Top Deck Liveaboard and Daintree Rainforest
Three Days of Luxury
Spend the night and two full days on the Great Barrier Reef onboard Cairns’ Premier Liveaboard Reef Encounter. Then spend another full day exploring the World’s oldest living rainforest!
Top Deck Liveaboard
Our Top Deck Club stay is the ultimate way to see the Great Barrier Reef. Wake up for a sunrise snorkel, dine under the stars and enjoy this fantastic location.
You’ll be given the ultimate Great Barrier Reef tour with your Top Deck Attendant just for you.
Stay in Style
Spacious ensuite Stateroom with uninterrupted ocean views, crisp Australian bed linen, plush bathrobes, towels and toiletries – everything is designed explicitly for comfort. Click below for more inclusions!
PS If you would like to stay longer on the Great Barrier Reef, you can do that in your booking.
Please note: Cairns Accommodation is not included on the 2nd Night
Daintree Rainforest
Head north along the coast to the oldest living rainforest in the World: the Daintree Rainforest.
This beautiful rainforest is World Heritage Listed and is one of the World’s most complex ecosystems. Venture through a rainforest thick with some of the World’s oldest species of plants and see if you can spot the elusive cassowary!
Travel in comfort
Travelling in a small group of 13, you can relax comfortably while your guide provides commentary on the region and what you’re seeing. The small group numbers make for a more personal experience. Explore the rainforest without feeling rushed or crowded.
Highlights
Two World Heritage sites are the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest.
Itinerary
Please note this itinerary is based on a 3-day /2-night stay with Reef Encounter
First Day
Arrive
Unlimited in-water sessions
7:30 am
Board the transfer vessel ‘Reef Experience’ at Cairns Marlin Marina for breakfast, check-in and your journey to Reef Encounter
9:30 am
Arrive onboard Reef Encounter for your ‘Welcome & Safety Talk’ before being shown to your room to settle in and relax
10:30 am
Water Session: Time to snorkel for all guests before lunch
12:00
Lunch
13.00
Water Briefings: Certified Diver Briefings / Try Scuba Diving Briefings / Snorkel Adventure Briefings
13.30
Water Session: Scuba dive or snorkel time
15:00
Reef Encounter moves to another spectacular outer barrier Reef location
15:30
Water Session: Scuba dive or snorkel time.
Summer
18:00
Dinner
18:45
Night Dive Briefings
19:00
Night dive commences for all those scuba diving
Winter
17:30
Night Dive Briefings
18:00
Night dive commences for all those scuba diving
19:15
Dinner
20:00
Dessert
Full Day
On the Reef
Unlimited in-water sessions
6:00 am
A wake-up call for the early morning dive and snorkel session
6:30 am
Water Session: Sunrise scuba dive or snorkel time.
7:30 am
Breakfast
8:00 am
Reef Encounter moves to another spectacular outer barrier Reef location
8:30 am
Water Session: Scuba Dive or Snorkel Time
10:30 am
Water Session: Scuba Dive or Snorkel Time
12:00
Lunch
13:30
Water Session: Scuba Dive or Snorkel Time
15:00
Reef Encounter moves to another spectacular outer barrier Reef location
15:30
Water Session: Scuba dive or snorkel time.
Summer
18:00
Dinner
18:45
Night Dive Briefings
19:00
Night dive commences for all those scuba diving
Winter
17:30
Night Dive Briefings
18:00
Night dive commences for all those scuba diving
19:15
Dinner
20:00
Dessert
Last Day
Return
Unlimited in-water sessions
6:00 am
A wake-up call for the early morning dive and snorkel session
6:30 am
Water Session: Sunrise scuba dive or snorkel time.
7:30 am
Breakfast
8:00 am
Room Checkout
Reef Encounter moves to another spectacular outer barrier Reef location
8:30 am
Water Session: Scuba Dive or Snorkel Time
10:30 am
Water Session: Scuba Dive or Snorkel Time
12:00
Lunch
13:30
Water Session: Snorkel-only session available to passengers before departure
14:45
Departing passengers board the transfer vessel ‘Reef Experience’ for the journey back to Cairns. Complimentary wine, cheese and biscuits on the return journey
15:00
Reef Encounter moves to another spectacular outer barrier Reef location
16:30
Approximate arrival time to the Cairns Marlin Marina
*Please note this itinerary does not apply to ‘Great Barrier Reef Deal’ bookings.
*Stateroom Check-In time is 10.00 am with Check-Out time 8.00 am on the morning of departure (access to a shared transfer/baggage room with bathroom is available along with all other boat facilities)
*Top Deck Club Check-in time is 10.00 am with Check-Out time 2.00 pm on the day of departure>
*This itinerary may vary due to weather conditions or other circumstances.
