Jamaica

From splashing in waterfall-fed pools to shopping at Montego Bay boutiques, Jamaica offers plenty of ways to enjoy life in the Caribbean. Explore some of the island's most popular destinations below.

Travelers have always been lured to Montego Bay: the quintessential Caribbean destination, surrounded by white sand beaches, grand hotels, all-inclusive resorts, charming small hotels as well as villas and apartment accommodations. Renowned for its beauty and range of activities, Montego Bay is a place where history and legend come together to offer the most intriguing attractions.

• Visit Rose Hall Great House and hear the shivering tale of the white witch, Annie Palmer.
• Tour historical plantation houses like Greenwood and Belfield.
• Take a river rafting trip down the Great River or the Martha Brae for an experience of serenity.
• The Montego Bay Marine Park covers ten square miles of protected waters alive with coral reefs and exotic fish.
• Swim at legendary Doctor's Cave Beach, known for its therapeutic waters.
• Gloucester Avenue's "Hip Strip" is the pulse of the town and boasts restaurants, art galleries, nightclubs, bars and duty-free shopping to rival any port.
• Shopping is sensational all over town.

Imagine a stunningly beautiful ribbon of white sand beach. Seven miles of it! Imagine honeycombed cliffs and crystal clear waters. Imagine carefree days and fun-filled nights. Imagine Negril. This unique resort welcomes its guests with a "do-as-you-please" wink of approval. Tucked away in Jamaica's most western point, Negril is truly spectacular.

• Negril is Jamaica's watersports center where you can dive, snorkel, sail, parasail, water-ski, windsurf, kayakor glide along the coastline by catamaran. Or, do nothing but quietly work on your tan in a secluded cove. In Negril, each day is a new, fun-filled and exciting adventure.
• Ride a horse along the shore or a bike on the bluff. Stroll the sandy shore or dive from the cliffs.
• Golf and tennis are available.
• The sunsets in Negril are mesmerizing and magical.
• Nightspots abound and you can lose yourself in the knowledge that you are in a place like no other on earth. Stay up all night dancing to the hypnotic beat of a live Reggae band. Dance barefoot in the sand. 

The largest English-speaking city in the Caribbean, this colorful, cosmopolitan capital vibrates as a cultural mecca. Home to the University of the West Indies and the Jamaica Conference Centre, Kingston is the financial and commercial core of Jamaica.

• The majestic Blue Mountains form a backdrop for gleaming high-rises and hillside homes.
• Tours will take you to explore mansions like historic Devon House, the exciting performing arts at the Little Theatre and to the National Gallery, which houses a comprehensive collection of Jamaican art.
• Kingston is the place to witness the pomp and ceremony of Parliament.
• A city of museums, theatres and art galleries, Kingston is also the birthplace of our infectious Reggae music.
• The metropolitan area abounds with nightclubs, dancehalls, restaurants and bars that keep the city's nightlife sizzling!

Ocho Rios does not, as its name suggests, have eight rivers. It is the garden of Jamaica and the place where, Jamaicans say, heaven spills into the sea. Grassy hills roll gently to white sandy coves and turquoise-blue waters of the craggy coastline. Ocho Rios is a buzz with activity and seems inconstant motion. Bargaining for handmade items at the Crafts Market is a treat in itself. Duty-free shops carry a bounty of brand-name goods. Nightclubs live happily beside taverns and lounges. Gourmands will delight in Ocho Rios’elegant restaurants and cafés. Ocho Rios is a place of waterfalls and exotic gardens.

• The world-famous Dunns River Falls offers an exhilarating climb through warm, cascading waters.
• The tropical splendor of Coyaba and Shaw Park Gardens is magnificent.
• Take a drive through a forest of ferns aptly called Fern Gully.
• Ride a horse on the trails at Prospect Plantation.
• A new attraction is the not-to-be-missed Rainforest Bobsled Jamaica at Mystic Mountain. The Sky Explorer is a state-of-the-art chairlift that sends passengers soaring above the treetops to the peak of Mystic Mountain. At the peak, there is a Bobsled and Zip Line Canopy Tour, restaurant and gift shop.
• Swimming with the dolphins and white river tubing are other treats that should not be missed.
• Drive west of Ocho Rios to Discovery Bay where Columbus first landed, or to Runaway Bay, so called because slaves used this area as an escape route.
• Visit Seville Great House to see Indian and Spanish artifacts.
• Visit Green Grotto Caves or climb the hills to Nine Miles, the birthplace of the legendary Bob Marley.

