Why we Love Lady Elliot Gold Coast Experience

Fully immerse yourself in nature and the Great Barrier Reef, and experience a place where humans and the environment work in harmony. Lady Elliot Island, off the grid and an ecotourism success story.

The Lady Elliot Gold Coast Experience is an all inclusive day trip, fully guided from start to finish where you will be left amazed with a 1¾ hour scenic flight (each way) from Gold Coast Airport.
Hotel *transfers are included, a door to door service!

The visit allows you to view one of the most pristine sections of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef from the air as well as from above and below the water all in one day. The islands location on the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef offers outstanding marine interactions, most notably marine turtles and giant manta rays and easily accessible for visitors to South-East Queensland.

Your day will include the following highlights;

• Knowledgable, informative and friendly bilingual guide
• See the Southern Great Barrier Reef from the Air
• Enjoy a day with passionate naturalist guides
• Get up close with turtles and fingers crossed a Manta Ray!
• Snorkel over stunning corals
• Be part of an ecotourism success story

Departures / Flight Times:

• Surfers Paradise / Gold Coast
  • Pick-ups start from 6:00am
  • Depart Gold Coast Airport: 6:45am ⇆ Arrive Lady Elliot Island: 9:00am
  • Depart Lady Elliot Island: 2:30pm ⇆  Arrive Gold Coast Airport: 4:30pm
  • Drop-off at Hotels 5:15pm approx.

*Flight times vary depending on weather, aircraft type and possible transit stops.
*Operates: Daily – Except Christmas Day (25 December)

*Hotel Transfers:
Available from Surfers Paradise Hotels and Resorts and properties located along the Gold Coast Highway between the Sundale Bridge and Coolangatta with the exception of Mercure Resort Gold Coast and the Royal Pines Resort.
Guests staying outside this area can be picked up from a designated meeting place within these perimeters.

What is included:

• Hotel transfers*
• Return scenic flights to Lady Elliot Island
• Light breakfast (served inflight)
• Afternoon tea/Bottled water & chocolate (served inflight)
• Welcome drink/Orientation tour
• Glass bottom boat/Guided snorkel tour
• Snorkel equipment (mask, snorkel, fins and wetsuits)
• Hot & cold buffet lunch including beer, wine and soft drink
• Afternoon guided activity/tour
• Towels, sunscreen and reef walking shoes provided
• Use of day guest facilities
• Fully Guided Tour / Tour Guide Available at all times

What you need:

• Swim wear and beach towel
• Hat and Sunglasses
• Comfortable walking shoes/crocs
• Reef walking shoes with covered toes (communal shoes on the Island for guests to borrow)
• Please consider a Re-useable/Sustainable Water Bottle
• Please use Reef/Coral Safe Sunscreen (Sunscreen is provided)
• Camera/Phone

Luggage Limit – Small backpack (max 4kg) – Items must be carried on the lap or put in the baggage compartment as there are no overhead lockers and there is no stowage facility under the seats.

Lady Elliot Gold Coast Experience:

(This is an example itinerary of a typical day)

Your Fully Guided Tour commences with a pickup from your Gold Coast hotel at approximately 6.00am and a complementary transfer to Gold Coast Airport. Enjoy a mesmerising 1¾ hour scenic flight en-route to Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort, taking in aerial views of the Gold Coast, North and South Stradbroke Islands, Moreton Island and Fraser Island.

Upon arrival on Lady Elliot Island, the guide will take you on a brief orientation tour of the island and will escort you to the Day Guest facilities for the start of your exciting day on the island regarded as one of the best snorkelling and diving locations on the reef, famous for its unspoilt coral reef and amazing array of marine life.

Activity Time! You will be fitted out with snorkel equipment before joining a glass bottom boat and guided snorkel tour to explore the islands fringing reef where you will come face to face with a large variety of coral and brilliantly coloured fish. Outstanding marine encounters at Lady Elliot Island include green and loggerhead turtles, dolphins and majestic resident manta rays.

Lunch! After an exciting morning enjoy a delicious hot and cold buffet lunch served in the eco resorts restaurant including a choice of wine, beer and soft drink. Enjoy lunch with magical ocean views from the Lagoon deck or if you prefer some quiet time on the western deck.

After lunch, join your guide for fish feeding in the Fish Pond and at 2.30pm depart on a scenic flight back to Gold Coast.

The tour concludes at approximately 4.30pm with a return transfer back to your hotel.

A light breakfast and afternoon tea (Bottled water & chocolate) are served inflight.

Lady Elliot Island is a nature lover’s sanctuary and regardless of what time of the year you visit there is always so much to see.

A popular question is “What time of the year is best to visit the Island?”
This is not an easy question to answer and depends on what type of interaction you are hoping for.

The information below and nature’s calendar may help you to decide.

