& NORTH COAST 145 Firefly Walkerswood © Lonely Planet Publications Planet Lonely © Xplosion Dunn's River Falls Tour Canopy Green Grotto Caves OCHO RIOS DEC DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE: 26°C HIGH TEMPERATURE: OCHO RIOS DEC DAILY „ Come early to avoid the teeming masses masses Come early to avoid the teeming If you can’t pay homage If you can’t pay homage Discover the mysteries of jerk of jerk the mysteries Discover Make like Tarzan and zip and zip Make like Tarzan Savor the jaw-dropping view from Savor the jaw-dropping view from Reggae Xplosion Reggae place at Nine to ’s final resting reggae Mile, this excellent museum captures ). p149 in all its vitality ( Canopy tour Canopy from platform to platform in the Cranbrook ). p171 ( Flower Forest Firefly former author Noel Coward’s well-preserved home ( p163 ). Walkerswood producer of sauces, at this world-renowned ). p166 marinades and chutneys ( Dunn’s River Falls Falls Dunn’s River ). p152 and climb one of the world’s most famous waterfalls (

AREA: 1834 SQ KM

„ „ „ „ HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS „ East of Ocho Rios, is home to , ’s the quaint town of It’s also a good base for exploring the area. Zigzagging inland through Fern Gully beneath a inland through Fern Zigzagging exploring the area. It’s also a good base for However, it’s very easy to shake the pre-fab and enjoy some of the island’s commercialism it’s very However,

„ Bay, Discovery Bay and St Ann’s Bay, where Columbus decamped. Columbus Bay, where Bay and St Ann’s Bay, Discovery well-paved road to , lies a succession of historic coastal towns like Runaway road to Montego well-paved tion, or enjoy some of ’s best snorkeling and diving. West of Ocho Rios, along the tion, or enjoy some of Jamaica’s best snorkeling and diving. you to Firefly, Noel Coward’s former home. Along the way, you can take in a working Noel Coward’s former home. planta- you to Firefly, former home and now one of Jamaica’s most elegant hotels. Further along the coast brings along the coast brings Further elegant hotels. former home and now one of Jamaica’s most Marley, or foodies seeking Walkerswood and the mysteries of jerk sauce. Marley, or foodies seeking of jerk sauce. Walkerswood and the mysteries hilly terrain offers excellent vistas to pilgrims on the way to Nine Mile, excellent vistas to pilgrims on the way the birthplace offers hilly terrain of Bob canopy of trees, you’ll soon realize why St Ann’s is known as ‘the garden parish.’ The bucolic, is known as ‘the garden parish.’ The why St Ann’s you’ll soon realize canopy of trees, fine botanic gardens looking out over the bay and an exuberant nightlife. an exuberant nightlife. the bay and fine botanic gardens looking out over scalloped beach and a reef-sheltered harbor, boasts an excellent reggae museum, several museum, several reggae harbor, boasts an excellent reef-sheltered scalloped beach and a most enduring attractions. The town itself, backed by green hills and fronted by a wide, and fronted hills town itself, backed by green The most enduring attractions. Dolphin Cove. Dolphin Cove. and catch glimpses of Dunn’s River Falls (Jamaica’s highest-grossing tourist attraction) and Falls Dunn’s River and catch glimpses of second-busiest cruise-shipmillion visitors each year to shop almost half a berth, disgorging the region is booming with tourists. Ocho Rios, the main town in the area, is the island’s Ocho Rios, the main town in the area, tourists. is booming with the region Five hundred years after dropped anchor on the north-central Columbus dropped Christopher years after coast, hundred Five

