Guides, Tour Operators and Things To Do in Jamaica
To find local tour operators offering Jamaica excursions to the island’s “popular” attractions, like Reggae related historical sites/museums, adventure parks, great-houses, horseback riding and ATVing as well as river safaris and ocean tours, including night cruises and much more, follow the links below:
- Jamaica Excursions – Land based Tours
- Jamaica Excursions – River/Ocean Tours
- Jamaica Excursions – Land & River/Sea Tours
Things to do in Jamaica – Reggae related attractions
- Kingston is home to the Bob Marley Museum, the Peter Tosh Museum and the Trench Town Culture Yard Museum
- Nine Mile (just over an hour south-west of Ocho Rios) is the birthplace of Bob Marley and where you can find the Bob Marley Centre and Mausoleum (Tour)
- The Bob Marley Experience (20 minutes east of Montego Bay) features a theatre and gift shop
- Belmont (about an hour east of Negril) is the birthplace of Peter Tosh and home to his memorial
Things to do in Jamaica – Popular Tourist Attractions around Negril
- Cliff Diving in the ‘West End” of Negril
- Watch or join-in as people jump 30+ feet into the sea at Rick’s Cafe
- Rhodes Hall Plantation (20 minutes north of Negril)
- 550 acre property featuring horseback riding. Also includes a large crocodile reserve
- Royal Palm Reserve (Officially closed, however visitors can still get in and explore)
- Walk the boardwalks through the swamp-forest to see the hundreds of plants and animals (mostly bird) that live here. The museum is not open.
- Negril Lighthouse (10 minutes south of the city)
- Historic building with panoramic views of the ocean
- Barney’s Hummingbird Garden (15 minutes south of the city)
- Flower Gardens to view hummingbirds
Things to do in Jamaica – Popular Tourist Attractions around Montego Bay
- There are several Gardens, Plantations and Mansions to tour around Montego Bay
- Rose Hall (less than 30 minutes east of the city) has a Plantation and Mansion to visit
- Greenwood Great House (just over 30 minutes east of Montego Bay) has a Mansion and Museum to see
- Croydon In The Mountains (about an hour south of the city) has a Plantation to tour
- The Barnett Estate / Belfield Great House (20 minutes south of Montego Bay) has a Mansion and Gardens
- A Luminous Lagoon can be found along the marshland shores of Trelawny / Falmouth (about 40 minutes east of Montego Bay)
- The waters contains microorganisms called dino-flagellates which glow at night when agitated
- Paddle out to shallow water and swim with your body surrounded by the bio-luminous green glow
- Rocklands Bird Sanctuary (30 minutes south-west of town)
- Small country garden featuring hummingbirds and grassquits (small tropical birds)
- Gloucester Avenue
- Known as the “Hip Strip” of Montego Bay – Home to more than 60 shops and 35 bars and restaurants
- An 18th century Persian Water Wheel is located in Falmouth
Things to do in Jamaica – Popular Tourist Attractions around Ocho Rios
- There are several Gardens, Plantations and Mansions to tour around Ocho Rios
- Turtle River Falls & Gardens / The Enchanted Gardens (west end of town)
- Beautiful river gorge setting with several waterfalls, ponds and nature trails to see plants and birds
- Kokono Falls and Park (10 minutes west of town)
- Seville Heritage Park (20 minutes west of Ocho Rios)
- Location where Christopher Columbus first met Jamaica’s indigenous peoples. Now is a Greathouse / Museum and Park
- Shaw Park Botanical Gardens and Waterfalls (north end of town)
- Cranbrook Flower Forest (10 minutes east of the city) has trails through a forest and gardens, with a museum in an old mill
- Harmony Hall House (10 minutes east of the city) – Typical Jamaican-Georgian architectural / Now an Art Gallery
- Turtle River Falls & Gardens / The Enchanted Gardens (west end of town)
- Mystic Mountain is a major tourist attraction (just west of Ocho Rios)
- This 700 foot (210m) high peak is home to a rich forest ecosystem and spectacular views, along with three man-made attractions:
- Sky Explorer – A chairlift that takes you above the treetops providing unique views of the tropical jungle canopy
- Bobsled Jamaica – A 3,285 foot (1km) long sled ride through the rainforest
- Zip-line – Five zip-lines (totalling close to 1,600 feet / 500m) takes you to/across Six platforms. There’s also a 25-meter suspension walking bridge
- This 700 foot (210m) high peak is home to a rich forest ecosystem and spectacular views, along with three man-made attractions:
- Firefly House (20 minutes east of town) was the home of the British playwright Sir Noel Coward
Things to do in Jamaica – Popular Tourist Attractions around Port Antonio
- If you’ve ever seen the movie “Blue Lagoon” with Brooke Shields, you may want to visit that famous location
- Located just west of Port Antonio. Please note that the island has other similar (and sometimes confusing) swimming holes of interest, including:
- The Irie Blue Hole just south of Ochos Rios
- The Blue Hole Mineral Spring, just south of Negril
- Located just west of Port Antonio. Please note that the island has other similar (and sometimes confusing) swimming holes of interest, including:
- The impressive Trident Castle is worth a peak
- From a historical perspective, you can visit:
- Fort George / Titchfield Cannons on the Titchfield Peninsula
- The Charles town museum (45 minutes west of Port Antonio) – Maroon village and museum
Things to do in Jamaica – Popular Tourist Attractions around Kingston
- There are several Gardens and similar grounds around Kingston
- Hope Botanical Gardens / Zoo (east end of town) features Jamaican, African and American species…
- Castleton Botanical Gardens (40 minutes north of Kingston), sitting in the hills overlooking the city, the gardens includes a picnic area on a river (ok for swimming)
- Cinchona Botanical Gardens (1.5 hours north-east of Kingston) is a rustic Garden
- Devon House – 19th century mansion and grounds (with a boutique and ice-cream parlour)
- Emancipation Park – Natural oasis in the city, representing the symbol of Jamaican ‘freedom to hope, to excel and to be’
- Holywell Park (just over an hour north-east / in the Blue and John Crow National Park) offers:
- Holywell Coffee Tour and Coffee and Nature Walk
- Mavis Bank Coffee Factory (about an hour east of Kingston) offers tours of the largest facility that produces world famous Blue Mountain Coffee
- From a historical perspective:
- Port Royal (about 40 minutes south of the city) played an important role in the development of the Caribbean – Fort Charles, built in the 17th century is open to the public
- Colbeck Castle (45 minutes west of Kingston) is the remains of a 17th century English castle
- White Marl Taino Midden and Museum (20 minutes west of Kingston) is a museum displaying indigenous artifacts
- Bushy Park Aqueduct (just under an hour west of Kingston) is an 18th century aqueduct from an old sugar plantation
- The University Of The West Indies – Mona (east end of the city) also has the remains of an 18th century aqueduct
Looking for more nature?
The Jamaican government recognizes the value of it’s natural biodiversity and has established over 200 protected areas on the island and off its shores. Some of the most well known Parks of Jamaica include:
- Negril Marine Park (west coast of island)
- Coral reefs, sea grass and mangroves and more are protected in the 62 square mile (160 sq km) park
- Cockpit Country Forest Reserve (central / north-west part of island)
- Contains the highest diversity of plants and animals on the island and is likely the most ‘wild and natural’ place left in Jamaica
- Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park (East end of the island)
- The island’s only National Park covering over 100 thousand acres of mountainous beauty
- Holywell Recreational Park offers hiking trails, a campground and more
- Portland Bight Protected Area (south-east coast of island, around Old Harbour Bay)
- Including land and sea, this is Jamaica’s largest protected area covering 724 square miles (1,876 sq km) and it’s large variety of birds, reptiles, sea-life as well as humans and their industry
- Black River Morass (south-west coast of the island)
- This biologically diverse area is the largest freshwater wetland ecosystem in the Caribbean
Check out More of Jamaica’s Protected Areas…
For our “Best of” overview of things to do on the island of “One Love”, click on Jamaica Attractions
For Tour Operators offering bus tours (island highlights), zip-lining, horseback riding, ATV tours as well as river and ocean tours, including night-time luminous sea experiences and much more, follow the links below:
- Jamaica Excursions – Land based Tours – Overview
- Jamaica Excursions – Ocean Tours
- Jamaica Excursions – Land & Sea Tours
Of course, there’s always beaches… There are several white sand beaches all around the island
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