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Jamaica is a perfect island to go for relaxing, a festival or for some adventures. There is much to do in this country and the best way to discover is by renting a car. Read everything you need to know about Jamaica in the blog What to know about Jamaica.
In this blog I will talk about the places you should visit in Jamaica. If you want to drive around the island I would suggest you start at Montego Bay and end at the Mayfield Falls.
20 places that are worth visiting:
- The vivid Montego Bay
- Reggae Sumfest festival
- Haunted Rose Hall Great House
- Explore Falmouth
- Swimming in the luminous lagoon
- Rafting the Martha Brae River
- Bob Marley’s house in Nine Mile
- Adventures in Ocho Rios
- Hiking the Dunn’s River Falls
- The capital Kingston
- Drink coffee on the Blue Mountains
- Pass by Port Antonio
- Discover the Reach Falls
- Beautiful Treasure Beach
- Visiting the Pelican Bar
- Drink rum at Appleton Estate
- Enjoy the YS Falls
- Spot crocodiles in Black River
- Relaxing at Negril
- The Mayfield Falls
In Jamaica you can stay at an all-inclusive resort to relax and enjoy the weather. Make sure you also visit some places while you are in Jamaica. In Montego Bay, Negril and Ocho Rios there are the most luxurious resorts in Jamaica.
You must at least visit one waterfall and hike around on the falls. The most famous ones are the Dunn’s River Falls. Besides that, you also have the Reach falls, YS falls, Mayfield falls, Ocho Rios Blue hole, and Konoko Falls. You need to know that you pay entrance fee to visit the waterfalls.
Tip: make sure to bring sun protection, water shoes, and waterproof bags.
Never get in a car with strangers! Taxi’s have a red license plate so if you want to take a cab make sure that it has a red license plate.
Tip: don’t wear or bring camouflage clothes because it’s illegal to wear camouflage print!
The vivid Montego Bay
Montego Bay is a popular tourist destination in Jamaica with many hotels and restaurants. Besides that, many cruise ships stop here. It’s a popular tourist destination.
You can walk around the city center and discover the history of Montego Bay. Besides the city center there are many beautiful beaches like the Doctor’s Cave Beach, Walter Fletcher Beach and Tropical Bliss Beach. For most beaches you will pay an entrance fee around 5 to 10 Jamaican dollars. A free beach is the Dead-End Beach, where the locals relax.
A special experience is swimming with horses at the Half Moon Equestrian Centre. They support and offer rehabilitation services for injured horses. Read everything about this center on their website.
Divers and snorkelers will have a great time going diving at the Montego Bay Marina Park. There are protected coral reefs here.
If you are a golfer, then you should go to Cinnamon Hill Golf Course. You can golf here with the most stunning vies.
Reggae Sumfest festival
Reggae Sumfest festival is a festival in Montego Bay in July with good reggae music and other artists. If you are planning to travel to Jamaica in July, check out this festival. There are many other events and festivals, you can check out the website of Reggaeville.
Haunted Rose Hall Great House
This is a plantation house constructed in the 18th century for Rose Palmer. In this house you can do a tour and learn about Annie Palmer also called the white witch that haunts this house.
Tip: do a tour during the night if you love horror-ghost stories.
Explore Falmouth
This is a nice place to wander around and Falmouth is a good preserved Georgian town which was a sugarcane farming town. Nowadays it’s filled with coconut and sugar plantations, waterfalls, lush forests and beautiful 19th century architecture.
It used to be the place where there was slave trade during the 18th and 19th centuries. You can learn about this history on a Heritage Walk there. Besides the Heritage Walk you should visit the Baptiste Manse and the Albert George Market.
Swimming in the luminous lagoon
This is something you need to do during the night. There are microscopic organisms in the water that make fantastic blue lights in the sea. They illuminate when the water is disturbed. The darker the night is, the brighter the glow of the water. You pay an entrance fee to visit this lagoon.
Tip: bring a towel and water shoes.
Rafting the Martha Brae River
During rafting you have the most beautiful tropical views like you have never seen before. There are many tours that you can do but you need to know that it’s not cheap. You can look on Google or book a tour with Get Your Guide.
Bob Marley’s house in Nine Mile
Nine Mile is a village where Bob Marley was born and buried. This artist is known for the reggae music. You can visit the house where Bob Marley grew up.
