My local take
The Royal Palm Reserve is a piece of the Negril Great Morass, the big wetland that sits behind Seven Mile Beach. Its health matters to the beach itself: an environmental study found that peat mining here would have destroyed Negril’s beach and reef ecosystems. The land belongs to the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica, which once planned to mine peat here. After that study the plan was dropped, and the area became a reserve, leased to the Negril Area Environmental Protection Trust. What makes it special is the morass royal palm, which grows only in western Jamaica, and the birds, including the endangered West Indian whistling duck.
It is not a regular attraction now. A situational analysis prepared for the National Environment and Planning Agency in 2021 says the reserve used to run as a bird-watching site but had not been open for business in over ten years. It was being studied for a relaunch under the government’s IWEco project. I found no report of a reopening since then. My take: it deserves a proper reopening, but don’t plan a day around it until someone official says it is open.
For birds, Rocklands Bird Sanctuary near Montego Bay is open and is the classic place to feed hummingbirds by hand. For a day outdoors closer to Negril, try Bambuza Falls in the hills behind Green Island, or simply walk Seven Mile Beach at sunrise. For hotels and the rest of the area, see my Negril guide.
How to get there
The reserve is at Sheffield, just east of Negril, about 4 km from the Negril roundabout in a straight line (map distance). The 2021 analysis puts it 15 to 20 minutes from Negril town and about 30 minutes from the hotel strip, reached by a road in poor condition that floods when it rains.
Without a car: There is no public transport to the reserve. If it reopens, hire a licensed taxi (red PP plates) from Negril and agree the fare and wait first.
What to expect
When it was open. The 2021 analysis describes a half-mile boardwalk through the swamp forest to the small Cotton Tree lake, where fishing was sometimes allowed, and a 30-foot observation tower over the wetland. It lists more than fifty bird species and over a hundred plant species, among them royal palms, anchovy pear, saw grass and ferns, plus the endemic Jamaican pond turtle.
Now. The same report says two groundsmen were keeping up the grounds, and that significant work on the road and facilities was needed before visitors could return. The Negril Chamber of Commerce hosts the IWEco project’s papers, including a business and marketing plan for the reserve dated August 2021. None of that is the same as a reopening.
Local tips
Ask at the Negril Chamber of Commerce or a hotel front desk for news on the reserve before you make the trip.
Dawn is the best time for birds in any wetland, so if the reserve reopens, go early.
Before you go
- Opening hours and prices on older travel sites are out of date. Don’t rely on them.
- A wetland means mosquitoes and sand flies. Take repellent if you go near the morass.
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Questions people ask
Is the Royal Palm Reserve in Negril open?
Not as far as I can confirm. A 2021 analysis prepared for the National Environment and Planning Agency says it had not been open for business in more than ten years, and I found no reopening announcement since then.
Where is the Royal Palm Reserve?
At Sheffield in Westmoreland, on the edge of the Negril Great Morass, just east of Negril town.
What is special about the Royal Palm Reserve?
It protects stands of the morass royal palm, which grows only in western Jamaica, and it is home to many bird species, including the endangered West Indian whistling duck.
Where can I go bird watching near Negril instead?
Rocklands Bird Sanctuary near Montego Bay is open and is best known for hand-feeding hummingbirds. It is a longer drive from Negril, so make a half day of it.
Sources & updates
- Phoenix Business Insight for NEPA: Negril Royal Palm Reserve Situational Analysis (2021; closed over ten years, boardwalk, tower, birds, access, size) · checked
- Negril Chamber of Commerce: IWEco Negril project documents (Royal Palm Reserve business and marketing plan, Aug 2021) · checked
- Jamaica Information Service: Sum allocated to improve the environment in Negril (Feb 19, 2020; IWEco management plan for the reserve) · checked
- Jamaica Observer: Royal Palm Reserve takes steps to boost its visitors (June 7, 2002; NEPT management at Sheffield) · checked
- Moon Jamaica: Royal Palm Reserve (lease from the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica; endemic palms and birds) · checked
- OpenStreetMap: PCJ Royal Palm Reserve, Sheffield (map location) · checked
Update log
- — New status page; reserve last reported closed to visitors, no reopening found.
- — Removed repeated advice
- — Trimmed hurricane references to where they change the advice
Spotted something out of date? Tell me and I’ll check it.