns Reef Flight">

Afternoon trips are great

There are a few time slots available, but I would highly recommend booking an afternoon excursion. Our flight left Cairns at 2pm, which provided excellent conditions for a flight to the Great Barrier Reef.

Since the highlight of the trip is the reef, you'll want some sun to bring out the colors. However, too much bright light creates too much glare. Therefore I would recommend an afternoon flight where the sun is not directly over the reef.

Our pilot was very experienced and made sure to fly around the reef and islands so both sides of the plane had some epic photo opportunities with the sun behind us.
alt=“Sightseeing flight over the Great Barrier Reef”>

The weather can change

These are the tropics! Keep in mind that the weather in Cairns may be different than on the reef. In fact, it usually is. The high rainforest peaks behind Cairns soak up clouds, meaning that while it may look cloudy in the city, there may not be a cloud in sight on the reef!

Of course, tropical storms can also brew at sea. The good thing is that Great Barrier Reef flights from Cairns will not operate if conditions do not permit safe flight or if conditions are not good for viewing the reef. The guys at GSL told me that if it was too rainy or windy they would reschedule my trip for free.

Tip: I recommend downloading WillyWeather for accurate weather reports.
alt=“Flight to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns, “>

RELATED POST: Cairns by Hot Air Balloon – Everything you need to know

Essential things to take with you on a scenic flight over Cairns

If you're used to carrying huge carry-on luggage on jetliners, know that these scenic reef flights have very limited space. This means you can't bring a bag with a lot of stuff.

However, some important things are highly recommended:

• Kamera – einfach das Wichtigste, wenn Sie ein paar epische Bilder vom Great Barrier Reef machen wollen
• Polarisationsfilter für Ihre Kamera (mehr dazu weiter unten)
• Sonnenbrille
• Telefon (für Fotos und Ihr digitales Buchungsticket, wenn Sie bei Get Your Guide gebucht haben)

What to expect when flying to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns

On my last visit to Cairns in December I flew over the Great Barrier Reef. While it was undeniably hot, it definitely scratched that tropical itch I had missed while spending a few months down south.

The first highlight of the GBR sightseeing flight right from the start was Green Island. This is one of Cairns' most idyllic islands and one that I've had the pleasure of exploring a few times on my sailing trips. However, seeing this gem of an island from above was a whole new experience. Surrounded by coral reefs, Green Island is the only Great Barrier Reef island with its own rainforest ecosystem.
alt="Green Island from a Great Barrier Reef plane flight from Cairns">
It's true that the further you go from the coast, the more pristine the reef is. If you've never been to the reef before, this truth is just as obvious when you watch it from the sky. After circling Green Island to give both sides of the plane a clear view, we made our way to the outer reef.
alt="Great Barrier Reef from the plane">
Luckily there was high tide during our flight. This meant that most of the reef was underwater and showed a vibrant, turquoise glow. Although I have seen the reef from my drone many times, you really can't compare it to a real world view.
alt="GBR sightseeing flight from Cairns">
Our itinerary for the day included some epic GBR Sandcay icons including Michaelmas Cay, Vlasoff Cay and Upolo Cay.

These small sandbanks, surrounded by crystal clear, glowing coral reef, are probably one of the most beautiful spots on the Great Barrier Reef. The low-altitude flyby also proved to be one of the best photo opportunities of the flight.

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alt="Vlassoff Cay, Great Barrier Reef airplane flight">
alt="Sandy Cay off Cairns on a plane flight">

Other highlights included Hastings Reef, one of the best dive sites in the GBR, as well as some other beautiful bommie spots that took my breath away.
alt=“Great Barrier Reef sightseeing flight from Cairns”>

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Tips for better photos of the GBR

While phones are capable of taking some pretty decent snaps, if you have a larger DSLR or mirrorless camera, you'll want to bring it with you. Flying over the Great Barrier Reef is one of the best photo opportunities I've had so far and I had a great time trying to catch a few zookeepers.

Recommended lenses and focal lengths

To capture the size of the reef, I recommend taking a wide-angle lens on a flight over the Great Barrier Reef. I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark IV, so I decided to bring my 17-40mm, which gives me room to shoot some tighter angles as well as some big, candid shots.

While a closer range like a 24-70mm walk-around lens would also be great, I wouldn't recommend bringing a telephoto lens. The planes fly at an altitude of 500 feet, which is the lowest altitude they are allowed to fly in Australia. You just don't need a tele. You should also maintain a fast shutter speed, which becomes more difficult the more you zoom.
alt=“Flight to the Great Barrier Reef”>

Try a polarizing filter

This is what polarizers were built for. Since we're shooting on water, limiting glare and reflections makes for some nice clean shots. It also allows you to capture more of the reef as the polarizer cuts through the reflections on the water's surface.

However, I found that it was more difficult to reduce the reflections from the airplane window with the polarizer on. So I haven't used it this whole time. 40 minutes may seem long, but it goes fast! Be sure to try it with and without a filter.
alt=“Great Barrier Reef from the sky “>

Try to find your angle through the window

This last tip is probably one of the most useful. You may not notice it if you are high above the reef, but photographing through the glass window sometimes leaves some reflections depending on the angle (see the top right corner in the image above).

Try to work out your angles early, even before you leave if you can. It may seem confusing, but you'll quickly see where the unsightly reflections are strongest.

I suggest bringing a spare t-shirt or a small towel to wrap around the front of your lens. Then, when you press your lens against the glass with the wrapped rag, you limit any light or reflections from inside the aircraft appearing in your shots. A friend told me this tip and it seemed to work great!
alt=“Flight to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns”>

More epic things to do in Cairns

Far North Queensland is one of Australia's wildest adventure destinations. If you enjoyed this guide and mini review of the Great Barrier Reef flight from Cairns, be sure to check out some of my other guides. I've written extensively about all the amazing things to do in Cairns, from the best hikes and waterfalls to guides on which Great Barrier Reef islands you shouldn't miss.

If you have any questions about booking a scenic reef flight from Cairns or would like to share your experiences, leave a comment below! Enjoy!

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