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Things to Do in Jamaica

Jamaica is bigger than it looks on the map, so the easiest way to plan is by area. Montego Bay and Negril share the west end, Ocho Rios sits in the middle of the north coast, Kingston and the Blue Mountains fill the south-east, Portland is the green, rainy north-east, and the South Coast runs through St Elizabeth. Browse every guide in the grid below or filter it by area, then read on for my picks by type and by region.

The short list

If you only have a week, these ten give you the island in miniature: water, music, food and a bit of adrenaline.

Waterfalls and rivers

Jamaica’s name comes from the Taino word for land of wood and water, and the rivers are still the best of it. You choose between climbing a waterfall, swimming under one or floating down a river on bamboo. My best waterfalls in Jamaica guide compares them all, and the waterfalls in Portland and river tubing guides go deeper.

Dunn’s River Falls

The one every Jamaican has climbed at least once, usually on a school trip. The government-run park puts the climb at 960 feet, and the river runs straight out onto the beach and into the sea.

Konoko Falls

A small waterfall park in the hills above Ocho Rios with river gardens, a history museum and a mini zoo. The climb is shorter and the crowds thinner than at Dunn’s River, which makes it the easier choice with young children.

Blue Hole (Island Gully Falls)

Turquoise river pools, rope swings and cliff jumps in the St Ann hills. It suits strong swimmers and teens; more than one group works the same river, so ask your driver for Island Gully Falls by name.

YS Falls

Seven tiers of falls on a farm near Middle Quarters, with swimming pools in the river. You swim here rather than climb.

Reach Falls

A quieter river park in the forested hills of east Portland, where you swim in clear pools below the cascade. The Jamaica Tourist Board lists it as open, and the government has invited private companies to take over running it, so the way it runs could change.

Bamboo rafting: Martha Brae or the Rio Grande

On the Martha Brae a licensed captain poles you about three miles on a 30-foot raft, telling stories as you go; it’s the easy pick from Montego Bay. The Rio Grande in Portland is the original rafting river and a longer ride through a deep valley, ending at Rafter’s Rest in St Margaret’s Bay.

Beaches

Jamaican beaches split into three kinds: resort beaches, managed beach clubs with a gate fee, and free public beaches where locals go on weekends. My best beaches in Jamaica list covers more, and the snorkeling guide covers the marine parks.

  • Seven Mile Beach, Negril: resorts, beach bars and public stretches all share the same shallow water. Bloody Bay at the north end is quieter.
  • Doctor’s Cave Beach Club, Montego Bay: a managed beach on the Hip Strip with changing rooms and chairs. It’s the best swim close to the airport.
  • Frenchman’s Cove, Portland: a small green cove where a freshwater river runs across the sand into the sea. You buy a day pass at the gate.
  • Winnifred Beach, Portland: the free beach Portland people use, with cook shops behind the sand. Locals went to court to keep it public.
  • Mahogany Beach, Ocho Rios: a small town beach that’s loud and lively on weekends, and the start point for some catamaran trips.
  • Treasure Beach: a string of fishing-village bays on the South Coast, quiet and unhurried.

Adventure

Adventure parks are where the big tour companies put their money, and most bundle several activities into one ticket. For side-by-side comparisons, see zip lining, catamaran cruises and horseback riding in Jamaica.

  • Mystic Mountain, Ocho Rios: the Sky Explorer chairlift up the hill, then a bobsled, a coaster, a zipline and an infinity pool with a view of the bay.
  • Chukka Ocean Outpost at Sandy Bay: the horseback ride into the sea that Chukka built its name on, plus an ocean zipline and ATVs, west of Montego Bay.
  • Chukka River Outpost at Good Hope: river tubing, a zipline and dune buggies on an old Trelawny sugar estate on the Martha Brae.
  • Jamwest, near Negril: a race track that grew into a full park, with ATV trails, zip lines, horse rides and a water park.
  • Yaaman Adventure Park: mud buggies and ATVs on the old Prospect Plantation east of Ocho Rios, with the great house still at its center.
  • River Ryder Adventure Park: Kingston’s own ATV, mud buggy and zipline park in the St Andrew hills, so you don’t have to cross the mountains.

Music, history and culture

This is the part most resort guests miss, and it’s what makes Jamaica more than a beach. Reggae, the Maroons, the plantations and the fight for freedom all left places you can stand in. For more, read historical sites in Jamaica, great houses and reggae festivals.

  • Bob Marley Museum, Kingston: the house on Hope Road he bought in 1975 and lived in until he died, shown on a guided tour.
  • Nine Mile, St Ann: his birthplace, childhood home and mausoleum in the hills, run by his family, with a Rastafarian guide.
  • Trench Town Culture Yard: the government yard behind “No Woman, No Cry”, now a small museum run by the neighborhood. Rougher round the edges than Hope Road, and closer to the roots.
  • Rose Hall Great House: a restored Georgian great house east of Montego Bay, with the White Witch legend played up on the night tour.
  • Seville Heritage Park: a Taino village, Jamaica’s first Spanish capital and a sugar estate on one site near St Ann’s Bay.
  • Charles Town Maroon Museum: a museum and cultural yard run by the Windward Maroons in the hills above Buff Bay.

