Ocho Rios, Jamaica City Guide
For over 20 years, Pamela Lanier's Ocho Rios, Jamaica Travel Guide has been your connection to Ocho Rios's tourism community with invaluable details on local attractions, restaurants, shopping, museums, history, outdoor recreation and more.
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Adventures in and around Ocho Rios
 Rio Nuevo Battle SiteThe Rio Nuevo meets the ocean 8 km east of Ocho Rios. A plaque marks the spot where, “On this ground on June 17, 1658, was fought the battle of Rio Nuevo to decide whether Jamaica would be Spanish or English. On one side were the Jamaicans of both black and white races, whose ancestors had come to Jamaica from Africa and Spain 150 years before. The Spanish forces lost the battle and the island. The Spanish whites fled to Cuba but the black people took to the mountains and fought a long and bloody guerrilla war against the English. This site is dedicated to them all.” Ask your innkeeper when is the best time to visit the battle site, there may even be a bus pick up near your bed and breakfast. Port Maria Located on Pagee Beach, it has a number of well-preserved buildings of the colonial period, including Brimmer Hall Plantation, where guided tours show visitors how life used to be, circa 1817, producing sugar cane, pineapple, ackee, bananas and coffee, ingredients your innkeepers may use at their bed and breakfast. Firefly Also located in Port Maria is Firefly, the former vacation home of British author Noel Coward, where he wrote such works as “High Spirits” and “Quadrille”. Once a look-out point for the pirate Henry Morgan, today afternoon tea can be enjoyed during a tour of his house. Tour the grounds and visit his last resting place, next to a small stage where his plays are often performed. If only they’d turn this former vacation home into a bed and breakfast. Dunn's River Falls Ocho Ríos is the home of Dunn's River Falls, visited by thousands of visitors each year. The Dunn's River cascades approximately 695 feet over a number of rock terraces on its way to the sea and a beautiful beach. There is a Dunn's River feast every week with dancing, music and swimming. Don’t be discouraged if you want to climb the falls, it is much easier than it looks and experienced guides are always willing to assist. The ice-cold water is a refreshing experience. Some tour operators will pick you up at your bed and breakfast for a day excursion to the Falls, ask your innkeeper for details. Discovery Bay Discovery Bay is a town in Saint Ann Parish on the northern coast of Jamaica. The city is also known locally as Dry Harbour Bay, because it sits in the shadow of the Dry Harbour Mountains in St. Ann. There is a dispute as to whether Christopher Columbus first landed in Discovery Bay or Sevilla la Nueva (east of Discovery Bay) in 1494. Near to the city are Puerto Seco Beach and several historic sites, such as the Green Grotto Caves and Columbus Park. Bed and breakfast travelers to the Green Grotto Caves can see relics of the native Taíno Arawak lifestyle there. It is said that many Spaniards escaped the English invasion of 1655 through secret passages in the caves with the help of Arawaks and African slaves, in exchange for their freedom. Fern Gully Once a river bed, this three mile valley in the shadows of magnificent ferns (600 types) and hardwood trees zig-zags for about four miles from the Ocho Rios coast up to the central mountain area of the island. In the deepest parts of the gorge, only faint dapples of sunshine penetrate through the thick foliage and the temperature is about ten degrees cooler. Although it has become rather commercialized in recent years by souvenir vendors, it is still well worth a visit to see the foliage only to be found in a tropical rain forest. Chukka Cove Situated about 15 minutes from Ocho Rios, just beyond St. Ann's Bay on the way to Montego Bay, Chukka Cove is a farm and stable which offers rides to suit anyone, from beginners to the most experienced. Their beach ride takes you through a dairy and cattle farm to the beach where an exhilarating ride through the waves will get your adrenaline flowing. They have recently added an exciting new attraction: a bike ride through the spectacular scenery of the Jamaican mountains down to a white sand beach and a refreshing plunge into the clear blue sea. After a day of adventure and sun, head back to your bed and breakfast to watch the sun set and maybe even dine at your bed and breakfast. Safari Tours Safari Tours in zebra-striped jeeps will take you to White River for a breathtaking river tubing ride or on a hiking trip through the hills and down to Dunn's River Falls or through the timeless, unhurried, Jamaica countryside, seldom seen by visitors. Check to see if they will pick you up at your bed and breakfast. Cranbook Flower Forest Located off the North Coast Highway in Laughlands, St. Ann, Cranbook Flower Forest offers well laid out gardens with nature hikes, swimming, bird watching, pond fishing, horse and donkey rides. You will see similar horticultural in many of the area bed and breakfasts. Plantations Working plantations still exist at Prospect Estates and Brimmer Hall, model agricultural centers which produce some of the island's major exports, coconuts, bananas and citrus fruits. Tours of the estates include lessons on the life cycle of the banana plant and the proper way to carry a bunch of coconuts in a head basket. Prospect Plantation Tour is one of the oldest-established plantation tours the island has to offer. It is a still a working plantation which grows a little of everything so you will see such tropical produce as sugar cane, banana, cassava, avocado, and pimento (allspice) in their own habitat. A herb garden is a new addition. Peacocks roam the property and a horseback tour instead of a jitney tour is an option for the more energetic. Trail bikes tours are yet another possibility and there is miniature golf for those who cannot bear to be far from a golf course. The Ocho Rios area is also a mecca for fans of Reggae legend Bob Marley, who was born and buried in the nearby village of Nine Mile, where there is a family-run attraction. A Rastafarian guide shows visitors Marley's childhood home and the mausoleum where he is buried. Shaw Park Gardens Situated high on a hilltop overlooking the sea and only five minutes from Ocho Rios, Shaw Park Botanical Gardens encompass 25 acres of tropical splendor. If you’re inspired by this foliage, take some pictures and ask your innkeeper how you can develop photos near the bed and breakfast. Diving in Ocho Rios - Dolphin Cove Visitors can touch, play and swim with the dolphins. Dolphin programs start at 9.30 a.m., 11.30 a.m., 1.30 p.m. and 3.30 p.m. Reservations are necessary to participate but not if you only mean to watch. An exciting nature hike is offered. See parrots, native snakes, turtles, iguanas and don't miss the shark pool. Their cheerful restaurant offers buffet lunc and a delightful gift shop for those who wish to browse a while. Reggae Beach An incredibly beautiful and secluded beach to spend the day at and enjoy Jamaican favorites such as fried fish and bammi. Entertainment Jazz aficionados should check out the annual Ocho Rios Jazz Festival in June. The Jamaica Ocho Rios Jazz Festival started in 1991 as an experimental one-day event called at the time The Ocho Rios "Mini" Jazz Festival. In three years the festival grew from one to eight days and became the Caribbean's complete jazz vacation, featuring the greatest names in Jamaican Jazz as well as the very best of international fare. For the dozens of evening entertainment options, ask your innkeeper what they would recommend and how to get there from your bed and breakfast.
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