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Another day in paradise… That’s what I was thinking as we departed our tour bus and boarded a ‘jitney’, a Jamaican term for a tractor-pulled transport wagon. The jitney took us on a short ride through the beautiful wide-open grounds of this spectacular estate on the way to the beautiful Jamaica waterfall. It was warm and sunny as we surveyed the surroundings from our wagon, which was moving at a leisurely pace. Needless to say, this area is totally different than the tourist filled beaches and the heavily forested landscape of Jamaica’s mountainous regions. It was a ‘breath of fresh air’ to view large areas of flat, grass-covered fields. Massive ‘logwood’ trees providing much needed shade for a few cows, seemingly hanging out and enjoying the good life.
The YS River flows through a former cane plantation and sugar factory. The site was also logged for it’s large trees that provided black dye to the textile industry. The estate now features this spectacular natural attraction, along with operating a horse farm, that has been breeding and raising thoroughbreds for over 60 years.
This was our second of three amazing excursions on Jamaica’s south-west coast, all part of the Black River Safari, YS Falls and the Appleton Estate 3-in-1 tour which we booked through Jamaica’s Amstar DMC and Tropical Tours.
Part 2 of 3 blog posts from the day’s adventures – This chapter focuses on the amazing Jamaica waterfall area known as YS Falls.
I can just imagine how the original natives on the island, as well as the English settlers would have felt as they explored this area. They would have heard the sounds of rustling water as they followed the milky blue-green river upstream. They would have come across a couple of modest waterfalls before realizing that there are in fact 7 different cascades all within a space of a hundred yards or so along the river. I suspect their excitement built as they waded into the deep pools of water below a few of the refreshing waterfalls. Well, that’s the way I felt on this day!
When our jitney ride through the beautiful countryside came to an end, it was just a short walk to the series of Falls. We excitedly came to view the stunning assortment of Jamaica waterfalls – Soaking it all in, we realized that the falls are comprised of multiple levels and a number of pools. There is a boardwalk at the bottom of the falls with stairs and platforms that climb the hill to the right side of the cascading river. As tourists stand in awe of the cascading river falling in front of them, local guides offer their services to assist in navigating the river and it’s sometimes slippery rocks.
We took our shirts off and put down our towels and bags in a little hut on the side of the river. Watching a few others in front of us, we ventured along the rock slabs that make up the top ridge of the lowest waterfall. From there we waded into the natural pool at the bottom of one of the larger and more spectacular falls. The rushing water falls approximately 15 feet (4.5m), across an area about twice that wide. The pool was over 6 feet (2m) deep in the middle and you can get right up under the falls if you want to.
Making our way uphill, the next waterfall’s pool was the largest of the bunch and appeared to be fairly deep in spots. This Jamaica waterfall and pool is sandwiched between much taller falls. This was clearly the play area of the natural attraction, as a couple of ropes hang from the canopy above. One of the ropes allows you a nice-and-easy swing out over the pool, where you can gently drop into the water or let momentum take you back to the rock slab that borders the pool. The other rope, which I didn’t even see at first, allows more daring folks to swing over and dive about 10 feet (3m) into the pool from a platform high up on the side of the river.
There are two other waterfalls above this pool and falls, with the top one being more of your typical tall thin variety. Climbing the stairs on the side of the river, we saw that the pool under the top cascade appeared to be fairly shallow, so we did not venture into it, choosing instead to take in the view of the river flowing down the hillside in front of us.
We noticed another wooden stairway leading up to a platform that is apparently used for zip-lining across the river and it’s falls. Our time almost up, we returned to our pick-up point. While some folks in our group used the change room, I noticed a nice relaxing park and a ‘river-fed’ man-made pool at the base of the falls. I understand that there are two more (man-made) pools as well as a garden elsewhere on the estate grounds. In case you’re wondering, YS is apparently named after the original land owners, John Yates and Richard Scott.
