Crystal Cascades Canyoning Half Day Tour
If you like the taste of adventure and you have never been canyoning, you should try it on.
Located just 25 minutes driving from Cairns CBD, Crystal Cascades is one of the best choices even for the locals. Surrounded by the rainforest, creatures such as pitons, turtles, waterfall frogs and exotic plants such as gympie gympie, wait-while trees and many more are seen even under canopy in the public footpath public walking.
The trip
It is up to you to do the morning or afternoon trip. Your canyoning guide will pick you up on time from the place you advised in your booking. After sorting all the paper work and gear you need such as shoes, wetsuit, harness, helmet and life jacket you will be taken to the location, be walked across the public area, access the restrict location where the safety talk is given and the adventure starts. It takes between two and three ours to cross 470 meters length. The steep area provides several abseils, jumps, rockslides, zip-line, swimming and scrambling.
Highlights
The main waterfall in this section is called Big Cheese. The abseil in this 30-meter whet cliff (waterfall) is usually the favourite one among people. Be ready to have water pumping all over your body.
10 meters cliff jump
The Big Cheese waterfall leads straight to a 10-meter jumping area, landing in a deep pool. It is possible to climb back up using the safe lines and repeat the jump and/or explore behind the waterfall curtain, sliding into the powerful water.
Triple Treat
A sequence of overhang abseil and cliff-jump in the steep and narrow part of Crystal Cascades area, being one of the most beautiful locations.
The cave
An interesting rock formation, the wet cave is a home of the waterfall frogs which are always there. However sometimes the frogs become hard to be found without Gide’s help due to their dark colour working as a camouflage on the dark rocks inside the cave. To access the place is necessary crawling across a little swift water gap and step up on some rocks. The area is very loud due to the water that drops down in the cave.
Zip Line
Not many trips in Australia provide zip lining experience deep in the jungle for sure. The 10 metres high and 25-meter length is enough to keep people smiling. The interesting things about this activity are the facts of the landing is in a little water pool area, between two waterfalls and the participants have the chance of seen guides tensioning the ropes. Once people have experienced it, the ropes are taken off.
Bazz`s Spa
It is about swimming across a small pool accessing the back of a waterfall, being pushed under by the powerful water. Takes about 3 to 5 seconds to the lifejacket bring you back up to the water surface area. If you keep your eyes open, you will see lots of bubbles created under water. The place looks like a hydromassage bath in a large scale.
Devil`s Drop
The 20-meter waterfall is the limit between the public and restrict area being the last abseil of the trip, finishing landing in the deep-water pool. The area is usually full of people watching what is going on, sometimes supporting and clamping the canyoners on the rope. Good fun!
Note
There are many other places that could be listed about Crystal Cascades Canyoning trip.
After finishing the trip, it is necessary to walk 15 minutes back down to the car park where people are getting changed and taken back to Town. Photos are provided to purchase by the end of the day in case you do not want to risk losing your own waterproof camera while in the canyon.
Enjoy it!
Marcio Garbuio