There is a natural attraction in Ocho Rios known as Dunn’s River Falls. Before leaving for our trip several of our friends said that we should go there if we planned on going off resort at all. We decided to take their advice and book a tour however there were 3 options for getting there. We could either take a Sandals chartered catamaran, stop for some snorkeling along the way, and then on the way back enjoy an all out booze cruise dance party, we could take a jeep which took you up through the countryside on the way there, or we could just take a bus straight there and back. Originally we had booked the boat cruise because we had heard that it was the best way to go. However a few years ago Kyle and I went to Cancun and booked a similar trip. Thanks to the rocking waves, we both ended up super sick by the end of the trip. After some consideration we decided we would much rather go up into the mountains and see the country as opposed to just board a party boat as we kind of got all the booze cruising out of us in college. So today, I bring you the Jamaican countryside.
A few quick facts: Around the beach level, Jamaica sees around 50-60 inches of rain per year, up in the mountains they get 200 inches of rain per year. Thanks to all that rain it was beautifully green. In addition, with that rain mixed and a constant temperature that never reaches below 60 degrees, you can grow just about anything without even trying really. Lets go on a tour!
We started out by driving up a curvy road through an area known as Fern Gulley. It was basically a dense tropical forest with all sorts of imaginable ferns in varying sizes.
Jamaica is unique from the other Caribbean islands in that it has many mountain ranges, all of which are not volcanic. Many of the homes were up in the hill sides.
This is a plantation house and there were several similar homes like this one. They are all considered historical landmarks and may not be torn down regardless of their condition. You are allowed to renovate and upgrade but you may not remove a single brick. Our tour guide said a home like this one would go for about $45,000. Who wants to move to Jamaica?
I could spend my whole life just staring at this view. It was unbelievable. This is why people in Jamaica are so relaxed and friendly, they get to look at this every day.
Next up: Name that plant…Answers to follow, DON’T cheat! {Hint: Jamaica is the largest exporter of spices worldwide}
1.
2.
And a close up:
3.
4. Our tour guide took us to his home to show us his garden and most favorite plant of Jamaica:
Alright moving on…
And this has become a favorite on my Facebook page:
How about a close up:
Banana spiders, apparently harmless but no less disgusting. Essentially blankets of these hung from the electrical wires.
And finally after 5 hours of touring around, we reached our final destination: Dunn’s River Falls. Which was in fact, 15 minutes from our hotel. It is safe to say, we took the long way.
You start at the bottom and climb up the falls.
If you are ever in Ocho Rios and have the opportunity to take the Jeep Tour, do it. It was incredible and worth every penny. Our tour guide, Jerry, was hilarious and a wealth of information. I hope you enjoyed our little tour!
{The answers to the plants: 1. Paprika 2. Coffee 3. Nutmeg & 4. Cannabis aka pot}
