We will be spending two days in Port Douglas during the second week of Oct. We arive by plane in Cairns around 11am. Any suggestions for our first day there since we probably will not arrive at Port Douglas until afternoon.We will spend 1 day snorkling. Would you suggest the Wavelength tour? We also can't decide between a tour of Daintree Rainforest or Kuranda. Or would you suggest another way of spending our second day (flying back to Sydney in the evening) Please help! There will be three adults traveling. Thank you!

If you arrive in Cairns around 11 am, you should be in Port Douglas by 1pm. There are several things you could do that afternoon--take a long walk on Four Mile Beach, laze on the beach, get close to animals at the Rainforest Habitat, or drive to Mossman and hike the easy 3km rainforest trail at Mossman Gorge.
I would definitely go with Wavelength to the GBR. I have gone out with them 5 times and have never had a bad trip. I love the fact that they carry a maximum of 30 people, so you get personalized attention. They are tops for snorkeling.
If you like being out with nature, I would definintely opt for a Daintree Rainforest tour. (We did it on our own and were rewarded with an up-close visit by a cassowary!) If you prefer to visit a small (but somewhat touristy) town, go to Kuranda. You can drive yourself, go by train or go by Skyrail. The Skyrail trip is pretty neat, traveling over to top of the trees. However, I found the train trip to be a bit of a bore, especially since you are packed in like sardines and only have a good view if you are lucky enough to get a window seat.

Hi,
the afternoon of your first day could look like this. Walk along beautiful 4-mile-beach to the Rainforest Habitat animal park. It is a lovely park with all the animals you want to see. 4-mile-beach is one of the most beautiful beaches up there.
Yes, go with Wavelength, it is the best snorkelling trip out of Port. Just be careful with the weather. The boat is small and not recommended in rough weather. Just check the weather 2 days ahead. Book ahead as October can be very busy. Most companies have a 24hrs cancellation policy.
Go to the Daintree (Kuranda is too touristy, not much to see). It is really nice and unique to the area.
I would highly recommend to go with Pete from Daintree-Specialised-Tours. He offers great bushwalks or charters into the area and he has a great knowledge of all plants, foods, bushmedicines and animals.
If you need more infos or links, just visit
www.wonderfulaustralia.com

Thank you both for your suggestions. I plan to book a Wavelength tour and daintree rainforest tour. Only a few more weeks to go and getting very excited!!

Another vote for Wavelength and Daintree and another fantastic experience you may want to consider is para gliding/ para sailing over the beach.

Sorry, can't remember the name of the tour company we used but we just organized it when we got there. It was a magical experience with a fabulous view. I was a little nervous at first and had to be talked into it and I'm so glad I did it. It was tandem so 2 people sit next to each other as the "parachute" climbs as the boat gathers speed.

Ascent was from inside the boat so you don't even have to get wet. When the parachute comes down it descends so slowly that there is no stomach dropping either!