Jamaica Attractions and Other Activities

Please, be a compassionate traveler! Do NOT use the service of Dolphin and Shark Swims Programs that hold these wild animals in captivity. The capture and transportation process causes the death of thousands of these animals before they reach the destination. Also the average life span of a dolphin in the wild is 45 years; yet half of all captured dolphins die within their first two years of captivity. The survivors last an average of only 5 years in captivity more

An image of a couple rafting on the Great River has become a symbol of Jamaican tourism. You can drive to the Rafter's Village. It is located appoximately 5km (3 miles) inland from the town of Falmouth and 40km (25 miles) from Montego Bay. Rafting tour takes 90 min and costs $40 for up to two people.

Rose Hall is the most famous great house on Jamaica, and the legends associated with it are equally horrifying and intriguing. The plantation and its mistress were immortalized in the H. G. deLisser book, White Witch of Rose Hall. The house was completed in 1780 by John Palmer, a wealthy British planter. At its peak, this was a 2,640-hectare plantation, with more than 2,000 slaves. At the time, it had two additional wings and was considerably larger than what you'll see today.

Annie Palmer was said to have murdered her husband and installed a reign of terror at Rose Hall. The tale of her sexual intrigue, insanity, sado-masochism, and murders has made her one of the hottest celebrities in Jamaica. She is said to have had endless lovers and two more husbands whom she killed. She also used Voodoo witchcraft spells and the system of the secret tunnels all over the estate to terrify and control her plantation slaves. She eventually suffered the same fate murdered by one of her lovers. The estate is said to be haunted ever since her death; terrible thing happened to every owner who lived there afterwards.

Rose Hall is located only 15km (9 1/4 miles) east from Montego bay along the main road. Open daily from 9am-6pm. (Last tour at 5:15pm.) Admission $20 which includes a personal guide.

Greenwood plantation house has undergone less restoration than Rose Hall and is still retaining the authentic atmosphere of the 19th century. The house has a large collection of rare musical instruments. Erected in 1780, it was the residence of Richard Barrett (cousin of poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning). The landlord of Greenwood once owned 33,600 hectares of plantation land and some 3,000 slaves. On display is the original library of the Barrett family, with rare books dating from 1697, along with oil paintings of the family, Wedgwood china, rare musical instruments, and a collection of antique furniture.

The plantation house is located on top of the hill in a small community called Greenwood 24km (15 miles) east from Monego bay along the main road A1. Admission $14. Open daily 9am-6pm.

These cascade waterfalls are always shown on Jamaica’s postcards and tourist brochures. The place is crowded most of the time so come early in the morning to enjoy it fully. You can splash in the waters at the bottom of the falls or drop into the cool pools higher up between the cascades of water. The falls are 546m (600-ft) high. Many tours still make tourists hold hands while accending the falls in order to create a chain. However, if you are not involed in those tours, you can climb on your own as much as you want. If you're planning to climb the falls, wear water booties or sneakers to protect your feet from the sharp rocks and to prevent slipping.

Open daily 8:30am-4pm. From the center of Ocho Rios head west along A3 route. Admission $15 US.

Caliche Rainforest Park is worth paying a visit if you want to get Jamaican white water rafting experience. It is quite pricey though! You will be provided by the helmets, paddles and life jakets. Rainforest Rafting is safe enough for children. You just glide down the river on a raft with some time for swimming. It cost $80 US per person. If you want more excitement and adrenalin take the Canyon White Water Rafting tour where you rush down the wild and untamed part of the Great River. The price is $90 US per person. Both tours take about 2 hours. If you call to the company directly (876-940-1745) they will pick you up from any hotel in Montego bay or Ocho Rio.

These limestone caves will make a nice half day tour. They are not spectacular but still worth seeing. Located just off main coastal road A3, 3km (1 3/4 miles) from Discovery Bay and 4km (2 1/2 miles) west of Runaway Bay. Green Grotto Caves were once used by runaway slaves and pirates. The mammoth cave is full of rock formations, stalagmites, and stalactites, and has a roof of "ceiling pockets." The grotto is filled with numerous chambers and light holes, but its most dramatic feature is the subterranean Grotto Lake. Admission is $20 US.

Beginning in 1936, this was a working plantation producing pimentos, allspice, and limes, all of it held together by Sir Harold Mitchell, who died in 1983. Since his death, its 405 hectares have been maintained as an eco-sensitive destination. The sprawling property passes through several different climate zones; takes you high enough for sweeping views out toward the point where Christopher Columbus was shipwrecked for more than a year during his fourth visit to the new world in the 1500s.

