3 Day Tag-Along & Camping · Rainbow Beach
Pippies is the K'gari tag-along where the price you see is the price you pay. Vehicle insurance, hot showers, firewood and sleeping gear are all included, which other camping tours charge extra for. You drive behind your guide from Rainbow Beach and spend two nights at Pippies' own permanent campsite near Cathedrals.
Price per person. No extra costs for showers, firewood or vehicle insurance.
Guide, 4WD, insurance, barge, permits, camping and main meals. Departs 7:00am, Monday to Saturday.
The same tour plus a 4 or 6 share dorm at Pippies Beachhouse the night before and after. Departs 7:00am, Monday to Saturday.
Times move with the tides. Pippies sends the final plan the day before.
When backpackers ask me which K'gari camping trip is the best value, I point them here. Pippies is family owned and runs the tour from its own hostel in Rainbow Beach. You can sleep there the night before, leave your big bag in the storeroom and walk to the 7am departure.
The campsite is the other reason. It is permanent and powered, with hot showers and flushing toilets, and there is a shop and bottle shop on site. You are still in a tent, but it is camping without the usual hassle. Pippies also aims to be first onto the island and last off, so the days on the sand are long.
The fine print: drivers need to be 21 with a licence held for a year, the groups are mostly 18 to 35, and the cancellation rules are firm. Why it earns Best Value Tag-Along and a 4.7: three full days with nothing left to pay once you are on the island.
We live in Cairns and we book these tours every week. These are the guides we send guests before they choose.
50 km offshore against 105 km. The numbers.
Read the guide → PlanningHow Many Days in Cairns?Four is the minimum, five is the sweet spot.
Read the guide → CostsWhat a Reef Tour CostsHalf-day to premium, and where the extras hide.
Read the guide → BookingDo You Need a Travel Agent?When it is worth it, and when to book direct.
Read the guide →From $659 per person