جامايكا رحلات و [توور غيد]

[أقوسل] [وتربرك] [ألّ دي] مغامرة ل فقط حوالي أيّ شخص مع فائدة في البحث [كريبّن] وينبح شواطئ [مونتغو]. هذا مكان [وترسبورتس] صافية وأنت يستطيع استمتعت فقط حول [ألّ ث] [وترسبورتس] حالة لهو جامايكا يضطرّ قدّمت بشكل صحيح هنا على هذا واحدة شاطئ.

[أقوسل] حدّدت في والتر [فلتشر] شاطئ على غلوسستر جادّة حق في القلب من [مونتغو] نباح واعتبرت واحدة من هو شواطئ جيّدة وواحدة من المدائن حالة جذب علويّة. فصل صيف فقط بشكل صحيح ل [أقوسل] وأنت يستطيع مسكت فوق على ك [سونبث] وأتمّت بعض لطيفة يغوص في الغنيّة وافرة قريبة شاطئ مياه من الجزيرة. الماء دائما عظيمة وأبقيت الشاطئ جيّدا. [إنترنس ف] ك [ولّ سبنت] على تسهيل لطيفة مع كثيرا أن يتمّ نحن لن يغطّي هو كلّ في هذا مادة.

[أقوسل] حزمت مع [وترسبورت] أنشطة مثل ال حقّا حالة لهو ماء [ترمبولين], [أفربريس] انبثاق زلاجات, [بننا بوأت] عمليّة ركوب, [وفرونّرس], زوارق, دواسة زوارق, [غلسّبوتّوم] زورق عمليّة ركوب وبعض جميلة لطيفة يغوص أيضا. تلقّى يومنا في [أقوسل] يبدأ متأخّرا ونحن بعض أخرى أشياء أن يأخذ عناية من في [موبي] لذلك نحن لم نغطّ كلّ شيء أن يتمّ في [أقوسل]. نحن نخطّط رحلة من خلال [موبي] على الطريق إلى [دونّس] نهر قريبا وسيبقى نحن هناك على الأقلّ يوم أو اثنان. أنا كنت قد جعلت وعد إلى الجديات أن يمسك شاطئ هذا يوم وهذا واحدة ينظر مثل جيّدة بما أنّ الإستراحة غير أنّ أقلّ يحزم.

الأراضي بالتّأكيد كثير جدية ودّيّة [إين كمبريسن تو] رأي دكاترة [كف] [بش] في [مونتغو] نباح أيضا. Aquasol has a nice playground and more kid oriented activities. Doctors Cave is a nice but small beach and still hugely popular, still more fun to be had at Aquasol I’m certain. The greatest attraction for the youngsters at Aquasol has got to be the MoBay 500, the GoKart racing track on the beach in Montego Bay. The track was empty on the day we went and not very interesting to our younger children but must be loads of fun for the others. Certainly on our list ofthings to catch next visit to Aquasol.

Aquasol has lots of other stuff to do including two pro size tennis courts and equipment rentals, they offer beach volleyball, table tennis and you can even just get a chair and lay out in the sun, clothes are required though.

If you’re interested in taking a trip to Aquasol or Montego Bay Jamaica then please Contact Us to arrange your airport transfer and private driver.

Royal Palm Reserve is one of those special places where one can appreciate the beauty and tranquility of nature and the wonders of Jamaica. The Reserve bills itself as one of Jamaica’s best eco attractions with over 300 acres of lush tropical jungle and Jamaican wildlife including over 300 species of animals such as birds, butterflies and reptiles and 114 documented species of plants and flowers. The Reserve was established in the mid 1980’s as part of a plan to protect the Great Morass Royal Palms which had undergone extensive harvesting and were nearly devastated by clearcutting.

The land was originally managed by the Petrolem Corporation of Jamaica but after a long series of hassles they released it to the Negril Environmental Protection Trust (NEPT) in 2001. The NEPT manages the Reserve with a goal to protecting the area and natural resources of the area under the following objectives from their website:

1. To protect and conserve the Negril Great Morass and its wetland flora and fauna, particularly the endemic Morass (Swamp) Royal Palm.

2. To raise the level of awareness, knowledge and understanding about the Negril Great Morass (and other wetland ecosystems) though an Interpretive Programme

3. To provide opportunities to citizens of neighboring communities, particularly Sheffield, for income generation through direct employment, concessions, training and the facilitation of sustainable livelihood projects in the community.

