The Captain Cook Highway runs about 70 km from Cairns to Port Douglas, and it's one of those rare airport-to-hotel drives that's genuinely worth looking out the window for. The road hugs the coast almost the entire way, with the Coral Sea on one side and rainforest-covered mountains on the other.
About 30 minutes out of Cairns, Rex Lookout is the classic photo stop — a sweeping view back down the coastline, popular with hang-gliders launching off the headland.
A palm-lined beachfront village with some of the region's best resorts. Many travellers split their trip here — see our Palm Cove to Port Douglas transfer if you're continuing north.
One of the few beaches directly on the highway — a good spot for a quick stop, with a beachfront kiosk and camping ground.
North of Ellis Beach the highway climbs and winds through dense rainforest above Wangetti Beach — the most dramatic section of the drive, with the road cut into the hillside above the water.
The highway flattens out crossing the Mowbray River valley — sugar cane country — before the final run into Port Douglas along Port Douglas Road, past Four Mile Beach and into Macrossan Street.
You can absolutely hire a car and drive this yourself — but after a long flight, most travellers prefer to sit back and let someone else handle an unfamiliar road. A private transfer covers the same route non-stop, with a driver who knows exactly where the lookouts and rest stops are, for one fixed price per vehicle.
Fixed pricing, free flight tracking, door-to-door — booked in under 2 minutes.