A boat trip around the Whitsunday Islands of Australia’s east coast is almost a right of passage for travelers. It’s probably one of the top three “must do” activities along the coast and you have your choice of a one day, two day and one night, or three day and two night tour of the Whitsundays.
I opted for two days and one night and my expectations were high. It had been a while since something really blew me away. A lot of rain during the majority of my travels up Australia’s east coast has put a bit of a damper on things, including excursions that were meant to be mind blowing.
So, when the morning of my two day sailing trip in the Whitsundays came up I was praying for sunshine and this time, Mother Nature pulled through. With the sun shining brightly even at 9am, we climbed aboard Freight Train, a 62 ft. racing yaht and sailed out to sea.
Everyone quickly got comfortable on board and spent the next few hours soaking up the sunshine on the deck of the boat, with the occasional ice cold refreshing soak when the giant waves sprayed up on board.
While I haven’t spent much time on boats in my life, it turns out I really love them. Sailing around the Whitsundays was the epitome of relaxation and adventure all at once. As we were sailing, the crew whipped us up a delicious lunch and before we knew it we were at the most popular stop of the Whitsundays: Whitehaven Beach.
Known for the unique swirling pattern of the sand from above, Whitehaven Beach also has the finest, powdery soft sand in the world. When you arrive on the island, take the short forest walk up to the lookout to get those postcard perfect shots that you see everywhere. Honestly, on a clear sunny day like ours the view was unbeatable and the highlight of my afternoon spent at the beach.
As we sailed away from Whitehaven and to our little bay for the night, the sun set and put on an incredible display of pinks and purples, oranges and reds, giving way to a brilliant night sky of stars as the boat rocked gently with the waves in the bay.
As if my time on a boat could get any better, waking up on a boat is another experience entirely. Waking up slowly, with a cozy sweater and a warm cup of tea in hand, I made my way up to the deck to have a seat in the morning sun as it began to rise above the hills of Hook Island.
That was bliss.
Seriously, I could definitely get used to more mornings on a boat at sea. And to top things off, as soon as breakfast was finished, we hopped into the water for our first of three snorkels that day. From colorful coral to friendly fish, the rest of the afternoon was spent under the sea or drying off in the sun on the boat. Along the way, we even spotted two dolphins and an absolutely massive sea turtle as we sailed back into Airlie Beach – the icing on the cake after such a beautiful two days at sea.
Are you heading to the Whitsundays? I would highly recommend at least a two day, one night tour and, if your budget will allow, a scenic flight over the island. A friend showed me the footage from his scenic flight tour over the Whitsundays and it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.
That being said, if you don’t luck out with the right weather I can see it not being quite as great of an experience as I had.
Tip: Bring a rain jacket if you have one. Even if it didn’t rain for us, we all got soaked from the waves multiple times which left everyone in a shivering heap. And if you’re going up during Queensland’s wet season, you should expect a bit of rain during your Whitsundays trip!