Jamaica is truly one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean. Its scenic beaches, ideal climate and distinct culture attract millions of visitors to the island each year. But one of the things I hear from first-time visitors (when they’ve traveled by cruise ship or by plane) is that they didn’t spend much time exploring Jamaica. Instead, they choose to spend most of their time on the beach or participating in an excursion that the resort/cruise recommends. Although spending time on a beach is a necessity, and those recommended excursions can be fun, there’s an entire island out their waiting to be discovered.
If you’re planning on staying on the island of Jamaica for more than two days, I recommend renting a car. Taxis are far too expensive to use as your way of transportation everywhere, and the resort buses will usually only take you to pre-determined locations. Having a car gives you the freedom to create your own schedule and do activities on your own time. However, driving on the island can be quite challenging. For starters, Jamaicans drive on the opposite side of the road from Americans, so your driving instincts need to be flipped. Secondly, Jamaican roads are narrow, and those roads have drivers that play by different rules (swerving into the other lane of traffic to get in front of you is hardly even a thought for them).
If you are able to vacation in Jamaica for as long as a week, you should make it a point to spend at least one afternoon in Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and Negril (chances are your resort is probably located near one of those places). There is so much to do and discover in each of them that it would definitely be worth the drive. But if you only have a few days to explore, choose just one of those cities and truly dive in.
One of the most popular destinations on the entire island is Montego Bay (often referred to by locals as Mobay). Its proximity to the island’s largest international airport may be one of the reasons why people choose Mobay, but its nightlife and natural enchantment are the reasons why people fall in love with it.
I spent this past long weekend in Mobay with a group of friends, and after two days of lounging around the resort, we were ready to get out and explore. If you ask any local what’s the one thing you have to do while in Mobay, they would say float down the Martha Brae. Sounds simple enough until you realize you’ll be floating for more than 3 miles down a natural river on a 30-foot raft made out of real bamboo stalks!
For nearly 40 years, experienced raft captains have been disembarking from Rafter’s Village (a little peninsula that offers a picnic area, a full bar, a souvenir shop and Martha’s herb garden, among other things) with tourists aboard. The captains construct their own rafts, which can take up to two days, and they use each one for about six months. A single raft will hold up to three adults and will cost $60 for a trip down the Martha Brae. While floating down the river you can take a dip in the flowing water, stop off on the banks for some grilled Jamaican food, purchase locally made souvenirs or jump from a swing rope into the river. The average journey down the Martha Brae lasts for about an hour, but the captains work for tips so you can control the speed. We boarded the rafts with a bottle of Champagne that we popped halfway through the trip. I highly recommend taking things that you feel would make your trip special. The captains are super laid back; This is Jamaica, mon.
The river approximately 20 minutes from Mobay and they begin rafting down the Martha Brae as early as 9 a.m. You have the option of scheduling a bus to pick you up from your hotel, but if you choose to drive, know that Google maps will take you to where the tour ends and the rafts are taken out of the water. You have to drive approximately 3 miles past that stop for Rafter’s Village (look for a light green sign that says “Rafting on the Martha Brae”).
The other thing you have to do in Mobay (well, really Falmouth, but that’s just a few towns over) is swim in the bioluminescent bay. As the only natural nighttime attraction on the entire island, Glistening Waters’ Luminous Lagoon is easily one of the most incredible things you can do on your trip. You can take a nighttime cruise out onto the lagoon surrounded by mangroves, where you’ll interact with the tiny little organisms that live in the water. Just as fireflies spark, these microscopic bioluminescent organisms illuminate blue when they are disturbed (either by the motor of the boat or your limbs as you swim in the water). A public tour will cost you $25 per person, plus the cost of any digital picture you want sent to you. A private tour will run you $50 per person—that includes a personal photographer, but you still have to pay for the actual photos.
Because we stayed at an all-inclusive resort, we ate most of our meals at the resort, but one night we got tired of eating dinner there so we ventured off property and ended up at every local’s favorite restaurant, Scotchies—there’s actually one in Mobay and one in Ochie. It was there we had the best meal of the trip. There were six of us, so we decided to do “family style” and had our waitress bring us a little of everything she thought we needed to try. I couldn’t get enough of the grilled chicken, the grilled fish, the festival, the grilled veggies, the bam and the chicken sausage. Everything is cooked with only locally sourced ingredients and over a large wood-burning grill. Pair the food with a Jamaican Red Snapper beer, get comfortable outdoors on their wood seating, and you’ve got yourself the perfect Jamaican dinner, and the perfect Jamaican experience.
Megan Pinckney (@shadesofpinck) is a retired beauty queen turned lifestyle blogger who loves exploring the world and writing about it.