4. To increase scientific knowledge of the Negril Great Morass and related ecosystems in order to guide planning and management of the Negril Environmental Protection Area through the establishment of a Research Centre at the Reserve and the promotion of research at the Reserve.

5. To increase the financial independence and self-sustainability of NEPT and the Royal Palm Reserve by promoting the Reserve as an income-generating eco-tourism attraction.

The Royal Palm Reserve is without a doubt the best bird watching spot in all of Negril and one of the best choices for birdwatching in Jamaica. You can view dozens of exotic bird species from Negril Jamaica on the Nature Walk with over a half mile of boardwalk which leads you on a beautiful walk to a 30 foot tower in the middle of the Morass which offers the best views of all of Negril. The lovely sounds of birds singing and chirping can be heard all day long at Royal Palm Reserve and the birdwatching is great year round according to some local fans of the Reserve. The Reserve is home to the endangered and rare West Indian Whistling Ducks which you can see floating around in the stocked fish pond. They are scared of people so keep quiet while observing or they will fly off.

The Reserve keeps a pond stocked with Tilapia, or Red Jamaican Snapper as they are called in the local super markets, and they have a catch and release fishing program in effect right now. During peak months or when the pond is overstocked they allow some catch and keep fishing based on the amount of water in the pond and fish available. Fishing in a stocked pond is kinda unfair to the fish but loads of fun for the kids and family. We caught a few fish and let them go but my camera was left behind on that trip so no pictures of us fishing at the Royal Palm Reserve. Fishing equipment is available upon request but bring a loaf of bread for bait and to feed the Whistling Ducks with.

The Reserve has an alligator that lives within the confines of a caged pond. We have only ever caught a glimpse of him and he seems very shy. Could also be that it was hot as the sun and he was hiding in the waters of the swampy pond but we only ever saw him once in three trips. I figured he was trained to answer someone who feeds him so I banged on a pipe used to water him and as soon as I did he popped his head above the murky waters. I think we scared him as we maneuvered for a better picture and he split never to pop up again. Worth a look for sure but you may not get to see him every trip. The Royal Palm Reserve website advertises horseback riding but I never saw any signs of that on our trips, they may bring the horses in from someplace out of sight because the property requires advance booking for this special feature.

The best thing to do at Royal Palm Reserve is plan a picnic. The staff are well prepared to cook and feed groups up to 20 people with advance bookings or you can bring your own food and enjoy a nice day with friends or family and some good food and conversation. The natural beauty and awesome views will inspire some lively conversation on the wonders around you and maybe even make a difference in your day or your life.

The Royal Palm Reserve charges $10US per adult and $5 per child for access to the park all day long. You can spend some time walking the nature trails, fishing the stocked ponds or watching the wildlife and time pass by and enjoy a beautiful day of nature while supporting a beautiful public space. The museum on site offers a great educational opportunity and our kids had fun in the interactive attraction. Learn about the biodiversity and local fauna and wildlife in the colorful and entertaining activities room at the museum and teach the next generation to appreciate the natural world as much as they do the electronic one most of us live in.

If you are in the Negril area and don’t visit the Royal Palm Reserve you’ll miss out on some of the best views in Jamaica and upset me for not appreciating the natural beauty of the Negril Great Morass and the Royal Palms.

You can find 55 more pictures of Royal Palm Reserve at the Jamaica Photo Gallery

I’ll start by saying don’t listen to this guy, he’s a sucker and him and his type are made to pay these kind of people. They prey on him and his type because they can and they let them. Don’t let them and they won’t bother. His experience is very similar in fact to mine but I’ll explain how things can go differently. I too was approached by a man on a motorcycle as I pulled into the local gas station for a refuel. I had actually just driven past the station and was on my way to the Roaring Rivers Park when I realized I was about to run out of fuel and it was best to turn around rather then risk it. I went inside as the attendant pumped some gas and I purchased a cold drink. While taking a sip outside the guy on the motorbike asked me, wa’ gwan?

I told him I was on my way to the river with my kids, generally a likkle more information than most will need or I ever give out but I was feeling talkative that day. He said he lived near the river and was one of the best guides in the area. He claimed to have been born there and a lifelong resident. I’m still uncertain about that part but he does know the area and was a decent enough guide. Does a person or family even need a guide at Roaring Rivers? Not really but it’s kinda nice the first time to learn about the place and it’s history as well as the natural flora and details about the river and its workings. They lay claim to being one of the first and most natural attractions in Jamaica with little to no development of the park. The Roaring River is actually the meeting of an underground spring which is a no swim area and used solely for drinking purposes or the river which is fed from the surrounding mountains and tropical rain fall. The summer months are the rainy season and the river peaks in October when the banks nearly overflow with the freshest, coolest and cleanest drinking water on earth. It’s a very nice place and the surrounding mountains and lush tropical setting is enough for a visit. The river and underground mineral springs cave bath are a plus.

