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Surrounded by lush rain forest, Dolphin Cove is one of the island's top marine attractions. Packages allow you to touch, dance, or swim with the well-trained and friendly dolphins, who also love to receive a pat or a kiss goodbye. Other water sports and activities, including snorkeling, glass-bottom kayaking, boat rides, swimming with stingrays, and shark shows are offered. In addition to marine life, you can interact with such fauna as iguanas, snakes, and exotic birds on the jungle trail walk. There's also a small ice-cream parlor, restaurant, and gift shop.
Belmont Rd., Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica
Sight Details
Rate Includes: From $69, Closed Sun.–Mon. and Thurs.
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Body Of Water/Waterfall
A popular natural attraction that is an eye-catching sight: 600 feet of cold, clear mountain water splashing over a series of stone steps to the Caribbean Sea. The best way to enjoy the falls is to climb the slippery steps in a swimsuit (there are changing rooms at the entrance), as you take the hand of the person ahead of you. The entrance, which looks like one for an amusement park, is usually crowded, especially when cruise ships are in port, but it is well organized. It's easy to make arrangements and get trusted guides who will offer bits of local lore while showing you where to step. After the climb, you exit through a crowded market, another reminder that this is one of Jamaica's top tourist attractions. If you can, try to visit on a day when no cruise ships are in port. Always climb with a licensed guide at Dunn's River Falls. Freelance guides might be a little cheaper, but the experienced guides can tell you just where to plant each footstep—helping you prevent a fall. Ask for a guide at the Dunn's River Falls ticket window. Official licensed guides are inside the Dunn's River Falls property, not outside the gate. They should be able to show you credentials if asked. If you arrange the tour through a resort or cruise ship, the guides provided will be licensed.
Off Rte. A1, between St. Ann's Bay and Ocho Rios, Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica
Sight Details
Rate Includes: $20
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A popular natural attraction that is an eye-catching sight: 600 feet of cold, clear mountain water splashing over a series of stone steps to the Caribbean Sea. The best way to enjoy the falls is to climb the slippery steps in a swimsuit (there are changing rooms at the entrance), as you take the hand of the person ahead of you. The entrance looks like it leads to an amusement park, and it's usually crowded, especially when cruise ships are in port, but it is well organized. It's easy to make arrangements and get trusted guides who will offer bits of local lore while showing you where to step. After the climb, you exit through a crowded market—another reminder that this is one of Jamaica's top tourist attractions. If you can, try to visit on a day when no cruise ships are in port. Ask for a guide at the Dunn's River Falls ticket window: Official licensed guides are inside the Dunn's River Falls property, not outside the gate. They should be able to show you credentials if asked. If you arrange the tour through a resort or cruise ship, the guides provided will be licensed. Always climb with a licensed guide at Dunn's River Falls. Freelance guides might be a little cheaper, but the experienced guides can tell you just where to plant each footstep—helping you prevent a fall.
Main St., Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica
Sight Details
Rate Includes: $25
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You'll find a crowd (especially if there's a cruise ship in town) at the small beach at the foot of the falls, one of Jamaica's most-visited landmarks. Although tiny—considering the crowds—the beach has a great view. Look up for a spectacular vista of the cascading water, the roar from which drowns out the sea as you approach. All-day access to the beach is included in the falls' entrance fee. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming.
Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica
Sight Details
Rate Includes: $20
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This attraction covers 100 acres of mountainside rainforest near Dunn's River Falls. Visitors board the Rainforest Sky Explorer, a chairlift that soars through and over the pristine rainforest to the apex of Mystic Mountain. On top, there is a restaurant with spectacular views of Ocho Rios, arts-and-crafts shops, and the attraction's signature tours, the Rainforest Bobsled Jamaica ride and the Rainforest Zipline Canopy ride. Custom-designed bobsleds, inspired by Jamaica's Olympic bobsled team, run downhill on steel rails at a speed controlled by the driver, using simple push-pull levers. Couples can run their bobsleds in tandem. The zipline tours streak through the lush rainforest under the care of an expert guide who points out items of interest. The entire facility was built using environmentally friendly techniques and materials in order to leave the native rainforest undisturbed.
North Coast Hwy., Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica
Sight Details
Rate Includes: From $150, Closed Thurs. and Fri.
View Tours and Activities
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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Museum/Gallery
The reggae legend was born and is buried at Nine Mile, in the parish of St. Ann, and today his former home is a shrine to his music and values. Tucked behind a tall fence, the site is marked with green and gold flags. Tours are led by Rastafarians, who take visitors through the house and point out the single bed that Marley wrote about in "Is This Love." Visitors also step inside the mausoleum where the singer is interred with his guitar, and there is a restaurant and gift shop. It is best to take a guided excursion from one of the resorts. If you're driving here yourself, be ready for some bad roads, and the hustlers outside the center are some of Jamaica's most aggressive.