There is also the gracefully proportioned Prospect Chapel, a non-denominational church fashioned from limestone and timber derived from the acreage nearby. A visit to this scenic property is an educational, relaxing, and enjoyable experience. You'll learn about and see pimento (allspice), bananas, cassava, sugar cane, coffee, cocoa, coconut, pineapple, and the famous leucaena ("Tree of Life"). Located east of Ocho Rios, in St. Ann bay. Tours are Mon-Sat at 10:30am, 2pm, and 3:30pm. Tour costs $27 US.

Two kilometers (1 1/4 miles) south from the center of Ocho Rios, at an elevation of 126m (420 ft.) is a series of cascade waterfalls as well as a landscaped park with a museum. If you like botanical gardens and would like to see lots of flowers, take lots of scenic pictures, you will enjoy Coyaba gardens. Or you can skip the gardens part and go straight to the river and waterfalls.

A labyrinth of pathways, steps, and walkways goes from the property down into the tropical forest. You will right away hear a stream (the Millford River) that splashes down, in a series of rapids and waterfalls, from significant elevations above. There's even a wide spot in the stream that you can use as a natural swimming pool. The place is peaceful and relaxing. Overall, this nice eco-tour along with the visit to the museum will take you about 2-3 hours. Open daily 8am-6pm. Admission to the garden $5 US. Admission both garden and waterfalls is $10 US.

This 53-hectare property welcomes visitors to hike the river trails and enjoy the formal gardens. We recommend driving there and taking the River Nature Trail on your own, even though you can have a guide.

The path at the river head is fairly easy to figure out and safe enough to go on our own. You will have some peace and quiet and enjoy the scenic trail. The trail takes about 1 1/2 hour to hike. Although if you are a zip-line lover you can take a zip line; be prepared to pay extra. This place is not crowded normally during the day. The majestic river runs across the entire property. You will find lots of little natural pools to swim in. The diversity of plants is hard not to appreciate. Within a greenhouse, you'll see thousands of flourishing orchids and anthuriums (many shipped as cut flowers to the U.S.). You can spend a relaxing afternoon wondering around the gardens filled with tropical flowers such as Bird of Paradise, Begonias, Heliconia and tall Royal Palms. For those who enjoy easy hikes and lots of nature, flowers, birds and just enjoying the natural outdoors, this is a great place. Open daily 9am-5pm. From the center of Ocho Rios, take A1 west to the Chukka Cove turnoff, a distance of 29km (18 miles). Admission is $10 US.

YS Falls is located at South Coast St Elizabeth on a working cattle and horse farm called YS Estate. Open every day except for Mondays 9:30am – 3:30pm. Admission to the falls is US $14; Canopy is US $30.

Royal Palm Nature Reserve is the easiest part of the massive local wetlands to explore if you like wildlife watching. To reach it, take the road to Savanna-la-Mar at the southern end of Negril, turning left at the signpost and going along a dirt road to reach the beginning of the reserve.

While hiking here you'll find much wildlife, including sea hawks, ospreys, and the Jamaican woodpecker. The swamp is also home to egrets, butterflies, doctor birds, herons, and the endangered Jamaican black parakeet. Wooden boardwalks enable you to walk 2km (1.25 miles) or so into the wetlands for a close encounter with it all. Take along plenty of mosquito repellent. The best part of the reserve is Cotton Tree Lake which is home to numerous waterfowl, including wild ducks and the Jamaican pond turtle. The visitor center is open daily from 9am to 5pm. Admission is US$10.

Negril offers some of the best scuba diving in Jamaica. The offshore reefs here are much richer with marine life than the rest of the coast. (Jamaica is known for over fishing and most of the coastline does not have an abandant marine life.)

The most famous dive site is The Throne Room, with a depth ranging from 12 to 21m (40-70 ft.).

The site enables divers to enter at one end and ascend into the open air at the other. The orange elephant ear sponges that flourish here are the largest in Jamaica.

The Sands Reef Club, named after a nearby hotel, has a depth range of 12 to 24m (40-80 ft.). This shallow reef drops off to a sandy shelf, and is noted for its purplish sea fans and its gorgonians and coral heads. There is much to see here, from black durgeons to tube sponges, from squirrelfish to goatfish.

Long a favourite with divers, Kingfish Point, with depths of around 27m (90 ft.), lures the most experienced divers because of its depths. The marine life here is the most varied of the dive sites, including both the elephant ear and the yellow tube sponge, the hogfish and the damselfish, along with both brain and star coral and marigold-colored crinoids. The huge boulders of star coral are among the most dramatic along the coast, along with deepwater sea fans and sea plumes.

Negril Scuba Centre offer free pick up and drop off from just about anywhere in Negril. They charge US$40 for 1 tank dive and US$70 for 2 tank dive.

Jamaica Attractions and Other Activities.