Tour

A True Gift from Nature – A Seven Tier Waterfall

By freem32@cogeco.ca Adventure, Caribbean, Tourist Attractions, Waterfalls

Jamaica Waterfall extraordinaire! YS Falls is a seven tiered natural beauty

Jamaica Waterfall – YS Falls

Jamaica Waterfall extraordinaire! YS Falls is a must visit attraction!

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.

Active Caribbean Travel explores Jamaica's YS Falls

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

Jamaica Waterfall extraordinaire! YS Falls is a must see attraction in Jamaica

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

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Explore St. Kitts on a Scenic Railway Tour

By freem32@cogeco.ca Adventure, Caribbean, Family, Nature, Plantation, Railway, Tourist Attractions, Volcano

Saint Kitts Scenic Railway may be the best way to see the island. Enjoy spectacular views of plantation remains, Mount Liamuiga, as well as neighbouring islands. There's an open bar too!

A lively odyssey on the “Last Railway in the West Indies”

I’ve been wanting to ride the “Last Railway in the West Indies” for several years now, so when we finally decided to vacation in St. Kitts & Nevis, the first thing I did was get tickets for this tour. I’m glad I did – It may be the most enjoyable way to see the island.

Saint Kitts Scenic Railway may be the best way to see the island. Riding the 100 year old narrow gauge railway is a blast

To catch the train, we arrived early at the Needsmust Train Station, located right next to the airport on the outskirts of the island’s capital, Basseterre. I stood on the railway line, first looking at the colourful double-decker train behind me, then I gazed ahead at the narrow tracks that disappear into a carpet of green that is St. Kitts. As we were visiting during the interesting times of covid-19 restrictions, we were unable to choose which railway car we would travel in. If I had my choice, I would have gone to the last car, looking forward (pun intended) to awesome views of the locomotive and train cars in front as we traveled around corners. However, there were 3 different cruise ships in port the day of our tour, with each cruise line being assigned its own railcar. A good precaution that makes sense during the pandemic. So, along with residents of St. Kitts and other folks staying on the island, we were assigned to the first car, immediately behind the engine. It’s all good – We still managed to get cool shots of the train cars trailing behind us.

Once we boarded the train, we went up the tight spiral staircase to the open-air upper deck so we could enjoy the Caribbean breeze and take advantage of the height. From this vantage point, we could see over tall vegetation and fully appreciate the amazing panoramic views of the island and sea. As we slowly pulled out of the train station, I noticed the locomotive graveyard off to the side which appeared to include some old 20^th century power plants. For you train buffs out there, I believe they are of the PKP class Lyd2 variety. It’s incredible to think that this unique “narrow gauge railway” system was originally built between 1912 and 1926 – I can’t say I’ve ever been on a 100-year-old railroad before.

Saint Kitts Scenic Railway may be the best way to see the island. Spectacular views of plantation remains & Mount Liamuiga, plus neighbouring islands.

Leaving the station we headed north through Canada, a surprisingly named district of St. Peter Basseterre Parish – That got a good chuckle from the North American Canadians on board. Running along the north-eastern coast of St. Kitts provided spectacular views of the island’s coastal region. Near the town of Cayon, the train tracks hugged the coastline while the main road we had run parallel to, veered inland. This stretch presented us with a beautiful view of the shoreline of St. Kitts, flanked by the endless blue of the Atlantic Ocean. I was pleasantly surprised to see the friendly people of St. Kitts waving to us as we passed by their villages. A very welcoming experience.

Throughout the tour, a wonderful guide narrated our journey. She enthusiastically provided passengers with insight as to the regions we were passing through, sprinkling in bits of island history as we advanced northward. I recall her telling us about how the railway system was originally built to collect sugar cane from the island’s plantations, delivering the sweet bounty into Basseterre for processing and export to markets overseas. That the “sugar train” was still running up until 2005 is a testament to the success of Saint Kitt’s sugar industry! Our guide also talked about life on the island prior to the railway, typically recounting stories of the English and French rulers of the time. She successfully painted a mental picture of Caribbean rural island life in the 18th and 19th centuries.

As we rumbled along the tracks, the train wobbled a bit from side to side – All part of the experience of riding on this historic railway. For the most part, the train line ran along a fairly straight path, although I felt us taking a few horseshoe-shaped turns inland once in a while, likely to get around some of the more dramatic landscape features of the island. Speaking of which, a highlight of the train ride occurred every time we traversed a gulley, or what they call “ghut” in St. Kitts. Crossing over tall steel bridges amplifies the engineering wonder of how this tall wide train safely traverses the narrow tracks.

Did I mention that the tour included an open bar? Well ya, it does! While I hesitated for a second, I couldn’t help myself from ordering a mango daiquiri, even if it is only 9:30 in the morning. There were servers on each car, offering a variety of rum-based or virgin fruit juices, as well as soda/pop and water. We wanted for nothing on this full-service tour.

