Planning to visit Jamaica? Here's some information for you which is extracted from the third edition of Jamaica: A Visitor's Guide by Harry S. Pariser. This text is copyright 1998, Harry S. Pariser. All rights reserved.Contact the author for reprint or other rights; additional photos are also available for license.
No other island in the Caribbean conjures up such evocative images as Jamaica. The island'&apost;s name comes from the Arawak Indian name, Xaymaca, which means "Land of Wood and Water." Although best known for reefer and reggae, Jamaica has much more to offer: white sandy beaches framed by the turquoise ocean, the cool and misty heights of the Blue Mountains, the unique historical atmosphere of Spanish Town and Port Royal, the peaceful tranquility of Port Antonio. You'll find plenty to see and do here, a tantalizing variety of food and fruits to sample, lush and varied vegetation to enjoy, and fascinating people to meet.
CLIMATE: Jamaica's climate is close to ideal. The warm season is the only season in Jamaica. Although up to 200 in. (508 cm) of rain fall each year in parts of St. Thomas and Portland parishes, the average yearly rainfall is 77 in. (195 cm), with March and Oct. being the rainiest months. The main dry period is from Jan. to March, and the average temperature is 80 degrees F (27 degrees C). Kingston averages 86.7 degrees F (31degrees C) high and 69.1 degrees F (23 degrees C) low in Jan. and 90.7 degrees F (35 degrees C) and 75.1degrees F (23 degrees C) low in July. Temperatures may be 10 degrees to 20 degrees F cooler inland. The summits of the Grand Ridge of the Blue Mountains are infrequently touched by frost during the winter months. Cloudy, cool, and damp weather may occasionally occur during the winter when "northers" arrive. Humidity tends to be high: Montego Bay may have 71-77% humidity; Kingston ranges from 63 degrees F (18 degrees C). in Feb. to 75 degrees F (23 degrees C).in October. But the winds (when they blow) really save this island. The "Doctor Breeze," a cool trade wind, prevails during the day, while the "Undertaker's Breeze" sweeps down from the mountains at night. Their combined effect is to make what would otherwise be an unbearably hot and humid environment not only tolerable but actually pleasant to live in.
WHEN TO COME: The winter season is the most popular time and for good reason. Most people want to get away from snow or at least cold weather. The "rainy season," however is no longer quite so rainy in Jamaica these days. A drought in 1994 was the worst in 106 years! During the off season, prices drop and everything becomes more available. However, there may be a less active social scene at your hotel.
WHO SHOULD COME: Jamaica is appropriate for all types of visitors. If you have a fondness for luxury hotels and gourmet restaurants, Jamaica has some of the best in the world. If you just wish to be in a romantic hassle-free situation, the all-inclusives are attractive and good value considering what's included. If you're on a budget, you should expect to pay what you might at a comparable location in Canada, the US, or Europe; there really aren't many exceptional bargains: two-tier pricing has made sure of that.
You can get practically anywhere on the island by public bus, everyone speaks English, and there are plenty of good places to go for walks or hikes. Once you get out of the resort areas, Jamaicans are quite chatty and tell you that "it's so good to see you out here with the people and not on the tour bus."
PLANNING EXPENSES: Jamaica can be as expensive as you wish it to be. At a rock bottom, you should allow for US$50 pp, pd.
SUGGESTED ITINERARY: There is no list of must-see places, but there are certainly a lot of fascinating places to go to.
GETTING THERE: Major carriers (including American Airlines) fly to Jamaica.
SIGHTS AND DESTINATIONS: There are too many to detail all of them here, but here are some suggestions:
Bath--A small farming community, Bath is noted for its hotsprings and Botanical Garden. There's a small hotel here.
Bird Sanctuary--At Rocklands along the road to Anchovy. Some birds will eat right out of your hand here.
Black River--The curving A2 highway runs right through this pretty town set along the coast. It is best known as a departure point for a boat trip up the Black River Morass.
The Blue Mountains: Named for the haze that glazes their peaks the better part of each day, the Blue Mountains are undoubtedly the nation's most unusual travel destination. In 1993, the Blue Mountain and John Crow Mountains were protected under the aegis of the Blue Mountain and John Crow National Park, the nation's first national park.
Bob Marley Museum--At 56 Hope Road in Kingston. The museum's highlight is the mural "The Journey of Bob Marley Superstar" by Everald Brown. Other features include a Marley video, a wax statue, and a painted statue out front of Bob kicking a soccer ball.
Christiana--One of the nicer small towns to visit, Christiana offers an alternative to relatively busier Mandeville. There are a number of things to do in the area.
Cockpit Country--Land of legends, the Cockpit Country remains one of Jamaica's most remote and least visited areas. It is also home to the Maroons, one of the island's most intriguing cultural groups.
