Way to make a Travel > World Tours > Ports of Jamaica to Explore on Your Next Trip
River trips, waterfalls, powdery beaches, the Blue Mountains, wildlife, gardens and colonial mansions, Jamaica ports has them all, backed by the irresistible rhythms of reggae and the irrepressible spirit of the people.
Cruise ships have a choice of three ports of call at this island, the third island in the Caribbean. Those are Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and the smaller Port Antonio. An expansion program for all three ports is underway with increased security.
Ocho Rios is the largest port, and is a home port for some European ships. Ocho Rios port is able to accommodate three ships at a time.
Montego Bay on the other hand is being modernized and expanded to make room for two berths of modern mega-cruisers.
Port Antonio’s renovated Ken Wright Cruise Ship Pier is accessible to smaller cruise ships accommodating up to 1000 passengers, ad there are plans to dredge the port to allow for larger ships.
Ocho Rios
Known locally as “Ochi,” Ocho Rios is surrounded by coconut-covered hills and fruit plantations, while its white-sand beaches are protected by colorful coral reefs. Its name comes from the numerous waterfalls located near the town. The well-equipped cruise ship terminal is within easy walking distance of the town center, but in the heat, you might prefer to take one of the taxis that line up at port.
In the town center, a shopping mall, the Taj Mahal, has outlets for gemstones, jewelry, designer watches, Blue Mountain coffee and cigars.
At the Old Craft Market on Main Street, you can find wood carvings, batik, jewelry, toys and T-shirts. Everything is overpriced but polite and friendly haggling is expected.
Fern Gully
Just outside Ochi is Fern Gully, a lush, hardwood rainforest where giant ferns and lianas hang over the narrow road. More than 60 species of ferns have been recorded here, but their presence has declined slightly due to hurricane damage and traffic pollution.
Ocho Rios is one of the best areas on the island for plant life and has two excellent botanical gardens. Shaw Park Botanical Garden, is within walking distance of the port, but on a hill, so the best way is to take taxi. Its 10 hectares of tropical trees and shrubs surround a lovely waterfall. Nearby, further up the road Coyaba river Garden and Museum is a tranquil water garden around an interesting Taino Amerindian Museum.
Dunn’s River Falls
Just a 5-minute drive from the terminal, a visit to Dunn’s River Falls will be a cooling experience. In the middle of a rainforest. Dunn’s River cascades 180 meters down a series of limestone shelves. With an official guide you can join a group to climb up the slippery rocks, stopping for photos by the freshwater pools.
It tends to get crowded, though, so the earlier you get there the better. You don’t have to climb with a guide, but the water is powerful enough in places to make you lose your footing. Wear rubber-soled shoes or hire shoes at falls, and be prepared to get wet.
For a different perspective of the island, you can go on a 3-hour excursion on horseback at Chukka Cove, 11 km west of Ocho Rios. You will ride along a beautiful beach and through two of the island’s oldest sugar estates before stopping at Chukka Cove’s private beach for a swim. As its name suggests, polo is played in Chukka Cove, and international tournaments are held there every March and April.
A short drive east of Ocho Rios stands a fine example of a working plantation. Prospect Estate grows bananas, sugar cane, cocoa, coconuts, pineapples and cassava on its 800 hectares of land. An estate tour includes the White River Gorge, Sir Harold’s Viewpoint, and a grove of memorial trees.
Writers’ retreat
James Bond fans will undoubtedly enjoy a visit to Oracabessa Bay and Goldeneye, the former home of Ian Fleming, creator, author, and former British naval intelligence officer who created the famous hero. The property is now part of a small complex of villas and cottages that includes the James Bond Beach Club, which boasts three beaches ideal for snorkeling, a Jamaican restaurant, and water sports.
Moon Palace Ocho Rios offers food and beverages as part of its all-inclusive package, which includes unlimited food at hotel’s bars, restaurants and room service. Guests can enjoy various dining experiences, from gourmet options like Jamaican, Italian, and Asian cuisine to casual beachside snacks like jerk chicken at the Jerk Hut.
A little further along the coast is Firefly, the former home of another writer Noel Coward (1899-1973). Managed by the Jamaican National Trust, the house has fantastic views and offers a fascinating insight into the life of the actor, composer and playwrighter.
The pretty gingerbread style Harmony Hall, in St. Ann, was a Methodist manse built in the mid 1800s. It is now a gallery showing the work of Caribbean artists, with a shop and a restaurant.
