A Scenic Flight and a Boat Day in the Whitsundays
Whitsundays scenic flight and boat tour combinations: the Fly Raft package that does both in one day, a reef pontoon day with a helicopter add-on, or a flight and a boat day booked apart.
The scenic flight and boat tour in one booking that we link from Airlie Beach is the Fly Raft package, Airlie Beach: Fly Raft Package with Scenic Flight & Snorkeling. A 60-minute flight over the islands, Hill Inlet, Whitehaven Beach and Heart Reef, then a day on semi-rigid boats with the walk to the Hill Inlet Lookout, a snorkel on a fringing reef and lunch on Whitehaven Beach, from US$388 a person (checked November 2026). The other combinations here are two bookings on two days.
Both of its options were the same price on every date we read (14 November and 8 December 2026, 12 January 2027). On Queensland public holidays a surcharge of A$20 an adult, A$10 a child or A$50 for a family of two adults and two children (Australian dollars), is added, and drinks and snacks on board are extra.
Three ways to combine them
Airlie Beach: Fly Raft Package with Scenic Flight & Snorkeling
The Fly Raft package: the flight first, then the boats to Hill Inlet Lookout, a fringing-reef snorkel and lunch on Whitehaven Beach. Two options at the same price. Not for pregnant women, back problems or over 125 kg.
Check dates →From Airlie Beach: Great Barrier Reef Adventure Cruise
Cruise Whitsundays: 10 hours, by boat to a pontoon at Hardy Reef for snorkelling, a semi-submersible and an underwater observatory, with lunch. It does not visit Heart Reef; free cancellation up to two days before.
See the day →Airlie Beach: Whitsunday Islands & Heart Reef Scenic Flight
Fly Australia Charter: 60 minutes over the islands, Whitehaven, Hill Inlet and Hardy, Hook and Heart reefs, ten minutes by bus from Airlie Beach. Pair it with any boat day.
See the flight →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
The Fly Raft day
The package starts with a bus from one of 17 named stops in Airlie Beach and the 60-minute flight, with a guaranteed window seat. Then come the boats: semi-rigid inflatables of up to 12 metres that run at up to 35 knots. The day is limited to 12 participants. You choose one of two options when you book:
| Option | Starts | On the water |
|---|---|---|
| North Whitehaven (Fly Raft Package, Ocean Rafting) | 7:00 AM | Two snorkel sites, Hill Inlet and the walk to the lookout |
| South Whitehaven (Fly Raft Package, Ocean Rafting) | 8:15 AM | One snorkel site, at least two hours on Whitehaven Beach, Hill Inlet Lookout and the Southern Whitehaven Lookout |
GetYourGuide (checked November 2026); start times as read on 14 November and 8 December 2026 and 12 January 2027. On 14 November 2026 only North Whitehaven was on sale.
The same package sells on Viator as Fly Raft Package: Whitehaven Beach, Snorkel and Scenic Flight for US$396 (checked November 2026). For the day hour by hour, fly-raft.com goes through it in order.
It does not suit everyone. The package is not for pregnant women, people with back problems or mobility impairments and anyone over 125 kg, everyone must climb into the plane unaided, and its timings do not fit a cruise-ship day in port.
The pontoon day and Heart Reef
Cruise Whitsundays' Great Barrier Reef Adventure Cruise goes the other way: about four hours at Hardy Reef, in the water and under it, with no flight included. The operator sells helicopter flights as an optional extra, at your own expense and depending on availability, and publishes no price for them; Tourism Whitsundays describes them as flights to Heart Reef. This is the day for coral up close. It does not show you the heart from above unless you add that helicopter flight.
The boat leaves Port of Airlie at 8:00am and is back at 6:10pm, on the operator’s own timetable, so you cannot fit a scenic flight round it on the same day. Book the flight on another day.
Two bookings on two days
If you want the outer reef from the air and a full day on the water, the simplest plan is Fly Australia Charter’s flight on one day and a boat day on another. Fly Australia Charter’s activity is 65 minutes, with a ten-minute courtesy bus at each end, so a flight morning leaves the afternoon free. Both the flight and the Fly Raft day cancel free up to 24 hours before; the pontoon day up to two days before.
For seeing Whitehaven from the air and from the sand without planning two days, the Fly Raft package is the one to book.
More from Airlie Beach
Flights and Island Days with Open Dates
Scenic flights, boat days and reef trips from Airlie Beach with live availability. Where each starts, what it includes and the cancellation terms are shown before you book.
Fly First, Then Whitehaven by Boat
The Fly Raft package: a 60-minute scenic flight, then semi-rigid boats to the Hill Inlet Lookout, a fringing-reef snorkel and lunch on Whitehaven Beach.
See the day