Tours available within the Butterfly Sanctuary provide good information about the life cycle, mating habits, eggs (which they can recognize well enough to know what variety it is), and how they collect them each day. I was advised by someone to wear a red or pink shirt to attract the butterflies. Don’t know if they were any more attracted to me than others, but the idea made sense.

Birdworld offers the opportunity to be surrounded in an aviary by free-flying birds. A variety of native birds, from the cassowary (my favorite) to macaws and black swans. You can also feed the colorful lorikeets, who do not like to be petted.

Kuranda should have been a two-day trip. I also walked around the path that meanders through the rainforest and along the river. Still, this left me no time for a river cruise, 4WD nature tour, aboriginal dance troupe, or a visit to the herb farm.

Skyrail is a completely different view of Kuranda and the surrounding rainforest. Skimming just barely above the tops of the trees, I found myself looking down at bird’s nests and large clusters of epiphytes with all the tiny new leaves sprouting up from the very top. Looking across the mountaintops, I could even see out to the Great Barrier Reef. What a panoramic view! I even looked behind me seeing how far I’d come on this cable ride. I have never been on one this long.

There are two points that you have the option of getting off for few minutes and taking the next car. Both stops need a minimum of 20 minutes each, making the entire trip about 1 1/4 hours in duration.

The first stop is Red Peak Station, where there is 175-metre boardwalk with interpretive signs. There is also a bench with a clock above, indicating when the next ranger led tour is which is usually every 20 minutes. There is also an interpretive center which shows various wildlife and plantlife you may encounter and their parts in the ecosystem.

Barron Falls Station offers spectacular views of Barron Falls. Walk along the boardwalk to see the large flat pools that flow over the jagged rocks. Continue along the path were you can view the falls reaching the bottom pool. This stop provides a rather top-to-bottom overview of these magnificent falls and the incredible terrain beneath them. Here, too, is an interpretive center to gain more insight to the area.

From here, hop into the gondola for another 10 minutes and reach the bottom, where return transportation awaits.

Barron Gorge is a five-minute drive from Kuranda and offers magnificent views of the waterfalls and tropical rainforest. There are well signed walking trails. You can reach Kuranda by Sky Rail and the famous Kuranda Train –- a suggested option is to Sky Rail up and Kuranda Train back down -– there is some awesome scenery along the way.

The award-winning Skyrail Rainforest Cableway (open daily from 8AM to 5PM), which opened in 1995, begins at the Caravonica Terminal near Smithfield, a town about 9 miles northwest of Cairns. You can buy your ticket ahead of time, but we had no problem in purchasing at the terminal. Along the 4.7-mile route of the cableway, there are 36 towers supporting the 114 gondola cabins that glide continuously throughout the day. These towers were placed with the utilization of helicopters to minimize the disturbance of the rainforest. Each pod-like gondola can seat six persons, has glass windows that slide open slightly, and is well maintained for a smooth ride over the treetops.

Red Peak Station is the highest point on the cableway at 1788 feet. The boardwalk here is located along the forest floor in the middle of the thick rainforest. Rangers can give brief guided tours at this first intermediate stop, or you can enjoy the lush scenery and informative signs at your own pace.

Next up is the Barron Falls Station, which has nice lookouts of the picturesque Barron River, Gorge and Falls. There is a Rainforest Interpretative Centre, with colorful and educational displays and computers that are popular with the kids.

After the Skyrail crosses over the Barron River, you land at the Kuranda Terminal. The Kuranda Railway Station is not far from this last Skyrail terminal. There is a free shuttle between the Kuranda Terminal and the village, but the distance covered is so short that walking is an easier option. Once you are in the village of Kuranda, there are a multitude of excursions. This list includes a bird aviary, butterfly sanctuary, and rainforest nature park. The various markets sell all sorts of local handcrafted goods. There are even bizarre souvenirs like coin pouches made from kangaroo scrotum or cane toad carcasses (I am not kidding!). Shops selling slightly simpler souvenirs are connected to the top (Kuranda) and bottom (Caravonica) terminals of Skyrail.

This is a very nice ride -- beautiful scenery and peaceful. I enjoyed the rainforest walk with the very attractive rainforest ranger.