Jamaica Hiking in Mountainous Cockpit Country

A Steady Trail Through the Rolling Hills – Hiking Jamaica’s Cockpit Country

The third largest island in the Caribbean after Cuba and Hispaniola, Jamaica is roughly 3 times the size of Long Island (NY, USA). While Jamaica is probably best known for it’s reggae music, Rasta culture, white sand beach resorts and rum… I think of the Caribbean island’s wild and mountainous areas and know that Jamaica hiking has so much potential.

I had heard about a lesser known/visited region on the island called Cockpit Country, that was supposed to have a few hiking trails worth checking out. I understand that the large area, of approximately 500 square miles (1,300 sq km), is wrinkled and dimpled with hundreds of limestone hills and karst caves – It is probably the wildest area left on Jamaica. I thought to myself, this sounds good – Let’s do it!

We knew we would need a local guide for this one and the Southern Trelawny Environmental Agency, with it’s Cockpit Country Adventure Tours was able to help us get the most out of our Jamaica Hiking experience.

We left our Montego Bay hotel before 7am, taking a local taxi through the Jamaican countryside to the Clark’s Town Police Station to meet our host and guides. After exchanging greetings followed by a short drive to the edge of town, we were off…

With our guide leading the way, we headed into the wilderness – 10 miles (16km) through the rugged Cockpit Country to a town on the other side called Albert Town. After a few minutes on the trail, we noticed that a dog, had joined us from somewhere on the outskirts of town and was happily following us. Well, that’s alright with me.

We got on the trail just before 8am, so the air was relatively cool and the grass was still covered with the morning’s dew. I was a bit worried when my mesh shoes quickly became soaked, although it wasn’t long before it warmed up and the ground became increasingly hot and dry. This was great as it allowed my feet to dry fairly quickly. As the day progressed, the air temperature settled somewhere in the comfortable mid-high 70s (mid 20s celsius). Thanks to the mostly shaded trail, it never got too-too hot the entire hike – A nice change from previous Caribbean trails we’ve hiked under the heat of a scorching sun!

We were walking on a trail known as the Burnt Hill Nature trail, which is actually an abandoned road from the 1950s – built by Canada we were told. Well the Engineers did an amazing job cutting a road through the mountainous terrain – The trail always seemed fairly level, albeit with slight inclines and descents. This was not consistent with my Trail App’s reported elevation changes of over 6,600 feet (2,000m) over the length of the trail. We never noticed that much up-and-down.

The road was built into the sides of the mountains, so the track took several twists and turns as it snaked it’s way through Cockpit Country. Most of the time there were clear dual paths to walk on, although from the tall grass growing on the sides and between the tracks, you can tell that this road hasn’t seen regular car traffic in years. That said, at one point, we did come across several locals loading a truck high, with long skinny trees that apparently are used as poles for growing Yams.

Well, after about an hour or so, the dog was still with us, so we thought we should give her a name. She had a sparkle in her eye and was always smiling, well ok – panting with her tongue hanging out, so I decided to call her Sparky. Like the rest of us, she seemed to be enjoying the exercise. I wonder if she noticed the fluttering orange moths that also accompanied us on our walk…

Our knowledgeable guide casually dispensed interesting commentary, telling us about the history of the area as well as providing information on some of the local plants we encountered. I’m always fascinated by the many medicinal properties and beauty that nature provides.

He displayed a giant snail, showed us a plant that helps with stomach problems, and informed us that the fruit from an inviting looking orange tree we encountered, was actually extremely bitter. We also encountered a bizarre spider web on a bush on the side of the trail – It seemed to have tightly knitted ‘mini webs’ built within the larger web – We had never seen anything like that before. Personally, I was enthralled with giant leaves that fall to the ground when they die – They curl-up into bowling-ball sized balls, that covered areas of the canopy floor – So cool! We also learned that common birds in the area included Flycatchers, Thrushes, Orioles and Cuckoos.

We were told about how the region got it’s name from early Spanish explorers. The story goes, that after their officers, comfortably positioned on the high ground of course, watched a battle wage below them in a gully, remarked that the spectacle reminded them of watching cock fights, in ‘the pit’, back in Spain – Hence the name ‘Cockpit Country’.