North Coast Ocho Rios & Ocho Rios& OCHO RIOS & NORTH COAST port of packaged call.Yet ‘Ochi’s’ beaches thisistheisland’spremierMontego Bay, focus. When thefloatingresorts pull in,their so centrallylocated astocommand thetown’s dockherecenter, andthedisembarkation is approaching thelatter’s downtown historic lack thesplendor of ithasnothing MoBay’s, and apalpable airof waiting for something. (street vendors) andwould-be tourguides, and fast-food emporia,persistent higglers interchangeable duty-free shoppingplazas tourist dollar,itsstreets todayare linedwith local netswere redirected fromfish tothe Whatever character Ocho Rioslostwhenthe earmarked fortourisminthemid-1980s. ing village thattheJamaica TouristBoard worthy snugness, Ocho Riosisaformerfish- Wrapped aroundasmallbaywithpostcard- pop 16,500 OCHO RIOS via minibusor route taxi. trouble findingtransporttoandfromtown north-coast location,landtravelers have no port.Withitscentral- busiest cruise-ship of town.Ocho RiosisalsoJamaica’s secon d- gers flyintoBoscobelAerodrome, 16kmeast whiledomesticcharterMontego Bay, passen- into DonaldSangster International Airportin The majority of international airtravelers fly GETTING THERE&AWAY June andSeptember to October. year. TherainiestperiodsoccurinMay to within a16°to30°Crange the throughout predictably hotandhumid.Temperatures stay island ’s mostpredictable weather–that is, The northcentralcoasthassomeof the bauxite miningandtourism took over. region untilthemid-20thcentury,when cropsthatdefinedthe (allspice) plantations, British instituted huge sugarandpimento modern-day Ocho Rios.Itwashere thatthe Jamaica eastof canbefoundatRioNuevo, the island,andsite of in ’slaststand ofthe laststrongholds Spanishdominionover ‘swiftwater.’roughly, Thearea wasoneof the Spanishterm The nameOcho Riosisacorruptionof HISTORY 146 CLIMATE That something is cruise ships– afterThat somethingiscruise CORO • Hsoy OCHO RIOS••History chorreros, which means, in sand for Turtle Beach, andbuiltshopping forTurtleBeach, in sand a smallmarina,reclaimed theshore, brought velopment. Itdredged theharborandbuilt Council andthenlaunched asystematic de- government formedtheStAnnDevelopment quiet village inthe1960swhenJamaican Lydford, inthehillssouth of town. 10km fromtheReynoldsopen-castminesat head conveyor beltstillcarriesbauxite ore water ReynoldsPierwestof town.Anover- Reynolds Jamaica Minesbuiltthedeep- Things begantochange inthe1940swhen a fruit-shippingportof anyconsequence. lonial times,Ocho as evolved Riosnever duringco- developed plantations Although HISTORY make Ochi agoodplace to pause. an abundanceof finehotels andguesthouses scene, atrioof serene hillsidegardensand it. Aterrific reggae alively museum, nightlife the scenicinterior of StAnn’sParrish, thisis forexploringthenorthcoastand good base a littleplanning,andifyou’re lookingfora on weekends. Thehordescanbeavoided with dock generally andseldom gonebynightfall hustle ries; thefullfrontal is on. insouvenirslocal traffic untainted bymemo- A3 thatleads toFern Gullyand, eventually, the roundabout,Milford Rdisatrunkof the the Ocho Rd.Southof RiosRedevelopment of as theroundabout itisknownofficially Dr;east Milford RdtheA3 becomesDaCosta way. Westof circle)at aroundabout (traffic south of thetowncenter viaatwo-lanehigh- east. the town center, andHarmony Hall, 6kmto Dunn’s River Falls, 3kmtothewest of the Greater Ocho Riosextends for6kmbetween ‘Ochi.’ up complex(see tainment p149 ) hasspruced Island Village, amajor shopping andenter- discrete east.Theconstructionof distance more tasteful, upscaleEnglish-style hotels a an enclave of mediocre hotels intown,and nondescriptshoppingfood franchises, malls, ameld ofestablished: American-stylefast- early 1980s,Ocho Rios’character hadbeen complexes andhousingschemes. By the ORIENTATION human cargo streams the intotowntomeet Nonetheless, Ocho Rioswasstilljusta shipsareNote, thatthe cruise however, The main coastal road, the A3, passes just road,theA3, passes The maincoastal lonelyplanet.com