Picture perfect, Port Antonio is a panorama of nature's finest work. It is a place of palms and pimento and an abundance of orchids found nowhere else on earth. Ferns and bananas grow by the roadside with bamboo trees. Port Antonio is the home of butterflies and hummingbirds. It's where the graciousness of another era is set against the lush, verdant beauty of nature. Port Antonio was a thriving banana shipping port about a century ago. Today, the main street, with royal palms standing like sentinels, is the center of activity for this quaint seaside town.

• Stop at the Musgrave Market and barter for crafts items.
•  Shops and stores are all over town, including the European-styled Shopping Village of St. George.
• Even the accommodations in Port Antonio are special. They are all low-rise, mostly villa-type facilities tucked amidst the deep green of Jamaica's most lush foliage.
• Here you can explore the majestic Blue Mountains and swim or dive the calm Blue Lagoon.
• Raft down the swirling Rio Grande or visit the magnificently forested Somerset Falls.
• Drive by Folly, the haunting turn-of-the-century mansion overlooking the sea.
• Discover the special allure of Nonsuch Caves and Athenry Gardens.
• And be sure to sample our world-famous jerk chicken or jerk pork in its original home.

Explore a jungle river in the wild wetlands. Pick mangoes high on a hilltop. Catch and cook your own red snapper for dinner. Or golf at the Manchester Golf Club, said to be the oldest surviving Club in the Western Hemisphere. Ramble through hills without ever retracing your steps. Discover hidden beaches where you'll never see a footprint other than your own. Marvel at majestic cliffs that rise from the sea.

• Enjoy the Georgian architecture along High Street in Black River. This old seaport town also offers a chance to experience a great deal of Jamaica's fascinating wildlife.
• A knowledgeable boatman will take you on the island's longest navigable river and into our largest protected wetlands. Crocodiles are complimentary!
•  South Coast Off The Beaten Track Visit Lovers' Leap. Delight in the stunning view from the 1,600-foot cliff and ask your guide how it got its name.
• Hike to the top of YS Falls and take time to swing into the cascading waters, Tarzan-and-Jane style.
• Or just find yourself a secret bathing place around Treasure Beach.
• Eating escoveitched fish at Border, savoring the spicy peppered shrimp at Middle Quarters or blending your own rum at Appleton Estate are some of the temptations the traveler must face.
• Nature tours are available to better take advantage of the spectacular views.

Jamaica hosts a full calendar of musical, artistic, cultural and sporting events.

Reggae Sunsplash and Reggae Sumfest are the biggest rages on the island, held about one week apart in July/August. Sunsplash is held near Ocho Rios, Sumfest in Montego Bay. Both are frenetic beachy music festivals, with A-rated fun and X-rated dancing. Carnival in March or April, the week after Easter, takes place on the university campus in Kingston and at various other places around Jamaica. It's a big blow-out, mainly for Jamaicans, with reggae, calypso and dancehall soca the main booty-shakers, but it's also a tourist attraction in its own right.

There are a number of yacht races on the calendar: the Pineapple Cup Yacht Race, held each February, starts in Miami and finishes in Montego Bay, a distance of 800-plus miles (1288-plus km). Cricket matches are held from laneway to lawn throughout the year. In April, the West Indies team takes on an international challenger in the Cable & Wireless Test Match in Kingston. Jonkanoo is a traditional Christmas celebration in which revelers parade through the streets dressed in masquerade. The festivity has its origins among West African secret societies and was once the major celebration on the slave calendar.

