Guides · Island-wide
Things to do
in Jamaica
Jamaica is bigger than most visitors expect, and what is worth doing depends almost entirely on where you are based. The north coast has the waterfalls and river tours, Negril has the beach and the sunsets, the south coast has the quiet, and Kingston has the music and the food. Driving between them takes real time.
Distance is the thing people get wrong
Jamaica looks small on a map and does not drive like it. The north coast highway is fast, but almost every other road is narrow, winding and slow. A day trip from Negril to Ocho Rios is four hours of driving for a few hours at a waterfall. Pick a base and explore around it rather than trying to see the island in a week.
The north coast, from Montego Bay to Ocho Rios
This is where most visitors stay and where most of the organised attractions are: Dunn’s River Falls, the Blue Hole, river tubing, bamboo rafting on the Martha Brae, the Luminous Lagoon at Falmouth, and Rose Hall. Two bases — Montego Bay and Ocho Rios — cover all of it comfortably.
The west and the south
Negril has Seven Mile Beach, the West End cliffs and the best sunsets in the country. Further round, the south coast has YS Falls, Black River and the Pelican Bar, and almost no crowds at all. It is the part of Jamaica people come back for.
Kingston and the Blue Mountains
Most visitors skip the capital entirely, which is a shame. It has the music history, by far the best food and the Blue Mountains an hour above it. It is not a beach destination and should not be treated as one, but two nights at the end of a trip changes what you think of the country.