In summary, we really appreciated the majestic charm of the area – The fields, the trees, the park and of course the river with it’s waterfalls. Less crowded than other high profile “falls” in Jamaica, this was a laid back treat – A leisurely exploration of a natural beauty. We could have spent another hour or more on the premises, but we had another excursion to do before heading back on the long journey to the other side of the island
If this Jamaica waterfall excursion appeals to you, you can contact the friendly folks at Amstar by visiting the Amstar DMC website or their Facebook page.
Want to see more? Check out our Natural Beauty of YS Falls video on YouTube!
For an overview of the land of wood and water, take a look at our Jamaica Vacations page
For other great Tourist Attractions on the island, check out our Things to Do in Jamaica blog
If you’re looking for more active things to do while vacationing on the island, click on our Jamaica Adventures blog for some other great ideas!
Stay tuned for next week’s write-up on Appleton Estate’s ‘Joy Spence Rum Experience’ in another remote Jamaican location. – More than just a rum tour
While Jamaica is probably best known for it’s reggae music, Rasta culture, white sand beach resorts, and rum… I think of the 10+ peaks over 3,300 feet (1,000m) tall, and know that Jamaica hiking is a “must do” on this vibrant Caribbean island. When I realized that one of their signature hikes starts in the middle of the night and culminates in watching the sun rise, I had to make the trip.
The third largest island in the Caribbean after Cuba and Hispaniola, Jamaica is roughly 3 times the size of Long Island (NY, USA). The Blue Mountain range dominates the island’s eastern landscape and is typically covered in a bluish mist and cloud, hence its name. The Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park is a World Heritage Site and is home to 800 endemic plants, 200 bird species as well as 500 flowering plant varieties. This is also where the Blue Mountain Peak, the highest point on the island at 7,402 feet (2,256 m) above sea level, is located. This is where/what I hiked.
I travelled to Jamaica at the end of March, which I believe is the sweet spot (January – April range) for comfortable temperatures and the least amount of rain. My journey started with a 2-hour bus ride from Ocho Rios where I was staying, to the island’s capital of Kingston. The bus ride could not have been more comfortable… however, my transportation experience was about to change dramatically.
A tour operator picked me up from the Bus Terminal in New Kingston for another 2-hour drive to a Rasta lodge somewhere in the Blue Mountains. I use the term “drive” very loosely… This turned out to be a mini adventure on its own. After the first 30 minutes or so we were on the outskirts of town, heading uphill on narrow and winding partially paved roads – Then things got really interesting…
The rest of the journey was on a progressively rougher, gravel / dirt road that included large stretches of cartoonishly bumpy terrain, with huge ruts carved across the road. Our average speed at times couldn’t have been much more than 5 – 10 miles/hour as this rugged jungle track through the forest climbed upwards around the mountains. OK, almost time for some Jamaica hiking…
Later that evening, after a local meal of red beans & rice, accompanied by local root vegetables, I settled down for a few hours rest/sleep. I woke at 1:30am, got dressed and went outside to meet the rest of the hiking group. There were 7 of us in total, including two Rasta guides.
Picture to left – The Blue Mountain Peak under cloud cover – Taken from the Rasta Lodge.
I’ve never hiked in the dark before, so this was a new experience for me. In order to catch the sunrise from the peak, we started the up-hill trek around 2 in the morning, so it was fairly cold – Another first for me in the Caribbean. We started the hike on a rough road that led to a couple of properties high in the Mountains. Within a few minutes, we were on ‘Jacobs ladder’, which is a long and lazy switchback dirt road with many ‘washed out’ ruts. It was fairly steep at this point and I heated up quite quickly, so I peeled off my coat and was back to my usual Caribbean hiking attire of shorts and a t-shirt.
Picture to right – Kingston in the far distance… From the Blue and John Crow Mountains.
