What is there to do in the Whitsundays?
Get on a boatAlmost nothing worth seeing here is reachable from land.
Get on a boat — that is the honest answer. The Whitsundays are 74 islands, and the three things everyone comes for are all offshore: Whitehaven Beach, seven kilometres of pure silica sand; the Hill Inlet lookout, the view down over the swirling sand at the north end; and snorkelling the fringing reefs off the islands. Airlie Beach itself is where the boats leave from and where you eat afterwards. Two hours from $87, a full day from $199, two nights from $439.
Checked on 6 October 2026.
People arrive in Airlie Beach and look for things to do in the town. The town is the car park. Everything worth the trip is an hour or two offshore, and that shapes the whole answer.
The three things everyone comes for
- Whitehaven Beachseven kilometres of silica sand so pure it squeaks and stays cool underfoot. It is national park, there is nothing built on it, and you reach it by boat.
- The Hill Inlet lookouta short bush walk up from Tongue Bay to the view over the sand swirling through the inlet. This is the photograph you have already seen.
- Snorkelling off the islandsfringing reef in the bays, not the outer reef. Clear, sheltered and straight off the back of the boat.
- Sleeping at anchora different bay each night, which is the part people actually talk about afterwards.
By how long you have
| You have | What it gets you | The trip |
|---|---|---|
| Two hours | A sunset sail out across the bay from Airlie. A lovely evening, not a substitute for a day out. | Sunset sail — from $87 |
| One day | Whitehaven and a snorkel stop, back for dinner. No overnight. | Day sails — from $199 |
| Two days, one night | Whitehaven, Hill Inlet and a night at anchor. The short version of the real thing. | 2 day sailing — from $445 |
| Three days, two nights | The one most people take. Time to snorkel properly, two nights aboard, and no rush at Whitehaven. | 3 day sailing — from $439 |
Three days often costs less than two, because the two-night boats carry more people and sell on volume.
A day on the water
| Trip | Length | What you get | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon Sunset Sail - Providence | 2 hours | — | $87 |
| 1 Day Whitsunday - Providence | 1 day | — | $199 |
| 1 Day Whitsunday Sail - Lady Enid | 1 day | — | $259 |
Two and three nights aboard
| Trip | Length | Group | What you get | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Day Whitsunday Sailing - Habibi | 2 days, 1 night | Max 26 | — | $445 |
| 2 Day Whitsunday - Waltzing Matilda | 2 days, 1 night | Max 14 | — | $459 |
| 3 Day Whitsunday Sail - Solway Voyager | 3 days, 2 nights | 18 to 32 | — | $439 |
| 3 Day Whitsunday Sailing - Adventurer | 3 days, 2 nights | Max 12 | — | $675 |
| 3 Day Whitsunday Sailing - Entice | 3 days, 2 nights | Max 10 | — | $759 |
| 3 Day Whitsunday Sail - Atlantic Clipper | 3 days, 2 nights | Max 54 | — | $759 |
The small boats carry 12 to 14 and the big one up to 54. Same islands, same beach — the difference is how lively the trip is.
Worth knowing before you book
- Every one of these leaves from Airlie Beachmostly from Coral Sea Marina. There is more on where to base yourself on our where do you stay to see the Whitsundays page.
- You sleep on the boaton the two and three day trips, so those nights are nights you are not paying for a room.
- Stinger suits are carriedbetween roughly November and May, when marine stingers are about on the Queensland coast.
- This is fringing reef, not the outer reef.If diving the outer Great Barrier Reef is the priority, Cairns is the better base — see Cairns or the Whitsundays.
Passing through on the east coast?
The Whitsundays sit in the middle of the Brisbane to Cairns run, and on those trips the sailing, the hostel nights and the buses between towns are all booked before you leave home.
7 Day Brisbane to Cairns Highlightsfrom $14497 days, 6 nightsHostel7 days — K'gari, the Whitsundays and the reefView trip
10 Day Brisbane to Cairns Highlightsfrom $199910 days, 9 nightsHostel, Boat, Camping10 days — a night on the sailing boat includedView trip
14 Days Brisbane to Cairns Highlightsfrom $233914 days, 13 nightsHostel, Boat, Camping14 days — the full runView tripWhere this comes from. What each boat visits, its capacity, where you sleep and the prices are that trip's own details as held on its page here, and prices update on their own. Stinger season follows Queensland Health's published advice for the tropical coast.