Travel

#Jamaica travel guide

Photographer: Kevin Cummins | Copyright: Kevin Cummins/Apa Publications

Jamaica s natural beauty

Today s visitors to the third largest island in the Caribbean will be charmed by the warm sunshine, beautiful beaches, rivers and streams that gush from ravines, lush tropical scenery and majestic mountains. On land, butterflies and delicate hummingbirds take to the air, and crocodiles and a few manatees still live in and around the mangrove swamp in the south. Much of the land is extremely fertile and produces cash crops such as bananas, sugar and coffee.

National identity

However, since its history of diverse immigration has given rise to a vibrant grassroots culture, Jamaica the third largest island in the Caribbean is not just a holiday destination it is also a rewarding cultural experience. Today s Jamaicans are a mixture of African and English people, with Spanish, Indian and a smattering of Portuguese, Jews, Chinese, Welsh and Irish. The cultures have melded together, giving rise to a fascinating national identity.

Since gaining independence in 1962, the black majority has worked to create a country based on confidence from within, on pride in one s roots. This is so important for the future of the country that the national motto is Out of many one people .

Colonial past

Like most of the Caribbean islands, Jamaica was originally inhabited by Amerindians who had migrated from South America. The arrival of the Spanish at the end of the 15th century had a cataclysmic effect,160 years of Spanish rule in turn being blotted out by 307 years as a British colony.

Made in Jamaica

Although the influence of the United States is now much stronger than that of Britain, vestiges of the British colonial legacy can still be found, for instance in the popularity of cricket. However, these British influences always been tempered and moulded to the Jamaican style. Jamaica revels in its own identity, which is now internationally recognised through such influential cultural products as the Rastafari movement and reggae music.

Jamaica s tourist attractions

Since 1962, tourism has become a major employer and source of income and the island is renowned as one of the top destinations in the Caribbean. Jamaica is an island with a strong personality and there s an abundance of nature, history, art and culture to be explored and enjoyed.

Taste authentic Caribbean dishes such aromatic hot jerk pork cooked in a pit barbecue; watch the sunset with a fine, aged Jamaican rum; hear the dance hall and reggae music booming from a hundred cranked-up car stereos or the chorus of tiny tree frogs that begins as evening descends. Or just try to get the hang of the Jamaican handshake.

Places to visit in Jamaica

The most infamous house in Jamaica is set high on a hill above the coast with commanding views. It was started in 1750 by George Ash who named it after his wife Rose, and was a calendar house with 365 windows, 52 doors and 12 bedrooms. It later became the home of Annie Palmer when she married into the family, and it is she who has given the house its reputation. Annie Palmer was allegedly a witch with voodoo powers who had murdered three husbands before she herself died under mysterious circumstan ces. Locals, who believed that the house was haunted by her spirit, buried her nearby so that she could be reunited with her body and rest in peace. The house fell into ruin after emancipation but in 1965 it was bought by the Rollins family, who renovated the main building. The interior has been redecorated with fabrics and furniture dating from the late 1700s to Victorian times.

Negril and Seven Mile Beach

Considered one of the best beaches in the Caribbean, Seven Mile Beach, a stretch of fine sand on the shores of Negril, is lapped by clear seas and fringed with palm trees. A pirate hideaway in the 1600s, Negril was rediscovered in the 1960s by the children of love and others looking for an alternative lifestyle. It is now popular with spring breakers , US students seeking a party and a good time. Jamaicans say that Negril isn t a place it s a state of mind where almost anything goes. Located on the western tip of Jamaica, Negril is also one of the best places in the world for watching the sun go down.

YS Falls

YS Falls are to be found on a working thorough bred horse stud and cattle ranch that dates from 1684. The water cas cades 50m (164ft) over seven tiered falls and has formed two large pools and a small cave system at the base of the second drop. From the ticket office you get a jinty tractor ride to the falls complex, where there are changing rooms, toilet facilities, children s playground, bar, grill and gift shop. You can swim in some of the natural pools, and lifeguards on site will tell you which ones are safe. For more of an adrenaline rush, there is a canopy zip line from the top of the falls to the bottom and river tubing rides.

Blue Mountains

Covering much of the interior of the eastern part of the island are the magnificent Blue Mountains Blue Mountain Peak being the highest at 2,256m (7,402ft) blanketed with thick forests watered by regular tropical downpours. It s on warm afternoons that can best be seen the blue heat haze that surrounds the mountains and gives them their name, with peak after peak stretching into the distance. In addition to their tropical splendour, the Blue Mountains have slopes which are perfect for growing coffee in fact, Blue Mountain coffee is said by aficionados to be the best in the world. The interior of the mountain range and the most beautiful parts of the parks are not accessible to vehicles: the best way to experience them is to take a guided walk.

Runaway Bay

One of the most popular resorts on the north coast with good hotels and beaches, Runaway Bay is the appropriately named area of coastline from where the last Spanish governor fled to Cuba as the British invaders closed in. The diving and snorkelling opportunities along the reef wall here are said to be the best in Jamaica, with most hotels offering instruction and organised dives out to Ricky s Reef or the Canyon, two major reef areas. There are also a couple of small aircraft lying offshore (relics of drug runners who ran out of luck) that make a fascinating artificial dive site called Ganja Planes.

Black River

Once a major port on the south coast, Black River is now a small, sleepy town on the banks of the river from which it took its name. Its industry was the export of red logwood and the dyes of indigo and Prussian blue, which were extremely valuable in Britain. There is still some fine Georgian architecture here, but most visitors come for tours to the Great Morass Mangrove Swamp, also called Lower Morass. This area comprises about 32,375 hectares (80,000 acres) of freshwater and tidal wetlands; the Mangrove Swamp and rush beds are an important habitat for many species of birds and fish, as well as home to a small population of Jamaican crocodiles.

12 Ocean Boulevard, Kingston

Tuff Gong Recording Studios, a small compound where reggae musician, Bob Marley, lived and worked, has been transformed since his death into the Bob Marley Museum, managed by the Marley family to protect the memory of his life. It's a fascinating repository where the interesting displays include Marley s gold records and photo graphs of activity at the studios. Some of his personal effects can be found in the modest bedroom where he slept.

The southern coastline of Jamaica has so far resisted the pressure from big developers, partly because it has few main roads. Those who do venture here are rewarded with beautiful scenery and friendly people. Treasure Beach is the only resort area to speak of, with just a hand ful of hotels stretching across three sandy bays and private coves, well-suited for snorkelling and swimming. The local population of St Elizabeth Parish still makes a living from fishing and their wooden boats rest high on the dark, volcanic sand. Here, there s very little to do but chill out.