• On Lizard Island, the amazing Blue Lagoon is most impressive. During the flying tours, a special window in the plane door allows you to take almost vertical photos of the coastline, reef and rainforest when passing over them. 
• Snorkelling in the clam garden is a great spot! Share your selfie and best photos to the Facebook page. 
• Hiring an underwater camera is recommended so you can capture all the marine life as well as yourself in high quality photos or videos. With notice, this operator can supply a camera to use, and email the files.

Lizard Island on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the sanctuary of sanity for many celebrities, trophy winning grounds for sports fishermen, the idyllic hideaway for honeymooning couples, the place of peace and plenty for overworked executives

Now you too can spend some time on this island exploring sites of historical significance and searching the underwater world of the mesmerizing Blue Lagoon when you charter your very own twin engine Cessna Skymaster. Take off from Cairns with 3 of your friends or family members (maximum 4 guests) on a private charter scenic flight day tour with your very own tour guide.

This personally guided flying adventure will have you sitting with your trigger finger on the camera button as the scenery along the Australian coastline will be some of the most picturesque you may ever see in your life.   

Lizard Island Private Charter Day Tour with OutbackOvernight Adventures

Discover both the vastness and the minutiae of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in one fantastic day. Lizard Island is a granite gem one hour’s low level scenic flying time north of Cairns surrounded by accessible lagoons and coral outcrops. Leaving the Cairns Airport General Aviation apron we will follow just 270 km of the 2,300 km reef passing Green Island and heading along the Ribbon Reefs of the Outer Barrier Reef along the extremity of Australia’s continental shelf.

From our altitude the reefs emerge from the deep blue Coral Sea as pools of glowing green and turquoise, a sight you can never appreciate from sea level.

This unique flying tour takes a maximum of 4 guests and one very knowledgeable pilot.

A short walk from the airfield on Lizard Island, lose your shoes and immerse yourself in the tropical waters to view the coral, clam gardens and darting tropical fish just a short swim from the white sandy beach. The detail and diversity of marine life on the reef is immediately apparent and to extrapolate that to the vast stretches of reef you have just flown over will give you a fundamental comprehension of this awesome living organism that most reef visitors are unable to appreciate.

A picnic lunch prepared by the Stratford Deli will satiate your heightened appetite and you will be ready to explore Lizard Island by foot. Strong shoes are recommended for the 45 minute walk to Cook’s Look, the highest point on the island at 360m (1180’). From there you can see Cooks Passage which the illustrious sailor observed in order to extricate his ship from the labyrinth of reefs in which he thought he had become trapped.

Imagine what it was like with no charts, a primitive sextant and one of the first chronometers to find your position. Grinding to a sudden halt on Endeavour Reef nearly 250 years ago would have been terrifying, so far from home and with absolutely no help at hand.

A shorter walk takes you to the magnificent Blue Lagoon off the end of the airstrip which beckons with turquoise waters surrounded by granite islands.

As The Afternoon Draws Close The Air Adventure Begins Again

The finale of the day comes with the scenic flights return journey, hugging the coast as we pass Cooktown and watch the windblown vegetation change to mountains blanketed in impenetrable tropical rainforest. Cape Tribulation, the Daintree and on to Port Douglas as the world becomes more civilised before landing again in Cairns.

You are our guests on this hosted tour. We will pick you up from Cairns City to Palm Cove and in between. Our aircraft is a Cessna Skymaster, unique in that it is twin engined so that we can safely explore the outer reef beyond the ability of single engined aircraft and helicopters. It is high winged with the engines arranged fore and aft to give you a magnificent viewing experience.

A special window in the door allows you to take almost vertical photos of the reef and rainforest as we pass over them. This type of aircraft was used in the Vietnam war because of its excellent viewing characteristics and a reputation for being almost indestructible and bringing it’s crew home from the most daring missions.

As an added touch we can lend you a snorkel & fins, even an underwater camera to capture your experience. We can even photograph you in action to impress your Facebook friends, all included, nothing extra to pay. There is no itinerary on this private charter flight although we suggest leaving Cairns around 9.00am.

We only have to leave Lizard Island before nightfall though you would miss the tropical coast & Daintree so we suggest leaving about 4.00pm to catch the contrasting shadows of the majestic mountains as they lengthen in the setting sun.

Spend your day on an air adventure with us.

Trip Advisor Review:

"Absolutely brilliant! Hew was a great host from pick up to drop off. Everything worked. Right on time. Flight was great and visibility with engine positions fantastic. The day on the island was magic. Couldn't have asked for better spot and everything down to the catering just made the entire trip for the family totally hassle free."

 

Underwater Camera Hire Cairns

If you’re going to the reef we highly recommend hiring an underwater camera so you can capture all the amazing things you see in high quality photos or videos. Show your friends and family back home the amazing and colourful underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef, keeping your precious memories safe for a lifetime. With lots of colourful fish, turtles, hard and soft corals, sharks and more on the reef, there is so much to take photos of! Get a selfie with friendly fish or maybe capture the next award winning National Geographic image! SUWC have a range of cameras to suit your budget and needs. Every camera rental comes with a FREE SD card for you to take home. Cameras can also be delivered direct to your accommodation to make things as easy as possible for you! Click here to hire your underwater camera.

 

 

 

Tour Languages Offered

• English

Departs From

Cairns

Departure Time

Departs 9:00am - Returns 6:00pm

Departure Instructions

You will be flying a twin engine Cessna Skymaster

Pickup Locations

• Cairns
• Cairns Northern Beaches
• Palm Cove

• Transfers from Cairns hotels are included.

Destinations

• Lizard Island
• Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef

Months of Operation

January - December

Days of Operation

Daily

Excludes Christmas Day

Duration

9 hours (approx)

Fitness Level Required

Medium

Restrictions

Maximum weight 110kg per person

Additional Information

You will be flying a twin engine Cessna Skymaster

• Camera
• Swimmers and a sun top (Tee shirt, preferably with long sleeves)
• Sunscreen & towel.
• Strong shoes if you want to explore the walking tracks. (Gym shoes are ok)
• Curiosity and a sense of adventure.

Children can come but the hire is for the whole plane at a flat rate hire, so they’re counted as one of the passengers.

• Full refund prior 7 days of depature
• 75% refund up to 24 hours of departure
• No refund inside 24h of travelling