Montego Bay
Cruise ships dock at the multi-million dollar Freeport complex 2 km to the west of Montego Bay, or MoBay as its known. It is Jamaica’s second largest port and city after the capital Kingston.
The island’s hub of tourism, the city sprawls around the bay, with shops, bars and restaurants along the waterfront.
At the modern terminal, the Freeport Shopping Center is a good source for gemstones, watches, cigars, rum and designer labels. Most ships run a shuttle service into town, or you can take an official taxi.
The town square, Sam Sharpe Square is named after Sam ‘Daddy’ Sharpe, who led slave rebellions in 1831 – 32 and was hanged by the British. In the square you can still see the stone cell, called the Cage, used to imprison runaway slaves.
The Hip Strip
Montego Bay is synonymous with shopping and parties, and along the seafront on Gloucester Avenue you will find the Montego Bay Shopping Centre, the craft market and a long row of bars and restaurants.
Known as the Hip Strip, it ends at the busy Doctor’s Cave Beach to the north. The beach became famous in the early 1900s thanks to Dr. Alexander McCatty, who claimed that the water had healing properties, thus attracting many wealthy Americans. Visitors still flock to the beach, which has good facilities and coral gardens close to the shore that are perfect for snorkeling.
Back on the Strip, Margaritaville, a noisy, action-packed beach bar, offers Jamaican food and fajitas that you can wash down with any 52 varieties of Margarita. Alternatively try the sizzling, peppery jerk pork and chicken at the outdoor Pork Pit.
If you are in port in July, you can soak up the atmosphere and island rhythms at Reggae Sum Fest, a huge music festival at which local and international artists play at various venues in the area, over five days.
Although Jamaica has had some incidents of tourists beingrobbed at gunpoint, serious incidents are rare. Use common sense and don’t go off the beaten track on your own.
Great Houses
Not far from Montego Bay several plantation houses still stand at the center of huge estates. The beautifully restored 18th-century Rose Hall was once the home of the alleged ‘white witch’, Annie Palmer, who is supposed to have murdered three husbands.
Greenwood Great House, located nearby and facing east, was built between 1780 and 1800 by the author Elizabeth Barett Browning’s grandparents. Greenwood contains a great many antiques and the largest collection of rare musical instruments in the West.
Rivers and Birds
About 35 km east of Montego Bay lies Falmouth, a quiet little town with Georgian charm. Falmouth is a unuique place where you can go rafting on the Martha Brae River. This popular excursion, which can be arranged by boat or, for less money, independently, lasts an hour. Float gently down the river on a two-person bamboo raft and admire the beauties of Jamaican untouched nature.
For bird lovers, the Rocklands Bird Feeding Station, south of Montego Bay is a reserve established in 1958. Here you can see various colorful native species, including tiny humming birds.
Port Antonio
Backed by the Blue Mountains, the twin harbors of the tranquil, secluded town of Port Antonio greet the boats. Cruise ships started docking here when the Port Antonio Marina was built in the West Harbor. The Ken Wright Cruise Ship Pier first welcomed cruise passengers in 2002.
In front of the harbor lies the enchanting Navy Island, once used by the British Navy. Errol Flynn, a film star, bought the picturesque Navy Island in 1946, making it a famous playground. Guests attending his wild parties here included Clara Bow, Ginger Rogers and Bette Davis. You can get to the island and its pretty beach via a short ferry ride or with a tour.
Banana Gold
In the late 18th century, Port Antonio became the banana capital of the world and triggered an exclusive tourist industry. Time when bananas, grown on the foothills of the Blue Mountains, and were exported to America by boat from here. The returning banana boats then brought wealthy American visitors back to the island.
You can still see the fruit being packed on to ships at Bounbrook Wharf at the western edge of the harbor, despite the decline of banana exports from the Caribbean. This was where Harry Belafonte’s famous Banana Song originated.
The marina is close to the center of the town. There is a busy food market in West Street and a shopping mall. This commercial center tucked behind a facade looks like a row of Amsterdam canal houses in Fort George Street.
From Christ Church, built in 1840, in Harbor Street, there is a fine view of the East Harbor Fort George. It was built by the English in 1729 to protect against invasions by the Maroons and the Spanish. Currently this fortified walls house a school on a peninsular promontory jutting between the two bays.
On the Rio Grande
The Rio Grande winds through dense rainforest to the sea, just west of Port Antonio. Long ago, bananas grown in the hills were transported to the port on long bamboo rafts. Actor Errol Flynn popularized the practice of traveling the river on these boats. Today, you can do just the same.
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