Nine Mile, Calderwood Post Office, St. Ann's Bay, St. Ann, Jamaica
Sight Details
Rate Includes: $19
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The reggae legend was born and is buried at Nine Mile, in the parish of St. Ann, and today his former home is a shrine to his music and values. Tucked behind a tall fence, the site is marked with green and gold flags. Tours are led by Rastafarians, who take visitors through the house and point out the single bed that Marley wrote about in "Is This Love." Visitors also step inside the mausoleum where the singer is interred with his guitar. There is a restaurant, gift shop, and a marijuana farm.
If you're driving here yourself, prepare for some bad roads, and the hustlers outside the center are some of Jamaica's most aggressive; it's best to take a guided excursion from one of the resorts.
Calderwood Post Office, Runaway Bay, St. Ann, Jamaica
Sight Details
Rate Includes: $30
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Museum/Gallery
Coyaba is a word from the Arawaks, the original inhabitants of Jamaica, meaning paradise. Learn about Jamaican heritage and history at the museum, and then discover what makes Jamaica a natural paradise through a guided 45-minute tour through the lush 3-acre garden and also see the beautiful waterfalls and stunning views. The complex includes a crafts and gift shop and a snack bar, and Mahoe Falls is a good spot for a quiet picnic or swim.
Shaw Park Estate, Shaw Park Ridge Rd., Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica
Sight Details
Rate Includes: $10
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Market/Bazaar
To combine a cultural experience with lunch, stop by these stalls with names like Johnny Cool No. 1 and Shut's Night and Day, which offer local specialties. For just a few dollars, buy jerk chicken, curried goat, roasted fish, or mannish water (a goat's-head soup and reported aphrodisiac). Faith's Pen, one of several similar roadside places offering jerk, is 12 miles (19½ km) south of Ocho Rios.
Rte. A1, about 4 miles (6½ km) south of Rte. A3, , Jamaica
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Don't miss this natural canopy of vegetation, which sunlight barely penetrates. (Jamaica has the world's largest number of fern species—more than 570.) The winding road through the gully has been resurfaced, making for a smoother drive, and most tours of the area include a drive through this natural wonder. But to really experience it, stop and take a walk. The 3-mile (5-km) stretch of damp, fern-shaded forest includes many walking paths as well as numerous crafts vendors.
Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica
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Noël Coward's vacation home is now a national monument managed by Chris Blackwell's Island Outpost company. Although the setting is Edenic, the house is surprisingly spartan. Coward decamped uphill from his original home at Blue Harbour to escape the jet-setters who came to visit. He wrote High Spirits, Quadrille, and other plays here, and his simple grave is next to a small stage where his works are occasionally performed. Recordings of Coward singing about "mad dogs and Englishmen" echo over the lawns. Tours include a walk through the house and grounds. The view from the house's hilltop perch, which was a lookout for Captain Morgan, is one of the best on the North Coast. Firefly is also a perfect place to host weddings, picnics, photo shoots, stage shows, retreats, full-moon parties, and sunset cocktails. Contact Island Outpost (www.islandoutpost.com) for more information.
Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica
Sight Details
Rate Includes: $20
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Nestled in the hills that overlook Ocho Rios, the beautiful and serene Konoko Falls and Park once served as a settlement site for the Taínos (the original inhabitants of Jamaica). Today, the property has been transformed into a stunning tourist attraction with a waterfall, museum, gift shop, and a small zoo. Visitors can take a guided tour and learn about the history of the island and the Taínos.
Shaw Park Rd., Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica
Sight Details
Rate Includes: $20
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This charming but small beach provides an escape from Ocho Rios's bustling town center, and usually doesn't get crowded until a cruise ship docks. There's no admission, and there's a beach bar, a restaurant, and a souvenir stand on the shore. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee); toilets; showers. Best for: swimming.
Main St., Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica
Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free
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One of the busiest beaches in Ocho Rios caters to a mix of residents and visitors. It looks out over the cruise port and has a bar, but you can also bring your own food. Boat rides and watersport equipment can be rented. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (no fee); toilets; showers; water sports. Best for: swimming.
Main St., Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica
Sight Details
Rate Includes: JMD $200
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Military Sight
There's not much left of the 17th-century fort besides a wall and four cannons that still look out to the sea. Two of the cannons were brought here to protect the bay from the French, and the other two once protected nearby Mammee Bay (where the French did attack).
Main St. , next to Reynolds Pier, Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica
Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free
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Formerly Prospect Plantation, this adventure park has been an attraction since the start of tourism in Jamaica when such visitors as Winston Churchill and Charlie Chaplain planted trees here. There are many activities that are both fun and educational, from camel safaris to Segway tours. Learn about Jamaica's agricultural heritage while enjoying the flora and fauna and excellent views. The 900-acre property provides room for such exciting activities as ATV adventure tours, jitney rides, and cooking tours.
Hwy. A1, Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica
Sight Details
Rate Includes: From $48