It was dark, with our headlamps providing the only light, so I didn’t see much of the trail in advance, rather I just put one foot in front of the other and kept moving forward – Basically focusing the light and my attention on the ground, so as to keep my footing.
We came across some amazing 3-4 foot wide by 3-6 foot deep trench like sections of trail. This made the hike even more dark and eerie (in a good way). We were still ascending, however it wasn’t too steep. We were then surprised when we came across donkeys, who were just standing on the trail in a couple of places – Apparently, they are used to haul bags of cement up to the Portland Gap Ranger station which appeared to be in the process of being rebuilt. – Just a surreal Jamaica hiking experience!
It was a strange experience not knowing where we were on the mountain, however I did notice that the steep Mountain side of the trail was originally on our left, until we passed through Portland Gap, then it was on our right. We must have occasionally crossed a few ridges as there were times when there was no mountain side and there was a refreshing cool breeze.
Once we passed through Portland gap, we were on the final third of the hike to the top. Before we knew it, the temperature suddenly dropped and we were there… At the peak, which is a large flat area with considerable scrub and bushes as well as a small tower. It took us about 3.5 hours, taking only a couple of quick rest stops, to make it to Blue Mountain Peak. According to my GPS readings, we had started off around 4,050 feet (1,235m) above sea level, and had just hiked about 6 miles (9.5km) with a 3,400 feet (1,035m) increase in vertical. We were standing just over 7,450 feet (2,270m) above sea level!
As it was still dark and I couldn’t see much, I put my coat and winter hat on, and had a bite to eat. After a few minutes, my body had cooled down from the hike and the cold really started to set in. I wandered around a bit to stay warm and to have a good look all around. I couldn’t see much, however there were blob like shapes all around us, so I assumed that we were surrounded by some lower mountain tops. Over the next hour or so, a few other small groups of hikers joined us at the peak.
As it became more and more light out, I realized that the shapes all around us, weren’t mountain tops, but were in fact clouds… Wow – We were above the clouds! That was a stunning surprise! As the sun slowly climbed over the horizon, we could start to see the surrounding valleys and distant mountain ranges, as well as Kingston’s twinkling lights below us near the coast. We could also see Port Antonio’s distant lights on the north side of the island. Eventually the red ball of fire that is the sun, became extremely bright and things started to warm up. Absolutely spectacular!
The clouds hung motionless as the sun rose over the horizon
I wanted to remember this Jamaica hiking experience forever, so I took countless pictures in all directions from the peak before heading back down. On the way down the mountain, I realized that the top half of the trail weaves its way through heavy rain-forest canopy, although there were occasional breaks, when I could see coffee plantations, several valleys, ridges and mountains, as well as some coastline in the distance. It warmed up on the way down and it was actually a nice change to hike in the Caribbean, in a comfortable temperature and not be soaked with sweat. As the trail was not overly steep, we managed to descend the mountain and make it back to the lodge in 2.5 hours.
This was an extremely enjoyable hike at a leisurely incline and pace. Taking in the views of the east end of the island under the new rising sun was a special treat. While there are lots of things to do in Jamaica, I strongly recommend that everyone should do at least one sunrise hike in their lifetime, and this might be one of the best places to do it!
Want to see more? Check out our Top of the World at Blue Mountain Jamaica video on YouTube!
ACT Staff
For the complete hiking report as well as much more information on traveling to Jamaica, please reference the following links (to pages on our website):
Jamaica Hiking – Blue Mountain Sunrise Hike
For an overview of the “land of wood & water”, take a look at our Jamaica Vacations page
If you’re looking for more active things to do while vacationing on the island, click on our Jamaica Adventures blog for more great ideas!
