Short answer: a Whitsundays sailing trip costs from $199 for a day sail ($279 for one that lands on Whitehaven Beach), from $449 for two days and one night on a yacht, from $639 for two days and two nights, from $689 for three days and two nights, and up to $1,039 for a small-group boat with private ensuite cabins. Nearly every overnight price includes all meals, snorkel gear and linen; alcohol is BYO on almost every boat, so the drinks bill is yours to control.
Prices are per person in AUD, from our current listings (October 2026), and can change. Every boat and day sail in one list, sorted by today’s price: Whitsundays sailing trips by price.
The price ladder
| Format | What you get | Cheapest right now |
|---|---|---|
| Day sail | Reef snorkel plus Whitehaven or a quieter sandbar, back the same day | Whitsundays Day Sail at $199 |
| Speed boat day | Whitehaven, Hill Inlet lookout, snorkel, back the same day | Big Fury at $239 |
| 2D/1N sail | One night at anchor, small-crew boat | Habibi at $449 |
| 2D/2N sail | Two nights, the standard social format | Spank Me at $639 |
| 3D/2N sail | Two nights plus a full extra day | Blizzard and Apollo, both $689 |
| Private ensuite cabin | Small group, cabin with its own bathroom | Blizzard at $689 |
| Air-con ensuite, small group | Ensuite air-con cabins, beach towels in | Whitsunday Blue from $1,039 |
Day trips
Day trips run from $199 to $279. The Whitsundays Day Sail, Langford Sandbar & Snorkel from $199 skips Whitehaven for the quieter side: daily, a fringing-reef snorkel, two hours on the Langford Island sandbar with the resident turtles, morning tea, lunch and afternoon snacks, snorkel gear and stinger suits, and a sunset sail home. Ages 12+, alcohol BYO, soft drinks extra.
If the lookout is the point, the power boats do it. The Big Fury Whitehaven Beach Day Trip from $239 (seven hours, buffet picnic lunch on the beach, Airlie transfers included) and the Whitsundays Speed Boat Day Tour, Whitehaven Express from $249 (fast, stable catamaran, two snorkel stops, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea, free bus transfers) both include the Hill Inlet walk. The Southern Lights Whitehaven Beach Day Tour with Lunch and Sunsuit from $229 adds two hours on south Whitehaven, but water, soft drinks and beer are extra.
The Camira Sailing Adventure departing Port of Airlie from $279 is the one day trip with alcohol included: beer and wine from 10am on an 85ft sailing catamaran, plus lunch and the Hill Inlet walk. The bus transfer to the port is extra.
Not a sail, but the quickest way onto the water is the Airlie Beach ‘Ultimate Blast’ Jet Boat Ride from $99 for thirty minutes. The 60 Min Scenic Flight, Whitehaven & Heart Reef from $339 is the only way in our listings to see Heart Reef.
2D/1N
One night at anchor, from $449 to $579. Every boat in this bracket is a small-crew yacht or ketch, so it is a quieter trip:
- Habibi 2 Day 1 Night Whitsunday Sailing from $449: private double, twin or single cabins for everyone, all meals, snorkel gear.
- Summertime, 2 Day Whitsundays Ketch from $469: kayaks for every guest, freshwater jacuzzi, linen and bath towel, all meals, marine and national park fees. 18+.
- Waltzing Matilda Whitsundays Sailing, 2 Days 1 Night from $509: three snorkels, wetsuit hire, tuition, linen, marine park fees.
- Prima Whitsundays Adventure Sailing, 2 Days 1 Night from $579: 6 to 12 people, linen, bath towels, Starlink wifi.
2D/2N
The standard backpacker format and the widest price band, from $639 to $1,039. Cheapest right now: Spank Me at $639. Spank Me Whitsundays Sailing 2 Days 2 Nights from $639 is the hands-on one: all meals, fresh linen, snorkel gear, stinger suits and local fees, with 27 bunks in open-plan share rooms. The ex-racing maxi Hammer Maxi Sailing, 2 Days, 2 Nights in the Whitsundays is from $689, New Horizon Whitsundays Sailing 2 Days is from $669, the air-conditioned catamaran Powerplay (2 Day / 2 Night) with private cabins is from $699, and the tall ship Atlantic Clipper (hot spa, two waterslides, 18+) is from $689. Summer Jo, 2 Days, 2 Nights in the Whitsundays from $689 is the one in this band that includes dive gear if you take up a dive.
3D/2N
Three boats run three days: Blizzard Whitsundays Sailing 3D/2N from $689 (up to ten, private ensuite cabins), Apollo Whitsundays Sailing 3D/2N from $689 (ex-racing maxi, 16+, air-con) and British Defender, 3 Days, 2 Nights from $699 (modern maxi, 18–30s crowd, marina levies in). Each adds a full day on the water; set them against the two-night boats above, which start from $639.
Private ensuite cabins
Three boats on our list give you a private cabin with an ensuite. Cheapest of the three right now: Blizzard at $689. Blizzard from $689 is also a three-day trip. O-Nice Whitsundays Sailing Catamaran 2 Days from $739 carries nine people with four toilets and showers, paddleboards and a glass-bottom kayak. Whitsunday Blue Whitsundays Sailing 2D/2N from $1,039 adds air-con in the ensuite cabins, locally sourced meals and underwater blue lights at night. 18+.