Just past the town of Belle Vue, famous for the island’s outcrop of volcanic ‘black rocks’, the train tracks crossed over the main road and headed slightly inland. I appreciated our tour guide pointing out a couple of large bat caves in the cliffs we passed, as I would have otherwise missed them. Meanwhile, the train continued to clackity-clack along the track. As should be expected from a train cruising through the rustic Caribbean countryside, the locomotive driver also blew the horn from time to time. What I didn’t anticipate was that it was not warning people of our approach, but it was signalling the sheep, goats and the occasional cow to get off the tracks – Now that’s not something you see every day. What a hoot!

Not that we needed an interruption from the scenic beauty of St. Kitts, but the tour also included a unique entertainment experience as well. For an interesting change of pace, a couple of costumed characters suddenly appeared in the train car, dancing to the beat of festive music. For anyone who has attended the annual St. Kitts & Nevis’ Sugar Mas Carnival, you would instantly recognize the traditional costume of the Moko Jumbie – ‘ghosts’ of folklore.

While we had already enjoyed great views of the island, perhaps the most scenic part of the journey was at the north end of St. Kitts. I thought it was really cool to see pairs of windmill and smokestack ruins, revealing the remains of old sugar plantations in an expanse of lush vegetation. Of course, the majestic Mount Liamuiga towering in the background really added to the scenery! That said, looking away from St. Kitts was just as nice, first with St. Barts and St. Maarten on the distant horizon, then followed by the sublime close-up views of Sint Eustatius with Saba in the background.

Saint Kitts Scenic Railway may be the best way to see the island. Spectacular views of the ocean and neighbouring islands.

Rounding the northeast corner of St. Kitts, our guide spent some time explaining how, due to reduced tourism thanks to the covid pandemic, the residents of the island have once again turned to agriculture for income and self-sufficiency. St. Kitts & Nevis have such fertile land, it’s easy to understand that fruits and vegetables would grow well, where tobacco, cotton and sugar cane once flourished. Just past the St. Kitts Eco-Park near the village of Fig Tree, the train portion of our tour sadly came to an end. A loop in the tracks mark the end of the line, where we were met with buses filled with folks anxious to enjoy their tour back to the train station.

So we swapped rides, transferring to a bus for the journey down the west coast. We journeyed through quaint little villages before passing Basseterre’s waterfront and eventually heading back to the train station. The bus tour took us past several old churches as well as the iconic St. Kitts tourist attractions of Brimstone Fortress and Romney Manor. The bus driver pointed out areas of interest along the way – I was especially keen to see Bloody Point, near the town of Challengers. I had been unable to find the exact location of this infamous historical spot on any map. On a brighter note, I liked seeing the Carib distillery, as we’ve been enjoying the refreshing beverage while vacationing on the island.

Saint Kitts Scenic Railway may be the best way to see the island. Double decker railcars.

All in all, the tour lasted just under 3 hours, although it seemed that we learned and experienced so much in such little time! Apparently, we had travelled 18 miles by train and a further 12 miles by bus. For those visiting St. Kitts for the first time and wanting to see the island without the stress of renting a car, there’s probably no better option than the St. Kitts Scenic Railway. By the way… If you’re looking for increased comfort and protection from the elements the upper deck may not provide, you might prefer the plush, well-appointed lower cabins of the train. They have air conditioning, carpeted floors and spacious cushioned chairs enabling you to enjoy the view out the large windows in luxury.

For more information on the St. Kitts Scenic Railway Tour, including the ability to book your own Caribbean railway experience of a lifetime, check out their website at StKittsScenicRailway.

For an overview of the beautiful Sister Islands, take a look at our St. Kitts & Nevis Vacations page.

For some other great Tourist Attractions and tours on the islands, check out our Things to Do in St. Kitts & Nevis blog post.

If you’re looking for some exciting and physically challenging things to do while vacationing on the islands, click on our St. Kitts & Nevis Adventures blog post for some great ideas!

ACT Staff

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More than a Rum Tour – A Fun & Interactive Event

By freem32@cogeco.ca Caribbean, Rum, Tourist Attractions

Caribbean Rum Tour in Jamaica - The Appleton Estate's Joy Spence Experience

The Joy Spence Experience (Jamaica’s Appleton Estate) – The Ultimate Caribbean Rum Tour

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

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Have a Blast ‘Tubing’ down Jamaica’s Yardy River

By freem32@cogeco.ca Adventure, Caribbean, River Rafting/Tubing, Tourist Attractions, Water Sports

Jamaica River Tubing is such a blast! Enjoy river tubing with Yardy River Adventure Tours

Jamaica River Tubing – Again, Again! Let’s Do It Again…

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):

Yardy River Adventures facebook page
YardyAdventures website

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

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It’s True – There are Crocodiles in the Caribbean

By freem32@cogeco.ca Adventure, Boat Cruise, Caribbean, Tourist Attractions

Things to do in Jamaica include a fun journey down the Black River

Looking for Things to do in Jamaica? Discover the Black River Safari

It was an exciting day! We were headed to Jamaica’s south-west coast to enjoy three amazing excursions – The Black River ‘Boat Safari’, YS Falls and the Appleton Estate Rum tour. All great things to do in Jamaica! We booked this 3-in-1 smorgasbord of adventures through Jamaica’s Amstar DMC.

