Jamaica

What to do in Jamaica

Island Wide.

Birding Tours

Rich in feathered life, this is a wonderful place for birdsong you've never heard before; there are 25 species and 21 sub-species of birds found nowhere else on earth, and a total of 256 different species.

Blue Mountains

This is a land of soaring peaks and deep valleys with luxuriant vegetation. Quiet, remote mountain roads wind and dip, and signs are hard to come by, but that's no worry when you're guided by a local expert who takes you through its coffee plantations, rum factories, and misty forest trails. The more easily accessed, prime tourist section is the 193,000-acre John Crow Mountain National Park.

Eco-Hiking

This journey through the Rio Grande Valley is an award-winning trek offering varying choice of difficulty through the John Crow Mountains. The paths parallel rambling creeks and bamboo forests, scale the sides of mountains, meander through the fern-laden valley and lead to hidden waterfalls or tucked away caves. Guides educate you on the use and preparation of indigenous plants and herbs and point out paw-paw (papaya) that you can pick and snack on along the way.

Get Married!

In Jamaica, you can tie the knot within 24 hours of arrival with hardly any red tape at all, and without a blood test. You can say your "I Dos" at a marriage officer's home, office, or location of your choice. Some hotels will make all the arrangements for you and accommodate special requests. Your honeymoon begins on the spot!.

Montego Bay.

Accompong Town in the Maroon Village

This is the sovereign state of the Maroons, descendants of runaway slaves who escaped to the Cockpit Mountains rather than live in bondage. Here you can learn the history of those courageous people who, by their determination and resistance of capture by the British "redcoats," finally won an unprecedented treaty of independence from a frustrated colonial government.

The Luminous Lagoon

The water, when agitated, becomes luminous with phosphorescent light that lines the form of fish and swimmers. Words can do it no justice - go and see it!.

Negril.

The Negril Lighthouse

It's perhaps the most distinctive landmark in the region. Built in 1894, it was originally operated by kerosene but due to modern Global Positioning Systems, it will soon be retired and converted into a museum.

Horseback Riding in Rhodes Hall

Tailored for experts and novices alike, guides take you through banana and coconut groves, high into the hills. A gallop (or trot, or pace!) along the shore and crocodile-watching are peak moments! .

Ocho Rios.

Black River Safaris

Journey into the wilds above Ocho Rios through a region admired for its lush vegetation, mountainous slopes, clear streams, and hidden pristine waterfalls. In this remote place you will cool off in secluded swimming holes that bring only hummingbirds and bougainvillea for companions. Afterward, explore the local history at the ruins of an 18th-century plantation destroyed in the slave rebellions. Ride out the day on an inner tube, floating down a calm and swift bubbling stream, then tie up on the shores for a jerk chicken picnic.

Dunn's River Falls

Hands down the all-time favorite natural attraction in Jamaica. A hand-holding chain of people supports each other up a climb of 600 feet through the same cascading water that Spanish explorers traversed centuries ago. The clear, cold mountain water races over the stone steps and onto the crowds of visitors splashing around at the bottom of the falls or cooling off in the pools that collect along the cascade's way.

Port Antonio.

Raft the Rio Grande

Rafting as a playtime activity originated here when planters constructed bamboo rafts both to transport bananas and to amuse their families. The rafts glide serenely down river on this two-hour diversion.

The Nonesuch Caves

Hidden among the Seven Hills of Athenry, 600 feet above town and with spectacular views, these caves were discovered in the 1930s and are fascinating to explore.