Daintree Rainforest Itinerary
- Pickup from Accommodation between 7.00 am and 7.30 am
- Tour of Palm Cove
- Rex lookout: on one of the most excellent coastal drives in Australia
- Driving town tour of Port Douglas, including Flagstaff hill lookout overlooking the four-mile beach
- Spectacular Mossman Gorge: morning tea, guided walk, and time to swim if weather permits
- Delicious a la carte lunch, tropical fruit tasting with accompanying talk
- Daintree River Cruise: Crocodile and wildlife spotting
- World Heritage Rainforest/Areas
- Fully guided walks through rainforest boardwalks
- Alexandra lookout–coastal views over Daintree River mouth, Low Isles, Snapper Island and beyond to the Great Barrier Reef
- Cape Tribulation beach: “where the rainforest meets the Reef.”
- Daintree Ice cream company- optional and famous local stop (own expense, cash only)
- Daintree River cable ferry crossing
- Return to Cairns at approximately 6 pm
- (Itinerary is subject to change due to weather, operational or unforeseen issues)
Included
Top Deck Club
- Top Deck Club Stateroom with private bathroom
- Personal valet service
- Champagne on arrival (if you are entering the water after arriving, Champagne will be after all water sessions)
- Breakfast in bed
- Sunset cocktails
- Delicious meals
- Coffee, Tea, Water, and fresh fruits are available at all times
- Turn down service
- Fluffy Bathrobes
- Romantic dinners under the stars (weather permitting)
- Personal Great Barrier Reef Dive guide at all times
- Reef Video and Marine Biologist presentation
- Bath and Beach Towels Toiletries
- Onboard heated spa
- Government Reef Taxes and Levies
Daintree Day tour
- Breathtaking views of the Coral Sea along the Captain Cook Highway
- Stunning Mossman Gorge guided tour
- Port Douglas tour, stopping at the Flagstaff Hill Lookout
- Daintree River Cable Ferry
- Alexandra Lookout
- Morning tea at Thornton Beach
- Daintree Ice Cream Company (Optional stop)
- Cape Tribulation lookout and beach – Where the Rainforest meets the Reef
- Guided walk along a Rainforest Boardwalk
- A delicious lunch at the Daintree Tea House
- Exotic tropical fruit tasting
- Daintree River Cruise – Wildlife and crocodile spotting
- Chilled bottled water on board
- This Daintree tour is not suitable for infants
Optional Extras
Top Deck Club
- Underwater cameras
- Soft drinks, Alcoholic drinks and snacks from the bar
- Alcohol available onboard – NO BYO
- Introductory and certified dives (medical restrictions apply)
What to bring
Top Deck Club Great Barrier Reef stay
- Overnight bag – If you wish to store any excess luggage, we are happy to do so in our office at 100 Abbott Street Cairns.
- For safety reasons, Reef Encounter has a “No Shoe” policy. (There is no need to bring extra pairs of shoes)
- Cash or credit card for purchases of snacks from the bar/souvenirs for sale onboard or underwater camera hire.
- Sun hats, swimming clothes, sunscreen, sunglasses, and light casual clothing.
- The air-conditioning is set for heat during the day to become quite cool in the evenings. Therefore visitors should include a light pullover or cardigan when packing for this tour.
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Hat
- Sunscreen, insect repellent
- Sunglasses
- Swimwear and Towel (swimming at Mossman Gorge is optional)
- Camera
- Cash for optional purchases
How to get there
How to get there
Getting to Reef Encounter
Your transfer vessel, Reef Experience, departs from
Cairns Marina: ‘A-Finger’ View map to Cairns Marlin Marina
Boarding commences at 7:30 am for check-in directly on the vessel ‘Reef Experience.’
Arrive back at Cairns Marina at approximately 4:30 pm
Where Can I Park?
Several parking stations throughout Cairns are within walking distance of the Marina. Click here to see where.
Important Information
Know Before You Go
Please read the following information before making your booking:
Important Additional Information
- Reef Encounter stays out and cruises to different Reef sites on the Outer Great Barrier Reef.
- Transfers from Cairns Marina are by our day boat, Reef Experience, with a 90-minute boat journey to Reef Encounter.
- Reef Encounter Top Deck departs every day of the year, subject to availability.
- Staterooms are Double (1 Double Bed) and Twin Share (2 Single Beds). When booking, please advise your rooming preference.
- The Daintree Rainforest section of this package will happen before or after your Top Deck stay.
- Please advise on any Dietary requirements.
- Please advise your pickup location for the Daintree portion of your tour upon booking.
This tour starts in Cairns and travels to Cape Tribulation (the headlands of the Daintree Rainforest) along with one of Australia’s most scenic coastal roads. Along the way, pass through beautiful Palm Cove and continue north to the seaside village of Port Douglas, where
Flying after Scuba Diving
For a single, no decompression scuba dive, you should not fly or go to altitude for at least 18 hours after a scuba dive.
You should not fly for 24 hours after your last dive for multiple dives.
If you are Skydiving or Hot Air Ballooning, you must wait 24 hours after diving.
We recommend waiting a minimum of 24 hours whenever possible.
PS If you would like to stay longer on the Great Barrier Reef, you can do that in your booking.
Please note: Accommodation is not included on the 2nd Night.
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