Ocean Conditions

Water visibility during May and June is exceptional and this is when the manta rays are particularly prevalent. Compare our average visibility of over 30 metres and warmer water than the southern states during summer.

Manta Ray Season*

Lady Elliot Island is known as the ‘Home of the Manta Ray’ and these giant kites of the sea can be seen feeding around the island throughout the year but aggregate in larger numbers during the winter months of May, June, July and August. The manta ray is the world’s largest ray, with a wing span of up to seven meters.

Turtle Nesting Season*

Lady Elliot has three species of sea turtles frequenting the island throughout the year – Hawksbill, Green and Loggerhead turtles. Green and Loggerhead turtles are the only ones that nest on the Island occurring between November and March. 

These gentle giants nest on Lady Elliot Island up to nine times in a season, laying between 80 and 120 eggs per clutch. Under the careful guidance of our Turtle Rangers, guests of all ages can experience this amazing phenomena.

Turtle Hatching Season*

At the end of the nesting season thousands of baby turtles push through their sand nest on their way to the sea. This wonder of nature occurs only metres from the resort beach front balconies and can be observed at close quarters by all. Turtle hatching season normally runs from February through to April.

Sea Bird Season

Lady Elliot Island is a bird lovers haven with thousands of sea birds nesting on Lady Elliot Island during the summer breeding season from September to March. It gets quite busy and a little noisy at times (and sometimes a bit smelly) but it’s a very entertaining time on the Island!

Migrating Humpback Whales*

From June to October these graceful creatures migrate past Lady Elliot Island. Regular sightings occur on the scenic flights, from the glass bottom boat, whilst snorkelling or diving  and from the Island’s beaches. Almost daily during the season, whale songs can be heard under the water while swimming, snorkelling and diving around Lady Elliot Island.

Eco-Certification Awards

The following Eco-Accreditation from Eco Tourism Australia had been achieved.

• Eco Certified Advanced Ecotourism
  Australia’s leading and most innovative ecotourism products, providing an opportunity to learn about the environment with an operator who is committed to achieving best practice when using resources wisely, contributing to the conservation of the environment and helping local communities.
• Climate Action Leader
  Businesses have incorporated strategic climate change responses across all relevant levels of business planning and operations. They are measuring and auditing their carbon footprint via a creditable system and have undertaken an advanced level of adaptation, emissions reduction and offsetting and are working towards becoming carbon neutral.

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Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort Eco-Initiatives

Our team recognises that sustainability is an ongoing journey with incremental steps continuing to be taken as our knowledge widens and technology improves. Good environmental management is achieved through our detailed Environmental Management System. Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort has made remarkable progress on many environmental management fronts since taking over the Resort lease 8 years ago.

Operating an island resort 80km out to sea presents a multitude of challenges on a daily basis. The island generates its own power, desalinates seawater for drinking purposes, maintains a waste water treatment plant and recycles the majority of its rubbish. The Resort has gained a wealth of knowledge in these technologies and has set new benchmarks for sustainable tourism on the Great Barrier Reef.

Download Lady Elliot Island Experience ‘Fact Sheet’ detailing their ‘Clean and Green Initiatives’

General Information

• All additional Dietary Requirements can be catered for – Please ask upon booking
• Itineraries may be subject to change dependant on weather and other circumstances
• Prices are in Australian Dollars (AU$)

Hotel Transfers

Complimentary guest transfers for the Great Barrier Reef Day Tour includes Surfers Paradise Hotels and Resorts and properties located along the Gold Coast Highway between the Sundale Bridge and Coolangatta with the exception of Mercure Resort Gold Coast and the Royal Pines Resort. Guests staying outside this area can be picked up from a designated meeting place within these perimeters.

Bookings and Payment:

Day Tours

• 20% Deposit is required at time of booking
• Full payment is due 7 days prior to travel
• If travel is within 7 days full payment is due at the time of booking

Peak Season Surcharge

• Adult fares only are increased during the Summer School Holiday Christmas Period – please see pricing for dates

Weather Conditions:

Please be aware that Lady Elliot Island cannot be responsible for the weather.  Should weather conditions result in Lady Elliot Eco Resort cancelling the tour, you will be able to transfer your trip to another date at no additional cost. If your travel plans do not allow you to postpone, a *full refund will be issued. 

Please note that weather conditions may vary whilst on the Island and may result in cancellation of water activities.
Once the day trip has commenced no refund will be issued.

Cancellation/Refund Policy:

• If you cancel at least 3 days in advance of the scheduled departure, there is a 10% cancellation fee.
• If you cancel between 24-48 hours in advance of the scheduled departure, there is a 50% cancellation fee.
• If you cancel within 24 hours of the scheduled departure, there is a 100% cancellation fee.
• Pre-booked scuba divers that fail the onboard medical questionnaire are NOT entitled to a refund.