About This Comparison Site
Every trip listed here departs Cairns for Fitzroy Island and is currently bookable. Each listing shows the from-price, the duration, the rating and the review count exactly as published. Sixteen tours sit across three groups: eight ferry and day-pass options, three snorkel and glass-bottom boat trips, and five two-island and reef combos (see Glass Bottom Boat Verdict). No operator pays for placement, and nothing is left out to flatter a favourite.
What This Comparison Covers
The crossing from Cairns takes about 45 minutes, so the boat matters less than the hours and the inclusions. Fitzroy Island Adventures runs a full-day trip from A$108. Sunlover Reef Cruises pairs the ferry with optional lunch and activities from A$105, and Fitzroy Island Resort offers the longest day at 10 hours. Its half-day options from A$88 suit shorter visits. Match the format to your time, not the operator name.
The Quick Answer
Cheapest way onto the island is a half-day option from Fitzroy Island Resort at A$88 per person, return ferry included. At the other end, the two-day Reef Magic and Dreamtime combos reach A$460. The best rating among the one-day ferry trips belongs to the Fitzroy Island Resort day trip by ferry, at 4.7 across 139 reviews. For pairing the island with Green Island or the outer reef, see Island And Reef Combos.
Prices And Ratings
Prices, ratings and review counts are shown as the live listing for each tour publishes them. Nothing gets rounded up, averaged out or topped up to look better. If an operator drops a departure or a from-price moves, the entry gets fixed or pulled rather than left to drift out of date. The 16 tours listed are the full set we compare, not a hand-picked selection.
How The Trips Compare
Short on time: the afternoon escape ferry runs four and a half hours from A$88, with the morning adventure at five hours for the same price, both including the return crossing.
Ways To See Fitzroy Island
- Full day on the island: Fitzroy Island Adventures runs an eight-hour trip from A$108, leaving time for snorkelling, the rainforest walk and Nudey Beach.
- Island plus reef: the catamaran combo to Moore Reef and Fitzroy Island runs nine hours from A$337, with snorkelling at the pontoon.
- Two islands in one day: Big Cat pairs Fitzroy and Green Islands in a single eight-hour trip from A$196 per person.
- This site tracks 16 tours, the full set rather than a shortlist. Eight are ferry and day-pass options, three are snorkel and glass-bottom boat trips, and five are two-island and reef combos. Behind them stand Fitzroy Island Adventures, Sunlover Reef Cruises, Fitzroy Island Resort, Big Cat and Reef Magic with Dreamtime Dive. If a trip leaves Cairns for Fitzroy Island and takes bookings, it belongs here.
Booking Notes
Free cancellation applies across all 16 tours, which helps when wind or swell changes plans. The two biggest by review volume are the Fitzroy Island full-day trip at 1990 reviews and the ferry with optional lunch at 888, rated 4.5 and 4.4 respectively. Check the live booking page for current departure times and inclusions before committing, since timetables move with the season.
Comparing tours beats browsing listings one by one. Prices here run from A$88 to A$460, durations from four and a half hours to two days, and every option departs Cairns for the same island (see Snorkel Hire Prices). Once the essentials sit side by side, the choice usually comes down to how many hours you want on the water and whether a second island or the outer reef matters to you.