How Many Days Do You Need In The Whitsundays?
Most people will recommend a minimum of 4 days when visiting The Whitsundays and here is why.
Airlie Beach and The Whitsundays are all about slowing down, unwinding and taking in the beautiful scenery. Sunset beers and alfresco dining is a way of life here that may take the average city dweller time to adjust to.
If you are wanting to visit Whitehaven Beach then you will need to put aside an entire day for that. Our tour Thundercat runs from 9 am to 5 pm which generally gives you two snorkels, 2 hours on Whitehaven Beach and a thrilling ride on our custom-designed speed boats.
This is a big day that will take its toll on your body and almost force you to have a very relaxed next day. The reason for this is because your body is working the entire time on the boat to keep your internal organs in place as the boat moves around.
Thundercat is by far the best boat option around here in terms of ride comfort so choosing Thundercat will reduce the severity of your fatigue as compared to other tour operators in Airlie Beach.
Following your day of lying around by a pool, you might feel it’s time to do something. We would recommend a hike on day 3 of your holiday. We have several options on the mainland near Airlie Beach and if you are staying on Hamilton Island there are also a few really nice options.
The best hike that is directly accessible from Airlie Beach without a car is the Honey Eater Trail. This will take you up the hill behind Airlie and provide you with a well-earned view over The Whitsundays. This hike will take around 5 hours if you are walking directly from the main street. It’s definitely a challenging hike which is really only recommended for people who consider themselves to be ‘fit’.
If that is not for you, you can spend a couple of hours following the boardwalk along the foreshore of Airlie all the way to Cannonvale Beach and back.
If hiking and walking is not your thing then you may like to visit one of our famous pubs. Most of them open at 10 am and will normally be busy by 11 am. That’s not because Airlie Beach locals are alcoholics, it’s because the visitor to local ratio in Airlie Beach normally hovers around 15:1. Everyone is here for a good time, not many are here for a long time.
>>> Airlie Beach Pubs and Clubs
The Whitsundays is all about taking a break from the pressures of normality and this can often take a couple of days to wind down to. For this reason, people who pass through and only spend a day or two do not get to experience the true Whitsundays experience.
We strongly recommend at least 4 days when visiting The Whitsundays, any less and you will regret not staying longer.