For a more relaxed vacation itinerary, you can find great Tourist Attractions on the island, by checking out our Things to Do in Jamaica blog
For an overview of what the Caribbean has to offer intrepid vacationers, take a look at our Active Caribbean Travel home page
ACT Staff
Wow, I’m finally here… That’s what I was thinking when we exited our tour bus at our third and final stop of the day. I was excited, yet trying to keep my expectations low, as I have experienced mostly disappointing rum tours (on other Caribbean islands) in the past. This was our fourth visit to Jamaica, and this time we finally made the journey to visit the remotely located Appleton Estate – Makers of some of the finest rum in the world.
The day’s tour of Jamaica included three amazing south-west island excursions – First, we went on The Black River Safari, then we visited YS Falls and now, for the finale, was the Appleton Estate Rum tour. We booked this 3-in-1 smorgasbord of adventures through Jamaica’s Amstar DMC and Tropical Tours.
This is the final installment of three blog posts from the day’s adventures – This one Focuses on the Joy Spence Experience (AKA The Appleton Estate Rum Tour).
Well, the folks at Appleton Estates know how to set the mood – We started off with a drink in their warm and inviting lounge/bar, watching a gorgeous peacock strut his stuff through a window just a few feet away from our super comfy couch.
OK, let’s get back to the drink, as this is a rum tour after-all! We were offered a generous welcome drink upon our arrival – The bartender casually poured about 3 to 4 ounces of ‘Appleton Signature Blend’ rum into a glass and offered us either a Valley Storm (AKA Dark & Stormy) or a Rum Punch. I chose the former, while my two tour buddies chose the latter. You couldn’t go wrong either way!
Although we were quite relaxed and fully prepared to spend more time in the lounge, our hostess introduced herself and the tour began. We started by entering a charming little theatre for a short film about Caribbean rum, the island of Jamaica as well as the history and marriage of the two… While the video had a serious marketing slickness to it, I enjoyed it. The film was really well done, providing interesting information in a very enjoyable format. Personally, I can’t get enough of seeing aerial views of Jamaica’s lush green forests, fast flowing rivers and rum! We were then invited outside to visit a number of exhibition buildings / gazebos.
First, we were shown how the juice was removed from the sugar cane in the old days – via a donkey-powered mechanical crusher / juicer of sorts. The poor creatures would just walk in circles all day long, but don’t feel too sorry for the donkey just yet, I’ll have my chance to be put to work too…
Next we went into a small “history” building with artifacts to view and short historical fact sheets to read. Interesting – I just learned that Appleton and Wray & Nephew, another large rum producer on the island, are actually both owned by the same company, and have been for some time.
After that, we got “hands on” with some sugar cane. Our tour hostess provided us with pieces of cane stalk to pass around, as well as bite size morsels of sugar cane core for each of us. We sucked and chewed on the sweet cane while she told us about the different kinds of cane as well as the importance of quality water and soil found on the island. It was surprisingly easily to crush the cane between our teeth, filling our mouths with delicious liquid while leaving behind a chunk of fibrous pulp to discard. The initial steps of making Caribbean rum.
Then it was deja-vu, all over again. We gathered around the mechanical sugar cane crusher / juicer, which we had seen before, except this time there was no donkey. Our hostess persuaded myself and another tipsy tourist to ‘man the machine’. We pushed on two long arms on opposite sides of the machine, while someone fed cane stalks into the machine. Not sure what made me more dizzy, walking in circles or the rum beverage I had recently enjoyed – Probably a bit of both! Ahhh, but my efforts were rewarded with a nice cup of freshly squeezed sugar cane juice to sample. Well ok, everyone got a cup, but mine was fuller 🙂
For the next stop in the ‘Sugar Cane to Rum’ process we were shown a centrifugal machine which spins the juice to separate the liquid from the molasses covered sugar. So what happens next you ask? Well, our next stop was to see and taste what our hostess called ‘wet sugar’. Basically a warm thick sugary molasses. I really enjoyed getting a sample of this sweet treat – Yum!
