Wildlife Zoos & Theme Parks in Cairns, Australia

Far North Queensland has a number of exciting boutique wildlife zoos and theme parks scattered throughout the region, all with a distinct tropical flavour.

You'll see the exotic animals of Cairns; Cassowary, Tree Kangaroo and Ulysses Butterfly as well as many more.

All of the parks have an entry fee, however some can be have combination tickets which will get you into a number of the parks at a discounted price. All the theme parks are family friendly and will be adored by children and adults alike.

Wildlife Parks by Theme

Many of the attractions caters to different themes, check the lists below to see which attractions catch your fancy!

Some attractions are listed in a number of categories as they have a variety of different animals.

Skyrail passing over the rainforest
Male Eclectus Parrot at Cairns Dome

Flights of Fantasy — Birds & Butterflies

Cold Blooded Bities — Reptiles

Cute, Furry Creatures — Mammals

Enquiries

If you have any questions about booking a wildlife parks on this page. If you have some specific requests, please Contact Us explaining what you're after . Please include any information that will help us assist you, including the number of members in your group or the ages of your children and we help you choose the best experience for you.

Bookings

While all of the wildlife parks in Cairns allow walk in visitors and charge an entry fee, most parks are in out of the way locations (see above) which don't allow easy access without a vehicle. For this reason, there are many tour operators in Cairns who package entry to many of the wildlife parks as part of their tours.

This is great because many of the parks are smaller boutique specialty zoos which people can only really spend an hour or two in, rather than be a full day experience like traditional zoos.

We have compiled a list of tour companies who will take you and your family to the wildlife parks of North Queensland as part of their itinerary below.

Skyrail & Kuranda Wildlife Experience

Skyrail passing over the rainforest

Skyrail has put together a special package due to the overwhelming number of visitors who want to experience the wildlife attractions of Kuranda, and also the Skyrail Cableway. Entry to the top three wildlife attractions in Kuranda in included in your ticket; Birdworld, The Australian Butterfly Sanctuary and Koala Gardens. This tour package is also available with a Kuranda Scenic Railway trip, making it an outstanding and comprehensive tour of the most popular attractions in Kuranda.

Your return Skyrail experience will take approximately 1½ hours one way, and your Kuranda Scenic Railway 1¾ hours. Skyrail can commence or conclude at either the Caravonica or Kuranda, and the Kuranda Scenic Railway can commence or conclude at Cairns Central Station, Freshwater Station or Kuranda Station depending on your preferred direction of travel and location.

Booking in advance is required as the train is a tourist attraction and tickets are via pre-purchase only. Both attractions frequently book out during peak season and school holidays. Prices are per person; families please review the child policy below.

Cairns Habitat Cruises

Cairns Habitat Cruises on Trinity Inlet

Board the MV Habitat Explorer and experience a calm water cruise along Trinity Inlet, Cairns' mangrove-lined waterway and busy harbour. Trinity Inlet, like many mangrove ecosystems, is buzzing with wildlife; crocodiles, birds and over 70 species of fish.

Visitors enjoy Cairns Habitat Cruises for it's relaxed and informative tour of the inlet, with many historic and interesting tales of sea life in early Cairns. After cruising along the inlet, the tour stops at Cairns Crocodile Farm to journey through the fully operational farm.

Departing twice a day, Cairns Habitat Cruises is the only company to access Cairns Crocodile Farm, which means if you're interested in seeing how crocodiles are farmed for their skin and meat, this is the only way you can see it.

Wildlife Parks by Location

The wildlife centres of North Queensland are somewhat scattered, so here's the lowdown on what's where.

Cairns CBD

Palm Cove

Port Douglas

Kuranda

Daintree Rainforest

  • Daintree Mangroves Wildlife Sanctuary

Innisfail

  • Johnstone River Crocodile Farm

Green Island

  • Marineland Melanesia

Gordonvale

  • Cairns Crocodile Farm
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