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Cave and nature area · Montego Bay

Windsor Caves and Cockpit Country, Cockpit Country, Trelawny: a local's guide

By Michael RainfordBorn and raised in JamaicaPrices & hours checked Sources

Status unconfirmed. I couldn't confirm it's open right now. Check before you go; the guide below has open alternatives.

On this page
  1. My local take
  2. How to get there
  3. What to expect
  4. Local tips
  5. Before you go
  6. FAQ
  7. Sources

My local take

Cockpit Country is the wild middle of western Jamaica: steep, cone-shaped limestone hills and deep hollows where the Maroons held out against the British. The Windsor Research Centre, which studies the area, notes that the Maroons forced the British into a peace treaty here in the 1730s, and that the hills are the source of six major rivers and about 40% of Jamaica’s usable water. Most of it is now a protected area. Windsor sits at the end of the road on its northern edge, and Windsor Great Cave opens at the foot of the hills there. The Windsor Research Centre describes a cave about 3 km long, still being carved by water, with a bat colony of at least 100,000. The government’s Trelawny heritage page says the first mile or so can be walked easily, and that past that an underground stream stops everyone but experts.

We could not confirm that cave visits are running now. The cave land belongs to WWF-UK, and the Windsor Research Centre asks visitors to consult the cave warden before going in. Neither has published anything on visits since Hurricane Melissa, the cave is not on the Jamaica Tourist Board’s reopenings list, and we found no Jamaican press report on it. My take: Cockpit Country is worth a day if you like real countryside, but for now book a guided hike with a community group that is taking bookings, and treat the cave as a bonus to ask about locally, not the reason for the trip.

Open on the way: Martha Brae River rafting, on the river that rises in Windsor Cave, and Chukka River Outpost at Good Hope, up the same valley from Falmouth. For where to stay on this side of the island, see our Montego Bay guide.

How to get there

To Windsor: caver R. S. Stewart’s field notes for the Jamaican Caves Org give the route from Falmouth: drive to Martha Brae, cross the bridge, then follow the valley south into the hills through Perth Town, Reserve, Sherwood Content and Coxheath to Windsor, which is where the road ends. The government’s Trelawny heritage page puts the cave about 25 km south of Falmouth and 45 km from Montego Bay. It is a narrow country road, so allow well over an hour from the Montego Bay hotels.

Road conditions: ask your driver about the Martha Brae to Sherwood Content road before you set off. When it has been blocked, the detour has turned a 10-minute trip into almost two hours, the Jamaica Observer reported.

To the south side of Cockpit Country: the Southern Trelawny Environmental Agency (STEA) is based in Albert Town, on the southern edge. Its tours meet at Rock Spring or at the Clarks Town Police Station, depending on the tour, so check the meeting point when you book. The Gleaner reported in May that 16 road breakaways in south Trelawny, including on the road between Albert Town and Lorrimers, were still unrepaired.

Without a car: There's no practical public transport to Windsor or the STEA meeting points for visitors. Hire a licensed driver from Falmouth or Montego Bay who will wait, and confirm your booking before you leave.

What to expect

Windsor Great Cave. When visits were running, the cave was entered with a local guide through a large entrance passage at the foot of the hill. Those field notes describe big entrance chambers, formations and an underground river that is the source of the Martha Brae. There are no lights, paths or handrails as at a show cave like Green Grotto: you bring your own light, the floor is slippery with bat guano, and trips may be called off in wet weather because you enter where floodwater comes out. The Windsor Research Centre asks visitors not to touch formations, not to shine lights at the roosting bats, and to sign a disclaimer, because of the risk of histoplasmosis, a fungal lung infection linked to bat caves.

Cockpit Country hikes. STEA, a community group in Albert Town that has worked in the area since the 1990s, lists two guided walks on its website. The Cockpit Country Nature Experience is a 3-hour hike that meets at Rock Spring at 9 am, and the bird-watching walk meets at the Clarks Town Police Station at 7:30 am for about 3 hours, both on any day with an advance booking. STEA also lists a longer 10-mile (16 km) hike on its booking form. It gives a price of US$90 per person for two or more, a minimum age of 7, and says there are no accessibility options because everyone has to walk. Check the current price when you book. STEA brings you back to the start at the end of the hike, or directs your own driver to the finish.

Windsor Great House. The great house at Windsor, built around 1795, is home to the Windsor Research Centre. Its website says it hosts researchers and has offered dinners where visitors meet the biologists, but those pages are old, so contact the Windsor Research Centre before counting on one.

Local tips

  • Book a guided hike ahead. STEA’s tours run only with a confirmed advance booking, and nobody should walk into Cockpit Country alone: the hills are steep, trails are easy to lose and phone signal is patchy.

  • Start early. STEA starts its walks in the morning to beat the afternoon showers and the midday sun.

  • Wear long trousers and proper walking shoes, and bring water, snacks and insect repellent, as STEA advises.

  • If you want a cave with lights and a paved route, go to Green Grotto Caves near Discovery Bay instead, which is open.

  • Combine the trip with Martha Brae rafting or Good Hope on the way back to Falmouth, so the day still works if the cave is off.

Before you go

  • Bat caves carry a risk of histoplasmosis. The Windsor Research Centre says people with weakened immune systems should not go in at all.
  • Some Trelawny roads are still damaged (see Getting there). Use a driver who knows the area.
  • Facilities are basic. This is not a commercial attraction, so bring cash.
  • This is rough walking and not suitable for wheelchairs.

Questions people ask

Is Windsor Cave open?

We couldn’t confirm it. The cave’s owners and the Windsor Research Centre have published nothing recent on visits, the cave isn’t on the Jamaica Tourist Board’s reopenings list, and we found no press report. Ask locally before you go.

Where is Windsor Cave in Jamaica?

It’s at Windsor in Trelawny, at the foot of Cockpit Country. The government’s Trelawny heritage page puts it about 25 km south of Falmouth and 45 km from Montego Bay. The road runs up the Martha Brae valley through Sherwood Content.

Can you take a tour of Cockpit Country?

Yes. The Southern Trelawny Environmental Agency in Albert Town lists guided hikes and bird-watching walks on its website, bookable in advance for any day of the week. It gives a price of US$90 per person for two or more and a minimum age of 7; check the current price when you book.

Is it safe to go into Windsor Cave?

Only with a guide and the right preparation. The floor is slippery, the cave floods in heavy rain, and the Windsor Research Centre warns of histoplasmosis, a lung infection linked to bat guano. People with weakened immune systems should stay out.

What else is there to do near Windsor?

Martha Brae River rafting and Chukka’s River Outpost at Good Hope are both in the valley between Windsor and Falmouth and both are open. Falmouth town itself is worth a walk.

Sources & updates

Update log

  • — New status page; cave visits could not be confirmed, community hikes checked on the operator's site.
  • — Moved source citations out of the text
  • — Removed repeated advice
  • — Trimmed hurricane references to where they change the advice

Spotted something out of date? Tell me and I’ll check it.

Where to stay nearby

Where to stay in Montego Bay