Adventures in Ocho Rios
Ocho Rios used to be a fishing village where the English, Spanish and even pirates lived. Now there are many resorts here and high-end hotels. Around Ocho Rios there are a lot of attractions in nature like zip lining in the rainforest, or horseback riding on the beach.
Near Ocho Rios there is a place called Mystic Mountains where you can do some exciting things like a rollercoaster ride, zip lines and many other activities.
Hiking the Dunn’s River Falls
These falls stretch over 180 meters, and you can hike up the limestone to get to the top of the waterfalls. It’s an amazing attraction and you will immediately notice this because of all the tourists. You should go early in the morning or in the evening if you want to beat the crowd.
Tip: don’t forget sun protection and water shoes.
The capital Kingston
The capital of Jamaica is Kingston which is a very vivid city. There are some attractions that you must visit in the capital. Visit the Port royal, the Trench Culture Yard Museum and of course Bob Marley Museum. You can also visit the Natural History Museum, the National Gallery, and Devon House.
Drink coffee on the Blue Mountains
The Blue Mountains is perfect for the adventurous people. There are many hiking and biking trails, beautiful waterfalls and the must visit coffee plantations. It’s a 45 kilometers long mountain range and on the highest peak at 2,256 meters high you can even spot Cuba.
In the mountain range there were many slaves that escaped the captivity of the Spanish back in 1600. They built their homes here and you can still visit these homes. You can also do some bird watching and some coffee tours.
Pass by Port Antonio
It’s a quiet resort village that is located between the harbor and mountains. Port Antonio is a nice fishing village with two ports, you can see Georgian and Victorian architecture.
This place also should be on your list if you love adventures. You can go rafting in the Rio Grande, go diving and snorkeling, surfing at Boston Beach, and go swimming in the blue lagoon.
There are many epic hiking trails around Port Antonio.
Discover the Reach Falls
Deep in the forest you will find the beautiful Reach Falls with nice underwater caves. You can also jump from a cliff if you like. Wander around the waterfalls and caves.
Beautiful Treasure Beach
The Treasure Beach is a long beach including four fishing villages at the south coast. The four villages are: Great Bay, Calabash Bay, Frenchman’s Bay, and Billy’s Bay. This place is perfect for relaxing, snorkeling, diving, swimming, dolphin spotting, hiking, biking, and much more.
Visiting the Pelican Bar
This is the coolest bar in the world in the middle of the sea. You can only get to this bar by boat which takes around 20 minutes before you reach the Pelican Bar.
Tip: make sure you have a waterproof bag so you can bring some money (cash) and a camera.
Drink rum at Appleton Estate
You can do a tour in the Appleton Estate and learn how the rum is made. In the end you can try out this delicious rum. The tour takes around 1 hour and 30 minutes depending on the size of the group. Here the most expensive rum in the world is made. To learn more about the Appleton Estate you can read on their website.
Enjoy the YS Falls
There are seven falls here and some beautiful nature. You can do zip lining here, rope swinging and river tubing. These falls are less touristic and if you’re lucky you are all alone wandering around. You can get a guide when you get there.
Tip: don’t forget sun protection, snacks, water, and water shoes.
Spot crocodiles in Black River
The Black River is the longest river in Jamaica. During a tour they will explain how it is living around this area. In this area there are more than 100 bird species and there are crocodiles. If you are lucky you should spot a crocodile.
Tip: bring binoculars if you like to spot some birds and wildlife.
Relaxing at Negril
Negril is in the west of Jamaica where you have the most beautiful beaches. You must visit some of the beaches and don’t forget to visit the Negril Cliffs. It’s possible to do some cliff jumping here and you should visit the sunset on the cliffs.
Visit some paradise at the Seven Mile Beach or go snorkeling at Long Bay. There are many more activities like diving, parasailing, cliff jumping, paddleboarding, etc.
Tip: visit Rick’s Café and watch people cliff jump.
The Mayfield Falls
If you have enough time, you can check out the Mayfield Falls. There are two big waterfalls, a natural spring, and many natural pools. It’s the perfect place to relax.
Tip: don’t forget sun protection, snacks, water, and water shoes.
These are 20 places you can visit in Jamaica. Of course, there are many more things to visit but these are just the must visits.
