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If you walk the Flagstaff Hill walking trail and look out to sea, you will see low-lying islands to the northeast of Port Douglas. These are the Low Isles and they are a popular half or full-day trip from our town. In this post, we cover your options for visiting The Low Isles to help you choose the right tour for you.
On the island, there is a lighthouse, a few buildings, vegetation and wildlife. A caretaker is normally stationed on the larger island. There is an unspoiled sandy beach and you may be able to see tiny baby sharks in the shallows. The fringing reefs around Low Isles are a great place to spot sea turtles, soft corals and giant clams. The boat journey from Port Douglas to Low Isles is only about 40 minutes, depending on which boat you take.
Some tours allow you to set foot on the island, explore and use the beach. Others take you to snorkelling spots just off the Low Isles and do not allow island access. Glass bottom boats and guided snorkel tours are also available. All of these tours depart Port Douglas Marina.
Choose which part of this page you need from the list below.
Day Trips To the Low Isles from Port Douglas
If you don’t want to head to the outer reef the Low Isles are a shorter trip.
You can enjoy the beach at Low Isles as well as snorkelling by taking a trip out with Calypso, or Wavedancer. Wavedancer being a beautiful twin-hull sailboat. The Reef Sprinter speed boats allow you to snorkel off Low Isles, but you don’t get access to the islands.
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Wavedancer is a gorgeous sailing catamaran that will take you to Low Isles for a full-day trip. Book a day trip on Wavedancer here. Wavedancer allows island access and glass-bottom boat tours.
Port Douglas also has its own Chinese junk. The Shaolin can take you for a full-day trip to Low Isles as well as lunchtime and sunset sails. Book a day at Low Isles with Shaolin here.
Tour operators vary, check who’s running day trips to Low Isles currently and check prices and available facilities.
Half-day trips to Low Isles from Port Douglas
Calypso’s small boat offers glass-bottom boat tours and a half-day option,
This half-day trip allows access to the island itself, where you can take a stroll and see the Low Isles lighthouse, or just relax on the sand. Even small children can play in the shallows here.
If you visit the island you can snorkel from the beach. Snorkelling off Four Mile Beach, you’ll mostly just see sand, though there can be crabs and fish around the stinger net, visit Low Isles instead.
Low Isles or The Outer Reef?
Snorkelling at Low Isles on the fringing reef is a very different experience to snorkelling on the outer reef. It’s good to do both tours and compare what you see. It takes time and money and there’s no such thing as a cheap tour in Port Douglas, but if you can, take both tours.
Because you can visit Low Isles for a half day, it does make this trip slightly more affordable. It’s also better for anyone who may get seasick, or for families with younger kids. Little ones can play on the beach or in the shallows rather than having to jump off a boat into deep water. This is what snorkellers have to do on the outer reef.
People come to Far North Queensland to see The Great Barrier Reef, it’s a wonder of the natural world and we here in Port Douglas are incredibly privileged to have it on our doorstep. If you can go to the Outer Reef, go, it’s an experience of a lifetime. (This is the boat we recommend for a day of snorkelling out there), but Low Isles is also worth seeing if you have time in your itinerary.
Best Low Isles Trip With Small Children
If you’re visiting Port Douglas with small children, a full day on the reef may be a bit much. Not every boat will allow babies, little kids, and toddlers and you really don’t want sea-sick children. It’s best to try a half-day Low Isles tour, that includes a glass-bottom boat ride to the islands for your little one to enjoy the beach. These half-day tours are also cheaper than the full-day Outer Reef cruises. Once you know if your child has good sea legs, and they’re confident and comfortable in deep water you can try the full-day Great Barrier Reef Tours. That’s my advice as a mum who’s taken her kids to the reef from Port Douglas and Cairns hundreds of times. Any questions, use the comments, I’m here to help.
