| Popular in | December | High demand for flights, 13% potential price rise |
| Cheapest in | March | Best time to find cheap flights, 3% potential price drop |
| Average price | R14 553 | Average for round-trip flights in October 2021 |
| Round-trip from | R151 311 | From Johannesburg to Cairns |
| One-way from | R146 | One-way flight from Johannesburg to Cairns (CNS) |
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ZA1 - CNS Price
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R13 230 - R21 845
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CNS Temperature
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26 - 31 °C
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CNS Precipitation
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27 - 436 mm
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Cairns is perhaps Australia’s most unabashed tourist-friendly city. Every year, more than two million tourists take cheap flights to Cairns for its near-perfect climate and its proximity to the jaw-droppingly awesome attractions of the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest. Cairns is the only place in the world where two World Heritage Areas meet.
Cairns city is a great base and has plenty to occupy tourists while they’re between reef or rainforest trips. There’s a wonderful Esplanade that’s comprises a swimming lagoon that’s open between 6am and 10pm daily, an amphitheatre, picnic and barbecue spots, walking trails, a children’s playground called Muddy’s and shops, restaurants and markets both day and night. Just 4km from the centre of the city are the Cairns Botanic Gardens. Lush and very, very green, these 38km of gardens are made up of the Flecker Gardens and Centenary Lakes, where a boardwalk will wind you through mangroves and tropical rainforest. Behind the gardens, Mt Whitfield Conservation Park is more than 300 hectares of forested mountain range.
There are two seasons – a wet season that runs from November to May (summer) and a dry season that starts about June and stretches to October (winter). January, February and March are the wettest months and there is the greatest chance of cyclones between December and April. Temperatures are pretty stable throughout the year. Daytime temps range between 14 and 26 degrees Celsius in the dry season while visitors can expect temperatures of between about 24 to 33 degrees during the wet season. Tourists should bear in mind that the Marine Stinger season stretches from November to May.
Peak Season:
July to October is high season.
Off Season:
The “wet season” is low season. Wet season runs from November to April when there are torrential rains and humidity levels are high. If you’re willing to brave the rains it’s a good time to book cheap flights to Cairns and take up the discounts offered by tour operators, hotels and apartments. Divers will experience the best underwater visibility during the “wet” months, more than 50 metres sometimes. Stinger (Box jellyfish) Season is November-May and bathers should ensure that they follow the lifeguards’ advice about swimming within enclosures and between lifeguard flags.
Shoulder Season:
May and June are shoulder months.
Cairns’s city centre is small enough to walk around, but if you are planning on getting out to the Daintree National Park (a three-hour drive north of Cairns) or Kuranda Village (a 40-minute drive), renting a car is best. There are car-rental desks at Cairns Airport. Alternatively, you could take a four-wheel drive (4WD) tour. Several companies offer 4WD tours to the most popular destinations including Daintree National Park, Cape Tribulation, Cape York, Undara National Park and Chillagoe. If you’re visiting the region during the wet season (November-April) a four-wheel drive is the best way of getting around. Sunbus is the bus service around Cairns. There are eight routes, serving destinations such as the Botanic Gardens, Clifton Beach, Kewarra Beach and Yorkeys Knob.
Booking a flight to Cairns (CNS) is your only option if you intend on flying to Cairns. It is only a 4,4 km journey from Cairns to Cairns’s city centre.