This is part one of three blog posts from the day’s adventures – This one Focuses on the Black River Safari.

I’ll start by saying that it’s a fair distance from Montego Bay down to the Black River, just over 42 miles (70km). Lucky for us the bus was comfortable and our guide from Tropical Tours kept us busy by providing insight into the points of interest we passed along the way.

We left the concrete and noise of Montego Bay behind us and ventured into the mountains of St. James Parish. We had some great views of Jamaica’s beautiful interior as we winded our way through the mountains. We passed the quaint villages of Mount Carey, Montpelier and Shettlewood, getting a first hand view of how the locals live. From New Market to Middle Quarters the road traveled through an impressive valley before spilling out into the flatter rural areas of St. Elizabeth Parish.

When we finally reached the Riverside Dock, it was great to be able to stretch our legs. After checking out some souvenirs offered by local vendors, we boarded our pontoon boat and were ready for our Black River boat cruise – One of the many fun things to do in Jamaica. Just before we got under way, we noticed that it looked more like a green river than a black one, although that would change as we ventured further upstream. Although we had been listening to the enjoyable rhythms of Reggae music the last couple of days, I couldn’t help think about CCRs ‘Green River’ tune.

We pushed off from the dock and our pontoon boat took us out into the murky waters. Our boat operator ‘slash’ guide, immediately started telling us about the various vegetation and birds in the area. It didn’t take long for the view from the boat to get much more wild looking, and we settled in for a nice nature tour. The guide was informative and friendly, pointing out and describing the various flora and fauna that we encountered. He first mentioned that large portions of the river bottom was peat moss, and that is what gave the water it’s dark greenish hue.

Our boat guide also explained how the clumps of long vine-like branches bring water from the river up to the higher parts of the tree – Pretty fascinating. He also showed us Indigo plants growing at the sides of the river and explained that in the past, blue dye was extracted from these plants by European settlers and used for making ‘blue jeans’.

The banks of the river were mostly covered with a couple different species of mangroves along with various bushes and long shoots. There was really no ‘shore’ to speak of the entire boat trip. With the exception of the large ever-present mountains in the background, I again couldn’t help to think I was traveling through some southern bayou.

At a broad bend in the river, we came across a large patch of green lily pads floating on the water. In the background a local fisherman canoed by with his crab traps – apparently they’re quite the delicacy in the area. It was amazing to see him paddling the river in a traditional dugout style canoe – a real blast from the past!

As we journeyed up river, we saw plenty of birds near the water and in the trees along the river banks. There were a couple types of egret along with a variety of other birds, and we also saw a couple of ospreys! That’s all good, however we were really out there to see a Jamaican Crocodile…

Eventually the river narrowed and the water got much darker, OK it was black… This was my favourite area for sure – Again reminiscent of a southern US swamp, although the water here always appeared to be fairly deep. Here’s where we saw a couple of crocodiles. I have to say I’m not a big fan of feeding wild animals, however it did get them out of their hiding spots along the river banks and bring them out onto the water for everyone to see. The American Crocodiles that live in Jamaica’s Black River are relatively small as compared to their African and Australian cousins. Apparently they are also quite mellow, perhaps a reflection of the local people themselves 🙂

After spotting a few of the ancient reptiles, we turned around and moved considerably faster on the way downriver, back to the dock. Once there, we enjoyed a local lunch of beef stew, jerk chicken along with rice & peas (although I think they were beans) and fruit punch (sans rum). Tasty – That hit the spot.

In summary, this enjoyable boat cruise is just one of the many incredible things to do in Jamaica. The tour lasted just under an hour and a half. While there were a number of other boats on the river, I didn’t find it crowded or touristy. Admittedly, we had set out to see a crocodile, although we ended up really appreciating the boat cruise itself. It was a beautiful warm sunny day and there was lots of nature to see with plenty of opportunities for photos to capture and bring home memories.

Want to see more? Check out our Jamaica’s Black River & the Crocs of the Caribbean video on YouTube!

If this river cruise appeals to you, 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

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 YS Falls – A gorgeous 7 tier waterfalls in the remote Jamaican bush

Tag: Tour

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