After that, we walked up an observation tower to get a good view of the property and surrounding landscape while our hostess told us more about Appleton rum and the estate. Apparently an abandoned train track below the tower platform may be rejuvenated and put back in service. That would make it much easier for visitors from the main tourist towns in the north-west of the island to reach them – A great idea!
Our hostess then escorted us across the spectacular estate grounds to the distillery itself. We were kind of rushed through the facility in small ‘controllable’ groups – apparently there was concern about someone stealing trade secrets or something. Anyways, we got a glimpse of their pot stills and continuous still. More than anything else, I learned that a Jamaican rum distillery has a real funky smell to it. I guess it’s from the fermenting molasses and esters doing their magic.
As the tour appeared to be coming to an end, we were taken inside a large building through a cool tunnel-like entrance. This turned out to be one of their warehouses. Our hostess told us about the barrel aging process and how this really gives the rums their distinct flavours and smoothness. It was an amazing site to see hundreds of barrels, literally ‘filled to the rafters’, maturing the alcohol into the golden nectar we know as rum!
Wait, there was more… We were then taken inside their main facility to a tasting room! It felt like a cross between a class room and a playground. We were seated in rows with three rums of varying age to sample. Being already familiar with all three, it was no surprise to me that you can really tell the difference that maturing process makes to the flavour and smoothness of the rum. Wow – that was a special event though.
Finally, this Caribbean rum tour was over and we headed to the gift shop. There was plenty of Appleton rum related shirts, spices and other goods to purchase. Oh ya, there were bottles of rum for sale as well.
In summary, we really enjoyed the “Joy Spence Experience” and I felt a certain level of personal fulfillment from taking the tour. We appreciated the newly renovated modern facility, the professional and informative hostess, and I just loved the ‘wood feel’ of the place. Everywhere we went I enjoyed the decor, with it’s barrels and old rum bottles – This is what I think of , when I think about a rum distillery tour. Bravo!
What a day… It was an absolutely spectacular tour filled with Jamaican landscapes, rivers, waterfalls, nature and rum. It doesn’t get any better than this. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, so we boarded the bus for what turned out to be a long dark drive to the other side of the island. It seemed like the journey back to our hotels took a slightly different route than on the way down, however it still took a couple of hours to travel the 40 miles (62km) back to Montego Bay.
If the Joy Spence Experience / Appleton Estate Rum Tour sounds like fun, you can contact the friendly folks at Amstar by visiting the Amstar DMC website or their Facebook page .
For an overview of the land of wood and water, take a look at our Jamaica Vacations page
If you’re interested in reading more about Caribbean rums, check out our Rum page
For other great Tourist Attractions on the island, check out our Things to Do in Jamaica page
If you’re looking for more ‘active’ things to do while vacationing on the island, click on our Jamaica Adventures blog for some great ideas!
ACT Staff
One thing that makes Jamaica different from many other Caribbean islands, is the number of decent sized rivers they have. While some other islands have similar weather and terrain, in terms of rainfall and a mountainous interior, they’re much smaller and don’t have the room for long winding rivers. The Spanish explorers were right to call Jamaica the ‘land of wood and water’ – The lush forested island has all the right ingredients for plenty of natural waterways… and that means plenty of opportunity to have adrenaline pumping fun while Jamaica river tubing.
Sometimes I look for a Caribbean island tour that’s a little “off the beaten track” and I’m always looking to support the island’s local population. Well, we found a great ‘rootsy’ outing with Yardy River Adventure Tours. These folks are not a large commercial operation, however they know how to give you a real Jamaican experience. Friendly and un-pretentious, the folks from Yardy River Adventure Tours showed our small party of three a great time – even arranging transportation for the long drive from Montego Bay down to their facility in Savanna la Mar.
While the first part of the drive, through Montego Bay and a long section of road that was undergoing major re-construction was nothing to talk about, the last part of the drive was really enjoyable. I especially liked driving through the cane fields and seeing the rural communities so far away from the tourist areas of Jamaica’s north/west coast.