The Bob Marley Museum, at the reggae superstar's former home in New Kingston, is the city's most visited attraction. Highlights include the singer's simple bedroom with Marley's star-shaped guitar by the bedside, the bullet holes that ripped through the rear wall of the house during an assassination attempt in 1976, and the tree outside beneath which Marley would smoke ganja and practice his guitar.

(Offered from Montego Bay and Ocho Rios areas only).
Your journey through nature will be via a series of decks and platforms, mounted in the trees of the rainforest that are connected by traverses. Your first traverse soars over the Great River in Montego Bay. Your journey continues with eight more traverses. Each traverse and platform is unique, offering a variety of experiences highlighting the diversity of Jamaica's landscape and history. Nine traverses, from 105 feet to 660 feet apart, have you swinging through the Laughlands River Gorge, a giant valley carved from the surrounding mountain by ancient waters (a sparkling river still flows through it). At different points in the tour, you will glimpse the miles-away Caribbean Sea and learn interesting facts about the surrounding tree and plant life.

Travel the beautiful north coast and visit the birthplace of Bob Marley as well as the site where he is now laid to rest. Enjoy a leisurely ride along the scenic north coast to St. Ann's, the birthplace of the famous reggae icon Robert Nesta Marley. You will learn about Bob's childhood from his aunt and old family friends. See the rock that Bob sat on to meditate and write his songs. While on the way to visit his gravesite, your guide will teach you some of his songs. You will also have the opportunity to visit an herb garden where you will learn the many different species grown in Jamaica. You will then finish your tour with the taste of a real Jamaican lunch.

Take the reins and ride through tropical rainforests, the Jamaican countryside, and the Jamaican coastline. The tour takes you through two of the oldest sugar estates on the island, dating back to the 1660s. Then you'll ride along the beachfront to Chukka Cove's private beach. Enjoy complimentary refreshments before riding bareback in the Caribbean Sea. Afterwards, relax and take a shower while the guides re-saddle the horses for the return trip to Chukka Cove. Both beginner and experienced riders are invited to enjoy this tour.

Learn about these amazing friendly mammals, while swimming in our natural lagoon. Feel the love as you pet, dance, sing and even get a kiss or two while frolicking in deep water with two beautiful bottlenose dolphins! Allow the dolphins to pull you through the water by their dorsal fins, and then let them give you a foot push through the crystal water of the Caribbean. Watch them at play and view the exciting Shark Show performed by the very own Pirates of Little Port Royal. You'll also have the chance to interact with the colorful birds, exotic snakes, iguanas and gentle stingrays (with barbs removed) as well as enjoy unlimited mini boat rides and glass-bottom kayaking. Go shopping in Little Port Royal, our very own Pirate Village where Pirates roam the territory! After your fun-filled day, relax on the pearly white beach, on comfortable beach chairs, while being caressed by the cool, Caribbean breeze.

Experience the majesty of Dunn's River Falls, one of Jamaica's most magnificent natural treasures, and one of the world's most gorgeous spots. Join hands and form a human chain, as you wind your way up the rocky slopes of this 600-foot waterfall, led by expert guides. Pose for pictures or videos, amidst the luxuriant foliage that lines the sides of the ascending falls. Soak in the refreshing, pure waters, as they cascade down from their untainted source high in the mountains above Ocho Rios. Give in to the unbelievable beauty of this wondrous place.

Catch Jamaica's most popular attractions as you sail on a catamaran during this fun-filled day.

Start your sail from a beautiful beach and cruise to a crystal cove for a swim or, if you are a snorkeling fan, go snorkeling in the colorful waters loaded with a wide variety of underworld creatures. After fun in the water, board the catamaran to enjoy cool refreshments as you sail past emerald hills and a number of waterfalls before reaching and docking at Jamaica's famous Dunn's River Falls. You and your guide will climb 900-feet waterfalls and through the lush tropical rainforest. The fun continues on your sail back. Let your body loose and move your waist to the latest reggae and soca dance tunes while sipping Red Stripe beer or a rum cocktail.