Food and drink

Eating is a reason to leave the resort on its own. Jerk, fried fish by the sea and rum are the big three. My guides to the best places for jerk, rum tours and Jamaican food go further.

  • Boston Jerk Centre, Portland: a row of roadside pits going back to the 1940s, in the community the Tourist Board credits as the birthplace of jerk.
  • Scotchies: jerk the old way, on pimento logs under zinc sheets, at Drax Hall near Ocho Rios and Coral Gardens in Montego Bay.
  • Hellshire Beach: where Kingston goes for fried fish, festival and bammy. Go for the food; erosion has taken most of the sand.
  • Little Ochie, Alligator Pond: seafood off the village boats, worth the drive from Mandeville. It’s serving again while rebuilding goes on.
  • Floyd’s Pelican Bar: a wooden bar on a sandbar out at sea, reached only by boat.
  • Appleton Estate Rum Experience: a tour and tasting at the estate that has made rum in the Nassau Valley since 1749.

Nature, gardens and wildlife

Away from the coast road, Jamaica is mangroves, limestone caves, cloud forest and birds you won’t see anywhere else.

  • Luminous Lagoon, Falmouth: where the Martha Brae meets the sea, a tiny plankton makes the boat’s wake, the fish and your hand flash blue at night.
  • Black River Safari: a slow boat up the Black River to see crocodiles, birds and mangroves. It’s running again with a smaller fleet.
  • Rocklands Bird Sanctuary: a family-run garden near Anchovy where wild hummingbirds, including the doctor bird, feed from your hand.
  • Hope Gardens and Hope Zoo: Kingston’s free botanical gardens, with the zoo ticketed separately on the same grounds.
  • Mineral baths and hot springs: Rockfort in Kingston and Firewater near St Ann’s Bay, the warm springs Jamaicans have soaked in for generations.
  • Green Grotto Caves: a guided walk, not caving, through limestone chambers to an underground lake at Discovery Bay.
  • Alligator Head Foundation: kayaking, snorkeling and reef tours in a fish sanctuary east of Port Antonio, run by a conservation group.

By area

Montego Bay

Most visitors land here, and plenty never leave. Start with Doctor’s Cave and the Hip Strip, where Margaritaville runs from lunch into the night. Inland, Rocklands and the Chukka parks are close; east along the coast are Rose Hall, the Georgian town of Falmouth and the Luminous Lagoon. Walk downtown Montego Bay for Sam Sharpe Square. See all Montego Bay guides or where to stay in Montego Bay.

Negril

Negril is a beach town first: Seven Mile Beach by day and the West End cliffs and Rick’s Café at sunset. When you want a break from sand, Jamwest and Bambuza Falls & Adventure Land are both inland, about 20 minutes away. See all Negril guides or where to stay in Negril.

Ocho Rios

The busiest attraction area on the island. Dunn’s River, Mystic Mountain, Konoko Falls and the Blue Hole are all close to town, and Dolphin Cove sits next to the falls. Nine Mile, Green Grotto and the Firewater mineral spring make good half-day trips. See all Ocho Rios guides or where to stay in Ocho Rios.

Kingston

Kingston is the capital and the place for music, art and food. Pair the Bob Marley Museum with Devon House across Hope Road, then the National Gallery of Jamaica downtown and an evening in Emancipation Park. Above the city, Blue Mountain coffee tours show you where the island’s famous beans are grown. My Kingston for visitors guide has more. See all Kingston guides or where to stay in Kingston.

Portland

Portland is the green, slow side of Jamaica and my favorite for a few quiet days. Around Port Antonio you have the Blue Lagoon, Frenchman’s Cove and Winnifred within a few minutes of each other, Boston for jerk, Reach Falls further east and rafting on the Rio Grande to the west. See all Portland guides or where to stay in Portland.

South Coast

For a slower pace, head for the South Coast: YS Falls, the Black River Safari and Pelican Bar are all here, Appleton Estate is inland, and Lovers’ Leap has a clifftop lookout above the sea. Treasure Beach is the easiest base. See all South Coast guides or where to stay on the South Coast.

Planning tips

  • Check the status line first. Every guide shows whether a place is open, partly open or unconfirmed. Small, family-run spots in the west and south are the likeliest to have changed, so message or call them the day before.
  • Dodge the cruise ships. Ocho Rios, Falmouth and Montego Bay are cruise ports, and Dunn’s River is the first stop for many shore excursions. On cruise days get there at opening time, or pick a quieter falls such as Konoko or YS.
  • Allow more time on the road than the map says. Roads wind through hills and towns, and a trip across the island is a full day. Base yourself near what you want to see, and use my day trips guide to pick realistic outings. Driving yourself and Knutsford Express coaches are the other options.
  • Use licensed operators. Book tours through your hotel’s desk, the attraction itself or a known operator, and use licensed taxis: JUTA and the other authorized operators have red license plates. Taxis aren’t metered, so agree the fare before you get in.
  • Carry small Jamaican-dollar notes. Jerk pits, fish huts, craft stalls, raft captains and falls guides work in cash, and change for big notes is often short.

Not open yet or unconfirmed

These are well-known names whose status I can’t confirm, or that are closed. Each guide has the latest I could find.