My local take
Nine Mile is the small district in the St Ann hills where Bob Marley was born on February 6, 1945, and where he was brought home to be buried in May 1981. The family property is open as 9 Mile Reggae Land, run by his brother Richard Booker. A Rastafarian guide takes you through the house where he was born, the small hillside home on Mount Zion he shared with his mother, a museum room, and the chapel where Bob and his mother, Cedella Marley Booker, are laid to rest. For fans it is a pilgrimage. For everyone else it is a look at the plain country life that shaped the music.
It pairs with the Bob Marley Museum at 56 Hope Road in Kingston, his home at the height of his fame. Nine Mile is where he came from; Hope Road is where he became a global star. My take: if you’re staying on the north coast, Nine Mile is the easier trip, and it means more if you know the songs. Real fans should do both.
Nearby guides: the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston and Dunn’s River Falls back on the coast. For the wider area, see our Ocho Rios guide.
How to get there
Nine Mile is inland, up narrow, winding country roads in the St Ann hills, and there is no simple public transport to the gate. Ocho Rios is the closest resort area. From there, allow roughly an hour to an hour and a half each way, depending on the road and the driver. From Montego Bay, Negril or Kingston, it is a full day.
Most visitors come with a driver. 9 Mile Reggae Land lists its own transport packages: US$135 per person from Ocho Rios, Runaway Bay or Discovery Bay, and US$225 per person from Montego Bay, Negril or Kingston, minimum two people, with pickups between 8:30 and 9:30 am. They include admission, lunch, a welcome rum punch, the VIP lounge and a gift shop discount. Licensed tour companies and taxis from the Ocho Rios resorts, such as Moon Palace Jamaica, also make the trip; use a driver who knows the hill roads.
What to expect
The guided tour, by the operator’s account, takes you through the house where Bob was born, which is also where his mother and her siblings were born, and the home he lived in with his mother and his grandfather Omeriah Malcolm. The house keeps its simple, mostly handmade furnishings. A museum room holds records, original artifacts and family items. The route climbs Mount Zion, the hill said to have inspired many of his songs, and passes the graves of his grandparents.
The tour ends at the mausoleums. A Jamaica Observer report on the tour describes visitors removing their shoes before entering, walking clockwise around Bob’s tomb, and the many notes and photos left by fans. No photos or videos are allowed inside the childhood home.
After the tour, there is a restaurant serving Jamaican food, including vegetarian dishes, a bar, live music and a gift shop. You can bring a water bottle, but the operator doesn’t allow outside food, coolers or cigarette smoking.
Local tips
- Go in the morning. The last tour starts in the late afternoon, and the drive back down the hill is easier in daylight.
- Buy tickets on the operator's own site or by phone (US 305-665-5379, Jamaica 876-305-7063) rather than from people on the road.
- Wear shoes you can slip off easily for the mausoleums, and dress with respect: this is a grave and a family home.
- Carry small US or Jamaican bills for food, drinks, tips for the guide and gifts.
- If you're short on time, do Nine Mile from Ocho Rios rather than from Montego Bay or Negril, and pair it with an afternoon on the coast.
Before you go
- It is a long, winding drive on narrow hill roads, and some people feel carsick. Hill roads can be rough after heavy rain, so ask your driver about the road before you set off.
- Nine Mile is a small community, and people outside the gate may offer guiding, souvenirs and more. You don’t need any of it to do the tour; a polite no is fine.
- No photos inside the childhood home, and shoes off in the mausoleums.
- The operator’s pages give slightly different tour times. Call ahead if you plan to arrive in the afternoon.
- The paths up Mount Zion involve steps and uneven ground, which is hard going for anyone with limited mobility.
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Questions people ask
Where is Bob Marley buried?
At Nine Mile in St Ann, the district where he was born. He rests in a mausoleum chapel on the family property, 9 Mile Reggae Land, alongside the resting place of his mother, Cedella Marley Booker.
How much are Bob Marley mausoleum tickets?
The operator, 9 Mile Reggae Land, lists admission at US$35 for adults and US$15 for children 11 and under, with children 5 and under free. Transport packages cost US$135 per person from the Ocho Rios area and US$225 from Montego Bay, Negril or Kingston, minimum two people.
Is Nine Mile open?
Yes. The operator lists tours seven days a week and is selling tickets on its official site, and the Jamaica Tourist Board’s reopenings list shows 9 Miles Reggae Land as open. Call ahead to check the day’s tours and the hill road.
How far is Nine Mile from Ocho Rios?
Nine Mile is in the hills inland from Ocho Rios. Allow roughly an hour to an hour and a half each way on narrow country roads, so plan on half a day including the tour.
Can you take photos at Nine Mile?
Outside, yes. Photos and videos aren’t allowed inside Bob Marley’s childhood home, and you’re asked to remove your shoes before entering the mausoleums.
Sources & updates
- 9 Mile Reggae Land (operator): Book Tour (admission and transport package prices, pickup times, tour length) · checked
- 9 Mile Reggae Land: FAQ (hours, tour length, ticket prices, restaurant hours, food and smoking rules) · checked
- 9 Mile Reggae Land: home page (opening hours, phone numbers) · checked
- 9 Mile Reggae Land: About (birth date, Richard Booker) · checked
- 9 Mile Reggae Land: Bob Marley Mausoleum (what the tour covers) · checked
- Jamaica Observer: Meeting a young 'Bob' at Nine Miles (Apr 2016; tour route, shoes and photo rules) · checked
- Jamaica Gleaner: Bob Marley given hero's send-off (burial at Nine Mile, May 21, 1981) · checked
- Jamaica Tourist Board: tours and attractions reopenings list (record updated Feb 9, 2026) · checked
Update log
- — Written as a researched guide; facts re-checked against the operator's official site. Replaces the earlier blog post on Nine Mile.
Spotted something out of date? Tell me and I’ll check it.