As the hike progressed, Sparky the dog was panting heavily and we observed her stopping occasionally for a drink from the Bromeliad plants that periodically lined the side of the trail. This smart dog knew that rainfall gets trapped on the large leaves near the base of the plant. I made a mental note in case we were lost in the jungle some day. We also noticed a large number of Turkey Vultures off in the distance, circling in the sky – While they may have been watching us, I wasn’t worried… 🙂

While the trail doesn’t provide any great Caribbean Sea scenery or any birds-eye views of the island as a whole, the remote wilderness of the area, with it’s numerous peaks and valleys, supplied us special sights of it’s own. Great Jamaica hiking for sure! One of the highlights was peering across and down into a valley known as Barbecue Bottom. Even though we were a little late to witness the morning mist in the gorge, the view was still quite breathtaking. In Jamaica, flat areas of land are called “barbecues”, because they provide a level area for coffee beans and other crops to be laid out on screens for drying in the sun.

Once we were deep in the jungle, we kept hearing loud screeching sounds from above – It was as if we were disturbing the local inhabitants and they were letting us know that we were intruding! Our helpful guide informed us that we were hearing from one of their local parrots. Now, I’ve hiked a number of Caribbean islands and am always trying to catch a glimpse of the colourful birds, but they have always eluded me. Well, today was our lucky day. A little further on, our guide pointed out a fairly large gathering of the small green ‘Black Billed’ parrots in a tree and after they took to the air, they flew overhead, giving us a clear view to spot them, which we did. What a wonderful experience!

Another highlight of the hike was walking down a particularly dry section of the trail, cut into the side of the mountain. We came across an area of fallen rock – This section of the road was in total daylight, exposing rich red-orange colours of the mountain, somewhat similar to what you would see in the deserts of Arizona or Utah.

After stopping at this picturesque location for a snack, we continued the trek through the stunning beauty of this wild region of Jamaica. It was clear that my hiking partner was looking for a workout, either that or she was anxious to get back to the resort – Either way, she had set a fairly fast pace from the on-set. Even so, Sparky took the lead at this point and pulled us along even faster, so that we completed the last third of the trail in about an hour or so.

Our hike ended when we suddenly popped out of the jungle into a small cluster of houses and fields. It had taken us just over three and a half hours to walk through Cockpit Country from Clark’s Town to Albert Town on that deceptively flat and wide trail. We got a ride back to Clark’s Town before heading back to the coastal town of Montego Bay and our hotel, just in time for lunch! What a great way to spend the morning!

This Jamaica hike through Cockpit Country was “as advertised”… A luscious green wilderness area, that most tourists wouldn’t believe exists. We were accompanied by singing birds, drifting orange moths, consistent patches of warm sun, and even a local dog who kept us company! Oh yah – We saw a Caribbean green parrot too… What a fun and enjoyable hike!

For the complete Hiking Trail Report as well as much more information on hiking in Jamaica, please reference the following links (to pages on our website):

• Hiking Jamaica’s Cockpit Country – Burnt Hill Nature Trail
• Jamaica Hiking Trails – Trail Reviews and Tour Operators
  
  

We really enjoyed hiking with guides from the Southern Trelawny Environmental Agency (STEA). The non-profit’s mission is to promote development in Trelawny by implementing environmental conservation and economic opportunity projects. STEA was formed over 20 years ago to address environmental problems, facilitate environmentally friendly economic and community development activities and to promote sustainable use of the natural resources of Cockpit Country. Personally, I respect and appreciate everything they do for the community and one of Jamaica’s remaining wild areas.

For more information about STEA, including planning your own Jamaica Cockpit Country adventure (they also offer Birding and Caving Excursions), you can contact the good folks at STEA / Cockpit Country Adventure Tours by visiting their website or facebook page (just click on a link below):

• STEA – Cockpit Country Adventure Tours
• Cockpit Country Adventure Tours

For an overview of the “land of wood and water”, take a look at our Jamaica Vacations page

If you’re looking for more active things to do while vacationing on the island, check out our Jamaica Adventures blog for more great ideas!

For great Tourist Attractions on the island, check out our Things to Do in Jamaica blog

ACT Staff