What’s included and what’s extra
Meals. All meals are included on every overnight boat that itemises inclusions, with two exceptions worth knowing: Apollo excludes breakfast on day one, and Summer Jo’s meals do not cover gluten-free, vegan or dairy-free diets. Prima charges a per-person surcharge for special diets at check-in. Avatar’s listing does not itemise inclusions, so check the tour page.
Marine park fees and levies. Listed as included on Summertime, Waltzing Matilda, Spank Me (as “local fees”), Summer Jo, Hammer, and British Defender (marina levies). Where a listing does not mention fees, check the tour page before assuming either way.
Linen and towels. Linen or bedding is included on every overnight boat that lists inclusions. Bath towels are included on Summertime, Prima, Blizzard, Eureka, Summer Jo, Powerplay, O-Nice and Whitsunday Blue, and excluded on Atlantic Clipper, New Horizon and Apollo. Beach towels are excluded almost everywhere; Whitsunday Blue is the only boat that includes them. Bring one.
Alcohol. BYO on nearly every overnight boat: Summertime, Waltzing Matilda, Prima, Blizzard, Eureka, Atlantic Clipper, Hammer, Apollo, British Defender, New Horizon, Powerplay, O-Nice and Whitsunday Blue all list it that way. Rules vary: Hammer and Prima ban glass (Prima accepts wine bottles), Atlantic Clipper has a walk-in cold room and New Horizon has esky space. Among the day trips, only Camira includes beer and wine.
Soft drinks and bottled water. Commonly excluded (Summertime, Blizzard, Eureka, Atlantic Clipper, Apollo, British Defender, New Horizon, Powerplay, O-Nice, Whitsunday Blue), but tap or filtered water, tea and coffee are included on most. Waltzing Matilda and Prima sell soft drinks on board.
Snorkel gear. Masks, snorkels and stinger suits are included on every boat that lists gear. Wetsuits are specifically included on Summertime, Waltzing Matilda, Hammer, Blizzard, Powerplay, O-Nice and Whitsunday Blue. On the Big Fury day trip, wetsuit hire in the winter months is extra.
Cabin types and what they cost
Where you sleep is the main thing the price buys. By cabin type:
- Open-plan bunks: Spank Me from $639 (27 bunks in share rooms). Hammer from $689 also offers yoga mats to sleep on deck.
- Shared cabins: Atlantic Clipper from $689 (two, three and four-berth cabins, 21 of them). Prima from $579 and Eureka from $679 run private and shared cabins.
- Private cabins: Habibi from $449 (double, twin or single for every guest), Waltzing Matilda from $509 (private cabin available), Powerplay from $699.
- Private cabins with ensuites: Blizzard from $689, O-Nice from $739, Whitsunday Blue from $1,039.
Private cabin or bunk? Sailing one night instead of two changes the sums: a private cabin on Habibi for one night ($449) is cheaper than a bunk on Spank Me for two nights ($639).
What else you will spend
Rough estimates for things outside the tour, not our prices: a hostel dorm bed in Airlie Beach is roughly $35–60 a night, and most people stay a night either side of the boat. A bottle-shop run for a two-night BYO boat is around $30–60 depending on how you drink. Travel insurance is listed as excluded on the day trips and is worth having on any boat.
Budget tips
- Book a 2D/1N if you only want the icons. Habibi at $449 gets you Whitehaven, Hill Inlet and two to three snorkels in a single night. Two-night boats start from $639.
- Price the three-day boats too. Blizzard, Apollo and British Defender add a full day on the water, from $689, against $639 for the cheapest two-night boat.
- BYO, and buy before you board. On most boats there is nothing to buy.
- Bring a beach towel and a refillable bottle. Tap water is included nearly everywhere; bottled water is not.
- Day sail if you are tight. Day sails start from $199. Cheapest overnight right now: Habibi at $449.
- Bundle it. The K’gari + Whitsundays Combo from $1,499 pre-books a 3-day K’gari 4WD safari, a 2-night Whitsundays party-boat sail, the transfer north and the hostel nights between, with selected meals on both guided adventures. Open-dated and valid 12 months.
FAQs
What is the cheapest way to see Whitehaven Beach? Cheapest right now: Southern Lights at $229. With the Hill Inlet lookout walk as well: Big Fury at $239.
How much is a 2-night Whitsundays sailing trip? From $639 to $1,039. Cheapest right now: Spank Me at $639. The ensuite boats sit at $739 and up.
Is food included on Whitsundays sailing trips? Yes on every overnight boat that lists inclusions, with Apollo’s day-one breakfast the only listed gap. Day trips include lunch; both day sails add morning and afternoon tea.
Do I pay reef tax or marine park fees on top? Not on the boats that list fees as included (Summertime, Waltzing Matilda, Spank Me, Summer Jo, Hammer, British Defender). For the rest, check the tour page.
Is alcohol included? No. It is BYO on nearly every overnight boat. The only drinks-included trip on our list is the Camira day sail with beer and wine from 10am.
Are the prices per person? Yes, per person in AUD from our current listings, and they can change. Prima adds a surcharge for special diets and Summer Jo excludes some dietary meals, so read the inclusions before you book.
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