5 Best Places To Camp In Cairns

Cairns and the surrounding areas offer campsites to suit all campers’ delights. Whether needing a weekend getaway in a pampered atmosphere or prefer a more secluded setting in your luxurious 4wd, outdoor lovers find a variety of locations.

Cairns Coconut Holiday Resort

When looking for a luxury campsite, Cairns Coconut Holiday Resort remains a popular destination. The facility lies on 28 acres of well-kept grounds that include rainforests, tropical gardens and vast lawns. Located on the southern Cairns entrance, the park offers a lagoon swimming pool and spa along with a splash water park, jumping pillow, tennis courts and giant chess. The long list of amenities also includes a camp kitchen, modern bathrooms, laundry facilities, miniature golf course and outdoor movies under the stars. Take snorkelling lessons or enjoy pleasant strolls around the property.

BIG4 Cairns Crystal Cascades Holiday Park

Crystal Cascades lies just 15 minutes from the heart of the city and remains another luxury camping option. The facility lies along the Freshwater Creek, which provides the perfect environment for bird watching, bushwalking and wildlife viewing. The park accommodates caravan and tent campers along with having condominiums and villas available. The property consists of lush, green lawns and tropical gardens along with every amenity desired. Prepare meals in the large camp kitchen, relax in the spa/swimming pool area or play a few games of tennis. The location also offers modern bathrooms, laundry facilities and Wi-Fi access.

Lake Placid Tourist Park

The park features caravan and tent sites in addition to cabin and villa accommodations set amongst 14 acres of tropical rainforest. The facility lies next to the clear waters of Lake Placid and near the Barron River Gorge National Park. Popular hikes include the 15-minute trek to the crystal stream. Guests enjoy modern bathroom and laundry facilities along with a stainless steel, outdoor camp kitchen, located near the pool area. A shop provides basic grocery needs, treats, supplies and mail service.

Danbulla National Park and State Forest

Campers desiring a more rural camping experience venture to this scenic national park. The park has six different campgrounds that lie next to or within close proximity to the Barron River or Tinaroo Lake. These areas allow boating, fishing and other water activities. Younger guests enjoy playing in the open spaces of The Chimneys. A popular hiking trail travels through the rainforest to Mobo Creek Crater. Each location offers sites on lawns and features flush toilets and fire rings. Campers must supply water, food and firewood. The forest spans around 12,000 hectares and supports numerous species of wildlife.

Davies Creek National Park

Pack up the camping gear and head less than one hour up the road to this scenic national park that lies on the Atherton Tableland. The rustic sites stand close to the clear waters of the creek, which accommodates swimming, canoeing and kayaking. The sites also have open fireplaces and pit toilets. The stunning scenery here includes eucalyptus forests and granite outcroppings and there are many different trails for hiking. Less than 10 kilometres down the Davies Creek Road lies the connecting Dinden National Park, which also features rural campsites.

Author Bio: Chelsea is an avid traveller and has been to many countries. She likes writing about her experiences and recommending activities and places to visit to those who are interested.

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Our 5 days Honeymoon Escapade Part 2 (Puerto Princesa - day 1)

For the first leg of our honeymoon my hubby requested for Coron (well, he was the guy I dumped for my Coron trip last year… check the story here) and  I on the other hand was aiming for El Nido, unfortunately none of us got what we want, so we settled for a neutral ground which is Puerto Princesa.

Puerto Princesa is the largest city in the country with a land area of  254k hectares.  It is the provincial capital of Palawan and the only major urban center in Palawan. 

During our city tour our tourist guide mentioned that this city has been acclaimed as one of the country’s cleanest and greenest cities but I am not so comfortable with that, just my personal opinion please, the city is already polluted! During our city tour and our 4 days stay there the traffic was terrible; they have so many tricycles and other public vehicles.  I can’t see much of “green” also in the main city, the place is getting so hot, there are so many establishments, not much trees, you have to go out of the main city to finally enjoy the scenery.  In spite of these things, Puerto Princesa is still a must visit, why? It is a gateway to paradise! You can travel to El Nido from here, to the world famous Underground River, Honda bay and other beaches nearby.

3) Tours - after booking for our flights and accommodations, I made a concrete travel itinerary. I want to make sure that we will maximize our stay by seeing all best places the city has to offer. For PPS of course #1 must is the Underground River, 2nd is Honda Bay,  then I made sure to include city tour, firefly watching and a "must" is to try their famous "Tamilok" ( read about our Tamilok experience here).  

Day 1 in Puerto Princesa:

We arrived around 12 noon, we checked in at the hotel, grabbed  a quick lunch and joined the City Tour  (wrong move for me… I should have opt for motorbike rental! Will tell you later why…) We spent P1,200 for this tour (P600 x 2 pax)

Here are some places included in the city tour:

Plaza Cuartel

           Palawan aside from its beautiful beaches and diving sites is also rich in history. Plaza Cuartel is actually a Japanese garrison in the WW2 used for American prisoners of war.  Our tourist guide told us the gruesome story behind the place. A lot of American soldiers were killed here by being burned alive.

  Immaculate Conception Cathedral

            The blue cathedral is an eye catching sight because of its architectural design and of course its color. It is located at Barangay Liwanag  just beside Plaza Cuartel.  This cathedral was built during the Spanish colonization and the center of local's spiritual refuge especially during the war.
            

 City Baywalk
               This newly developed place is a great place for strolling and a perfect place to view Puerto Princesa bay. It is a reclaimed area converted by their local government into a recreation center. It is seaside with colorful lights at night  that gives the place a romantic atmosphere. We were there before Christmas and they have stalls and concert and a giant Christmas tree! We enjoyed the giant Christmas tree and the food stalls the most!

  Souvenir Shops

      What's a city tour  without visiting their souvenir shops? They have a lot in the city.   Enjoy your shopping and don't forget to bargain!

Crocodile Farm

     One of the most frequented place in Puerto Princesa. This place is where they rehabilitate rescued animals before they are released in the wild. They also breed crocodiles here and you will see them in the hatchery where thousand of baby crocodiles are being taken care of until they are mature enough to be released in the wild.  I had my chance of holding and carrying a baby crocodile for the first time.. yey! And first time also to ever try a crocodile meat. 

After your tour, you can roam around in their park or mini-zoo, which is a disappointing place for me. It was not properly maintained and quite scary and creepy to visit specially if you are alone. There are no pathways and most wooden bridges and cottages were already in need of repairs. We just walked around for a while and left the place as soon as possible.

Aside from the places mentioned above we also went to Binuatan Weaving Creations, Baker's Hill and Mitra Ranch. Will post the continuation of our day 1 PPS adventure soon!

 1. (Intro - Our 5 days honeymoon escapade)                                                                       continuation of our adventure!                               

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