The Insider Guide to Jamaica
Welcome to Jamaica, home of reggae legend Bob Marley, Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt and the most famous bobsled team in the world. Look beyond the famous faces though, and you’ll discover a Caribbean island packed with history and culture. Let’s explore.
The Main Attractions
Feel the beats of Jamaica in the capital, Kingston, home to the Bob Marley Museum – where he once lived and recorded many of his famous tunes – the National Gallery and Hope Botanical Gardens. From there, head northeast to the Blue Mountain region, which produces some of the finest coffee in the world. Montego Bay, in the north, is a melting pot of expats and natives. Throw your best To Di World – also known as the Lighting Bolt – pose in front of the Usain Bolt statue, then venture downtown to visit the cobblestone Sam Sharpe Square to taste some of the finest jerk Jamaican flavour on offer. When you’re ready to relax, leave Jamaica’s busiest spots behind and head for Negril where you’ll find spectacular sandy beaches and the clearest snorkelling spots on the island. Seven Mile Beach, overlooking Long Bay, is the best place for it, and you have a wide choice of restaurants and bars here too. Trek – or you can drive – through rainforests, waterfalls and rivers to Ocho Rios, a former fishing village with some of the most memorable natural wonders in the country. Nearby is the terraced Dunn’s River Falls. Climb up and you’ll come across pockets of lagoons on the way. Blue Hole – mineral springs with a deep swimming cave, a pool and mud massages – is also nearby. Don’t go home without a stop at Blue Lagoon in Portland, Port Antonio. And visit the Luminous Lagoon at night where millions of dinoflagellates – a one-celled plankton – sparkle and glisten in the water.
