One of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean is the island of Jamaicaespecially if you like the reggae and its derivatives". Is it worth going even if you just like music and smoke a little? I think so, it is a great destination and it offers us much more than those two topics.
I propose then that we discover together that we can do, see and visit a whole week in Jamaica. I anticipate that the tour includes some colonial history, tasty cuisine and of course, Caribbean beaches. And yes, reggae nights.
Jamaica
It is the third largest island in the Greater Antilles and it is scarcely 145 kilometers from Cuba and something else about the island that the Dominican Republic and Haiti share. The Spanish conquered it very early but the English took control in 1655.
There it began to be called Jamaica and its economic activity was definitely oriented to the cultivation of sugar cane with slave labor, first African and later, after emancipation, with Chinese and Indian workers.
In Jamaica English is spoken. Its capital is the city of Kingston and although it belongs to the Commonwealth, the economic situation has produced many migrations throughout its history in search of a better future. You have to be careful because its capital is a violent city where the crime rate is quite high. My advice is to go to hotels and move around on tour.
Destinations in Jamaica
Kingston, Negril, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio. In this handful of destinations you can calmly concentrate the week in Jamaica. The idea is to combine the west and south coasts, the best when it comes to a first trip to the island.
You start with Negril's white beaches, its rivers and its waterfalls and its fishing villages and end in Port Antonio where Hollywood actor Errol Flyn used to vacation.
kingston
The capital is inhabited by almost 3 million people. It is surrounded by mountains, to the north, and the sea coast bathes it to the south. There is a lot of poverty so you must be very careful. You do not have to be innocent when moving.
Among the sites to visit is the Devon Mansion. It was built in 1881 and is an important heritage site as it represents the typical colonial plantation mansion that the British built. Inside is XNUMXth century furniture and guided tours are offered. There are restaurants and cafes in the beautiful gardens. The Bob Marley Museum it works in his old house that is still in the hands of his family.
All the Blue Mountains They are located to the north of the city and today they form a national park that you can visit on an excursion. You can ascend to the highest point and if you do it on a clear day you will be able to see the southern coast of Cuba. The walk takes between four to eight hours but it is worth it. On the hills is the mansion and Strawberry HillToday a hotel surrounded by cabins, an old and elegant colonial house that is also a spa.
Another excursion you can sign up for is that of Port Royal, former capital of pirates during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. An earthquake sank half the city at the end of the XNUMXth century, but you can still see what was left there between forts and canyons.
Finally, before embarking on a trip to another destination, remember that Kingston is, it is said, one of the capitals of rum, so there are many bars where you can enjoy it: CRU, Regency Bar & Lounge, Macau or Mahogany Tree Bar, inside the Devon Mansion, for example.
Negril
Negril's landscape is fabulous, with a beautiful coastline that has been used to build hotels and restaurants. In Negril you will find one of the most famous beaches in Jamaica: Seven Mile Beach, of white sands and crystal clear water. There are hotels and resorts built here and on the beach you can rent equipment from snorkel, tables of windsurf or do paraglider.
Precisely on one of the rocky cliffs is a bar that is extremely popular: the Rick's Café. You go up from the beach by its stairs excavated in the rock and you can drink or eat something while you watch how the most adventurous jump into the sea from different heights.
So in Negril you can go from sunbathing to scuba diving or snorkeling or going fishing. You can also walk to Bloody bay, a site that is said to have witnessed a battle between pirates.
Today it is a public beach with a few hotels and trees that provide shade on raging noons. The waters are crystal clear and warm and there are usually fewer people than at Seven Mile Beach. Kingston first, then Negril and since you are here the third destination must be Montego Bay.
Montego Bay
Is located just an hour and a half drive from Negril and it is a more adventurous destination. Montego Bay it is the second largest city on the island and offers a lot of nightlife and fun. On the beach you can rest, sunbathe, do activities or go horseback riding, but outside of it you can go on excursions through the jungle and visit haunted mansions like the popular Rose Hall.
Rose Hall is a old plantation whose house is built on top of a hill overlooking the sea. It is Georgian in style and was built in 1770. Legend has it that its owner, Annie Palmer, the White Witch of Rose Hall, killed her three husbands and the occasional slave to perpetuate her beauty.
There are guided tours day and night. Another destination may be the beach of Doctor's Cave, one of the most popular in this part of Jamaica.
Its location in a bay makes the waters extremely calm and warm and the beach is public but you can rent sun loungers and umbrellas. If you like hacer rafting the Martha Brae River is there at your disposal, an hour from Montego Bay, in the neighboring parish of Trewlawny. It is one of the largest rivers on the island and the rafting is great. Tours always include transportation there.
You like the lagoons with luminescence? Also in Trelawny there is a lagoon with waters that sparkle at night. The waters are inhabited by thousands of microorganisms and it is a great experience to see them shine.
Eight rivers
An hour and a half from Montego Bay, Ocho Ríos awaits you. Here the excursions for tourism are concentrated in visit Mystic Mountain, where you go up beyond the treetops with a ski lift, to a panoramic site with a cafeteria that gives you beautiful images of the ocean and the countryside.
All the Dunn Falls They are here, one of the most beautiful in the Caribbean. In 1657 the English and the Spanish fought to the death on this site. The Mallards beach It is a beautiful beach with white sands and always with many people.
If you want to do another type of walk you can sign up for a visit to firefly, just 45 minutes east. Here is the house of the playwright and composer Sir Noël Coward and on the way you can visit, on the way out or on the way back, Harmony Hall.
port antony
As I said at the beginning, it is in this place where actor Errol Flynn, a popular actor from the 40s who played pirate movies with great success, spent his vacations rafting on the Rio Grande. Nearby are the Boston and San San beaches, ideal for stopping to eat something.
There are many possible circuits. Some tourists enter through Montego Bay and move from there to Ocho Rios or Negril. The truth is that in a week you can visit Jamaica and its best destinations. Always be careful if you decide to move alone and if possible, better on tour.