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Kuranda, “the village in the rainforest,” is a big tourist draw for visitors to Cairns and North East Queensland. Cairns is the closest city and airport to Kuranda, and there are multiple ways to visit Kuranda from the coast. We’ll go into your options on this page.
- Self Drive from Cairns to Kuranda
- Take a Tour by Road
- Take a Tour With the Cairns Skyrail Cablecar and/or Scenic Train
- Take The Shuttle Bus
- Stay Overnight in or Near Kuranda and Explore More of The Tablelands
- What’s in Kuranda?
If you are visiting Kuranda from Palm Cove or Port Douglas, the same applies. Most tourists will travel south and head up the mountain from the Cairns Area. If you are staying in Port Douglas you could also take the road to the Tablelands just north of Port Douglas, before Mossman and drive through Julatten, Mt Molloy, and Mareeba to reach Kuranda.
You will pass some of the famous dairies, chocolate farms and so on if you take this route. The two drives are roughly the same drive time, depending on roadworks. We took the Kuranda range road last in October 2025, and I’d say there are fewer traffic delays on this road than on the coast road.
Kuranda From Cairns
Cairns to Kuranda Distance
Obviously, it depends which part of Cairns you’re driving from and which route you take, but the journey from Cairns to Kuranda is around 30 km and the drive time is 40 mins and above, depending on roadworks. This is on the Smithfield-Kuranda, Kennedy Highway route.
Self-Drive From Cairns to Kuranda
If you don’t have your own vehicle, you could easily hire a car for the day and drive from Cairns to Kuranda.
There are two roads that will take you up the mountain towards Kuranda from the Cairns area. One is south of Cairns City at Gordonvale, the other is just north of Cairns City, at Smithfield. Both are narrow winding roads.
The Kennedy Highway, National Route 1, is the Kuranda range road from Smithfield, direct to Kuranda. If you continue on this road it takes you to Mareeba, and then heads south and west to The Gulf.
I’ve seen cassowaries on this road, near Kuranda, more than once. You may be lucky! Drive with care.
From Gordonvale, south of Cairns City, Route 52 will take you past Lake Barine and Yungaburra to Atherton. From there, head north to Mareeba, and take a right on to route 1 to Kuranda, this is a much longer route.
Tours To Kuranda by Road
Not everyone wants to take the Skyrail and scenic train, they’re pretty expensive. There are tours to Kuranda by bus, too. What’s included on your Kuranda tour varies. There are a lot of full-day, extremely comprehensive trips and tours.
Most will include Barron River Falls, one of the biggest waterfalls in the region, it is spectacular in the wet season. But there are loads of other places to see and things to do in or near Kuranda, and on the Tablelands.
The cheapest transfer between Kuranda and Cairns, that we could find, is this one.
Take The Shuttle Bus
The Trans North Bus Service operates a bus from Cairns to Kuranda 6 days per week (not Sunday). This effectively acts as a Cairns to Kuranda shuttle bus. This is a hail and ride service and you need to buy a ticket from the driver when you board. Cairns Central shopping Centre is one of the places you can catch the bus to Kuranda, you can also catch the bus at Smithfield. You need to look for the Cairns – Atherton service. Full information on this Kuranda bus is here.
Take a Tour With the Cairns Skyrail Cablecar and/or Scenic Train
I would strogly recommend that you take the cablecar up to Kuranda. This is mostly because of the half way stop in the rainforest, with a brief ranger-guided tour, and because of the amazing views of Barron falls, both from the cable car, and from the new viewing platform.
If you go up on the Cairns Skyrail, come back down on the scenic train. You will have views of the falls from the opposite side, with plenty of photo opportunities.
The train station is not near the base of the cable car. You leave your car there, and when you come back on the train they’ll take you by shuttle bus back to the car park.
Stay Overnight in or Near Kuranda and Explore More of The Tablelands
The Tablelands are usually at least 5 degrees C (9 degrees F – roughly) cooler than the coast. If you’d like to escape the heat and stay on the Tablelands, go for it!
There’s plenty to see and do within driving distance of Kuranda. Try Kur-Cow Farm Escape for a taste of country Australia, there is a family villa available here and it’s one of the more affordable options. Alternatively, take a look at this tree house apartment.
What’s in Kuranda?
Kuranda is famous for its markets, there are two parts to Kuranda Markets. The older part of the market is buried in the rainforest and has a hippie vibe. There are coffee shops, street food and a tropical crazy golf course in this section. On the other side of the road, there is a more modern market building.
The Kuranda markets sell clothing, souvenirs, crafts and gifts, plus some locally made food items.
Various animal attractions have these homes in Kuranda, including those for birds, bugs, butterflies and wildlife. You can buy a combi ticket that will allow you to enter Kuranda Birdworld, The Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, and Kuranda Koala Gardens. We’ve done this ourselves, it was great to have a ticket to all 3.
We’ll write a full guide on things to do in Kuranda soon. Yes, Kuranda is worth visiting. It’s very different to modern, built-up Cairns and the shops are fun to browse.
Other Attractions Near Kuranda Village
Near Kuranda, outside Kuranda village itself, there are options for quad biking, horse riding, white water rafting, 4WD tours and the Rainforestation Nature Park. The latter features army duck tours.
Kuranda’s Aboriginal Heritage
Kuranda is on Aboriginal land. The Djabuguy (or Tjapukai) people’s home is Kuranda on the north side of the Barron River. The Buluwai tribe’s of traditional land is Kuranda on the southern side of the river. Kuranda Village’s Aboriginal name is Ngunbay, Place of the Platypus.
Best Time To Visit Kuranda?
Winter will be cooler and drier. Summer can be crazy hot and humid. For Barron River Falls, it’s most spectacular after heavy rain, during the wet.