This was a local tour, in a remote area, managed by local residents of the area. The low-lands where we did our river tubing was absolutely beautiful. The over-all property was very natural and rustic, with lovely tropical thatched-leave covered buildings next to the river. On the day and time we had our tour, we were the only tourists there, so it was nice and quiet – The sun was shining and we felt warm and cozy. This amazing environment provided a great backdrop for the Jamaica river tubing adventure we were about to experience.
While some Jamaica river tours offer rafting and kayaking, we wanted to get real close close to the action and “tube” down a wild river. Two guides joined us, one on a tube in the water with us, the other walking along the shore-line just ahead of us, ready to jump in if needed. This way we felt safe and that we were in good hands. Ya Mon!
OK, here we go – Our private river tubing experience was underway… We sat comfortably on the tube, with only your hands, feet and bum getting a little wet. Having come down from the mountains and being mostly in the shade, we were expecting the water to be on the cold side, however we were pleasantly surprised that after the initial transition of getting into the water, it was “all good”.
The Yardy River, which I believe is part of the same waterway as the Roaring and White Rivers in the area, carves a snake-like path through the well canopied landscape. The river has fairly high banks and moves fairly fast, although there were a few nice relaxing slow areas as well. There were several bends and turns in the river, as well as some fast stretches with small rapids. Perfect for Jamaica river tubing! Sometimes our tube would want to ram into the river bank, although our hard-working guide in the water did his best to prevent that from happening. He would frantically try to stay ahead of us, pushing us into the middle of the river, sometimes running through the water, other times diving and swimming below us, whatever it took to keep us moving together as a group. Once we realized the challenge, we did our best to keep together and in the middle of the river by ourselves – A little paddling with our hands and pushing off the river bank with our feet whenever required. No Problem Mon
What a Rush!
We were moving fairly quickly downstream, yet at one point we managed to link-up the tubes and float together for a short stretch. The depth of the river was constantly changing from several feet in stretches to only a few inches over some rocks in a couple of shallow spots. We lifted our butts out of the water a couple of times in shallow water to avoid snagging on big rocks… What an awesome ride! My adrenaline was really flowing and I felt like a kid… When we were pulled out the water, I was thinking – Again – Again, Let’s do it again!
Right before the river cascaded over a small waterfall and headed towards some serious rapids, our guides helped us out of the river. That said, our wondrous tour wasn’t over yet. We walked around the waterfall drop and waded back into the river, this time without our tubes.
We were guided to a natural whirlpool at the bottom of the falls. We sat there a while, then also ventured into an area where the current was quite strong, hanging on to a rope for dear life. There was also a rock seat under one of the waterfalls, so you could comfortably dunk your head under the water – Soooo refreshing!
We really enjoyed our Jamaica river tubing experience with Yardy River Adventure Tours. Our over-all time in the water was probably around 45 minutes, with actual tubing time around 30 minutes, although it didn’t seem that long – I guess its true what they say… “time flies when you’re having fun”. Sometimes it’s good to be left wanting more – I’ll be back!
The natural landscape is constantly changing. We were told that after a heavy rainfall, the river is deeper and much faster… This would result in fewer snags on rocks, although the trip would probably be over much quicker…
In summary, this was not your typical tourist event. While it was a long drive from the resort, the river tubing tour was definitely worth it! Perhaps a bit dis-organized at the beginning, the day turned out to be one of the highlights of our vacation. We spent the day with some nice friendly folks and had a ton of fun.
Want to see more? Check out our Jamaica River Tubing Fun video on YouTube!
ACT Staff
If our Jamaica river rafting adventure above sounds good to you and you’re planning a trip to Jamaica, you can contact the folks at Yardy River Adventure Tours by visiting their facebook page or website (just click on a link below):
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, click on our Jamaica Adventures blog for more great ideas!
For great Tourist Attractions on the island, check out our Things to Do in Jamaica blog