Discovery Bay--Originally known as Puerto Seco ("Dry Harbor"), the name of this small, largely middle-class community was changed to commemorate the spot where Columbus was mistakenly thought to have first landed. It has a few resort hotels.
Dunn's River Falls--On a paved road off to the south of Ocho Rios. It's a popular activity to climb the falls.
Falmouth--The best preserved 18th C. town on the island, It still retains much of its harmonic and symmetric Georgian style. The charm of the place is still very much intact.
Firefly--The home of the late gay playwright Noel Coward. It's located five mi. from Oracabessa. Set atop a plateau and thus offering magnificent views of the coast from its grounds, the home has been immaculately preserved and transformed into a museum.
Hope Botanical Garden and Zoo--On 200 acres of land on the north side of Old Hope Rd. These gardens were laid out in 1881 after the government acquired the land from the Hope Estate. In addition to the orchid house, there are Indonesian sago palms, a small zoo, a children's amusement park, and a stone aqueduct.
Kingston--The nation's capital(pop. 850,000) is the largest English-speaking city south of Miami. It has a large number of hotels, but the majority of its visitors are here on business.
Mandeville--This fairly large, extremely scattered town (pop. 34,000), is the capital of Manchester Parish and the fifth largest city or town. It has long been compared to an English country town. It has a number of attractions, both in the town and in the surrounding environs.
Milk River--These thermal baths have a radioactivity level much higher than that of any other mineral spa in the world. There's a hotel, bar, restaurant, and cocktail lounge.
Montego Bay--Montego Bay (pop. 70,000) is the most famous of all Jamaica's tourist resorts.
National Art Gallery-- In Kingston Mall, this art museum has one of the most outstanding collections in the Caribbean.
Negril--on the southwest tip of Westmoreland Parish and protected by an offshore reef, Negril's seven mi. (11-km) stretch of sand is one of the Caribbean's finest beaches.
Nine Miles--A village which contains the tomb of Rastafarian reggae saint Bob Marley All-night memorial birthday concerts are held at this spot every February.
Ocho Rios--A planned tourist resort on the north coast. The government-owned St. Ann Development Company acquired land in the Ochos Rios area during the 1960s, dredged the harbor, and reclaimed the white sand beach. The name Ocho Rios is a corruption for the Spanish word chorreros ("waterfall"); the Spanish gave this stretch of coastline the name because of the large number of waterfalls (now mostly tapped for hydroelectricity) which line this coast.
Port Antonio--A small town perched above two natural harbors, Port Antonio (pop. 13,000) is perhaps the most beautiful settlement in all Jamaica: the location and setting couldn't be more perfect. The surrounding Portland Parish scenery is magnificent, with white sand beaches and small, classic islands just off the shoreline.
Port Royal--Once known as the "City of Gold" and the "Babylon of the West," Port Royal is now an unimpressive fishing village, a mere shadow of its former self. Only a few historical sites remain to tell the tale of what was "the wickedest city in the world" when Kingston, across the bay, was still only the site of a hog corral.
Rose Hall Great House--This 18th C. plantation house has been restored to its former grandeur. It contains numerous 17th C. antiques and art treasures most of which have been imported from abroad. There are many legends surrounding Annie Palmer, the "White Witch" of Rose Hall, who allegedly haunts the estate.
Runaway Bay--The first planned area to be developed for resort tourism during the 1960s; its debut came with the opening of Cardiff Hall (which is now a housing estate). Contrary to popular opinion, the people who ran away from what's now the resort area of Runaway Bay (whence its name), were African slaves fleeing to Cuba, not Spanish fleeing from the British.
Spanish Town--Not only is Spanish Town the most historically fascinating of all Jamaica's towns, but its forthright, down-to-earth atmosphere makes it a pleasure to visit as well. Jamaica's third largest urban center, it flourished only after the Spanish had hightailed it.
Treasure Beach--This gem of a beach area is located in one of Jamaica's remotest regions. Almost completely isolated with no phones or newspapers and little rainfall, four small bays (Great, Calabash, Frenchman's, and Billy's) are connected by road with the small town of Treasure Beach.
Y. S. Falls--A set of 120-ft. falls on the Y. S. River. Each fall has its own pool, and you can climb from one level to the next.
Discover the true Jamaica
Read excerpts from Jamaica: A Visitor's Guide
Order Jamaica: A Visitor's Guide from Amazon.com.
Order Jamaica: A Visitor's Guide from the author
Travel Notes to Jamaica
Selected Travel Links for Jamaica
Read about the Pariser's Discovery Guide Series
Discover Jamaica in photographs
Read aboutChristiana.
Read aboutNegril
This page last updated: Thu, Mar 5, 1998
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