My local take
Status first. As of October 8, 2026, I could not confirm from an operator, the Jamaica Tourist Board or Jamaican media that Mayfield Falls is running tours again. Hurricane Melissa made landfall near New Hope in Westmoreland as a Category 5 storm, and the government lists Westmoreland and Hanover among the parishes hit hardest. The old Mayfield Falls website no longer has contact details or visitor information. Don’t plan a day around it until someone who runs tours there tells you it’s operating.
When it’s running, Mayfield is a different kind of waterfall trip from the big north-coast parks. It’s a series of 21 small, widely spaced cascades on the Mayfield River, a tributary of the Cabarita River, and you walk up the river with a guide, partly on a boardwalk and partly through the water itself. The tallest cascade, known as the Washing Machine, is only about 3 meters high. The Jamaica Tourist Board describes two waterfalls, 21 natural pools and 52 varieties of fern. My take: it suits people who want a quiet country river and don’t mind the drive into the hills, not anyone looking for one big waterfall or a polished attraction with shops and restaurants.
Until Mayfield is confirmed, here are open alternatives. For a river trip, Martha Brae River Rafting near Falmouth is running daily; the operator puts it about an hour and a half from Negril. For a waterfall you can climb, Dunn’s River Falls near Ocho Rios is open. Closer to Negril, Rick’s Café on the West End cliffs is open daily from noon. For more, see my Negril guide.
How to get there
Mayfield Falls is in Glenbrook, in the hills of Westmoreland close to the Hanover border. The Jamaica Tourist Board puts it about an hour from Negril. From Montego Bay, allow roughly an hour and a half to two hours each way; that is an estimate, not a timed route. The last stretch is on narrow country roads, and some roads in this part of the island may still be under repair, so leave extra time.
Most visitors have gone on a tour with transport included, and that is still the sensible way to do it. If you’re staying at a Negril resort such as Royalton Negril or Hedonism II, ask the tour desk whether anyone is running Mayfield trips now.
Without a car: There's no simple public transport route. Go with a licensed tour operator or a JUTA taxi from Negril or Montego Bay, and agree the price and the return time before you set off.
What to expect
This describes the attraction as it last ran. The river and the area around it may have changed. The visit is a guided walk up the Mayfield River past the cascades and pools, with stops to swim and sit in the water. The Jamaica Tourist Board says you can follow the river on a boardwalk or walk through the water. The Tourist Board’s booking site has also sold a Mayfield Falls mineral springs and riverwalk tour departing from the Montego Bay and Negril areas.
We couldn’t confirm current entry prices, opening hours, lockers or food on site from an official source, so check all of those with whoever books your trip.
Local tips
Get a recent answer before you book. Ask the tour company when it last ran the trip, not just whether it sells it.
Wear water shoes with a good grip. You walk in the river over rocks, and bare feet or flip-flops won’t do.
Bring cash in small notes for tips. Guides walk the river with you.
Pack a waterproof bag for your phone and a change of clothes for the ride back.
Before you go
- The walk through moving water isn’t suitable for anyone with limited mobility, and children need close supervision.
- Rivers in the hills rise fast after heavy rain. Don’t go into the water if it is high or brown, whatever the schedule says.
- Anyone prone to car sickness should sit up front on the winding roads in.
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Questions people ask
Is Mayfield Falls open?
We couldn’t confirm it as of October 8, 2026. There was no update from an operator, the Jamaica Tourist Board or Jamaican media, and the old official website no longer has visitor information. Ask a licensed tour operator who has run the trip recently before you plan around it.
Where is Mayfield Falls?
In Glenbrook, in the hills of Westmoreland near the Hanover border, on the Mayfield River. The Jamaica Tourist Board puts it about an hour from Negril.
How many pools does Mayfield Falls have?
The Jamaica Tourist Board describes two waterfalls and 21 natural pools, and the river has 21 small cascades. The tallest, called the Washing Machine, is about 3 meters high. Older claims of 44 pools don’t match these sources.
How is Mayfield Falls different from Dunn's River Falls?
Dunn’s River is one big waterfall you climb on a busy, developed site in Ocho Rios. Mayfield is a guided walk up a quiet country river past many small cascades and pools, in the hills of Westmoreland.
Sources & updates
- Jamaica Tourist Board: Explore further, 6 waterfalls to get you off the resort (Mayfield Falls) · checked
- Jamaica Tourist Board booking site: Mayfield Falls Mineral Springs & Riverwalk · checked
- Mayfield Falls (old official website): about page, no current visitor information · checked
- Office of the Prime Minister: Statement to Parliament on the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa (Nov 2025) · checked
- Wikipedia: Mayfield Falls (geography) · checked
- OpenStreetMap: Mayfield Falls (map location) · checked
Update log
- — Rewritten as a researched guide; facts re-checked. Post-hurricane status could not be confirmed.
- — Link refresh: swapped the resort link in How to get there from Beaches Negril with Royalton Negril to spread links across the newer open resort guides. No facts changed.
- — Removed repeated advice
- — Trimmed hurricane references to where they change the advice
- — Best for: who it suits, not status (status is in the notice)
Spotted something out of date? Tell me and I’ll check it.