Roaring rivers cave is a nice place for a cool swim in the healing mineral waters of Jamaica in the Westmoreland Parish. The cave is simple underground cavern with built in steps and some added lighting so you can truly enjoy the beautiful walk down into earth. The cave walls and ceilings are covered in shiny crystallized minerals which are awash in the waters at the base of the cave. The mineral springs inside the cave are said to offer the most healing of all mineral springs in Jamaica.

The Roaring Rivers park wiki says the park is on the site of the Roaring River Estate which belonged to the Beckford family: Peter Beckford, William Beckford. The river and cave are now manage by the Roaring River Citizens Association, a local community group that charges a small fee for park entry and use of the cave and mineral springs.

If you love swimming in the natural mineral springs as much as I do then you may spend quite a bit of time at Roaring Rivers. Thus far it’s the best choice near Negril for a relaxing dip in the cool refreshing waters and a great half day trip for just about anyone.

Take a look at 94 total pictures from Roaring Rivers Park and Underground Cave

We decided to take a day trip down the South Coast of Jamaica from here in Negril and visit the YS Falls Nature Attraction and the surrounding area. We have taken numerous tours down the South Coast of Jamaica from Negril since we bought the van and have seen a number of places we would like to stop in but YS Falls comes highly recommended as one of the nicer waterfalls in Jamaica and we thought it would be nice to see the difference between this and Mayfield Falls.

We took a long drive and stopped a few places so it took almost 2 hours to get there when it should be more like 1 1/2 I would think. It did seem a bit farther than Mayfield but if waterfalls are your thing then it’s well worth the trip. YS Falls has a total of 7 much larger and more majestic looking waterfalls when compared to Mayfield. The height of some of the waterfalls must be over 30 feet or more and the water moves with much more force here than it did at Mayfield. The YS Falls trip was more for the kids and they were very excited about spending time in the river again like we did at Mayfield but YS Falls is a little different. There are only but a few places to actually get off the trail and into the river. There is no riverwalk like at Mayfield and the only time spent will be in the few large pools and swimming holes. I also found that most of these pools were more tailored to adults as the water was turbulent and too deep in many places and the rocks were precarious and no fun to stand on in the two pools we did try out.

There was one pool with the rope swing that seemed the more popular swimming hole but this spot is definitely not cut for young ones as the water moves to swiftly and the drop off from the next waterfall is right there. They actually keep a guide posted to watch no one slips over but he’s got a lot of people to watch and a lot of ground to cover if one does slip. I wasn’t very excited about having the kids in this pool alone and we ended up taking a trip further up to see how those were. Of course the water is pretty cold at all the spring fed rivers but there is a much denser treetop canopy at YS Falls and little to no sunlight in many places. The damp dark feeling is nice but very cold for young ones and they could not handle the water for more than 10 minutes without need for a sun break which was hard to come by.

In the end all of the pools were nice but not exactly what we were looking for. We truly enjoyed the beautiful scenery and the waterfalls are much nicer but for a day swimming in the mineral waters from Negril I think Mayfield is a better choice. The fact you can easily rest in many arts of the river and truly enjoy the rushing waters plus the ability to walk directly up the river to the top is much nicer a day overall. We ended up spending most of our time in the man made pool with water recirculated in from the river. It’s very nice to sit in the calm mineral waters under the lush vegetation but I think we would have much preferred actually being in the river.

YS Falls also offers a unique “Canopy Tour” of the area with zip lines tied high up in the trees. You can ride the zip line from the top of the falls down to the bottom for what must be an exhilarating tide. The cost was a bit more than dad was willing to spend for himself and the kids of course are too young. I would say that YS Falls is much better suited to adults and older kids interested in swinging from the ropes and zip lines available. If you’re looking for a relaxing day in the mineral springs I would suggest you try Mayfield Falls instead.

Click here for more pictures of our YS Falls Adventures

We had the chance to take a trip to Mayfield Falls with a group of local children and some guest from Heartbeat Resort courtesy of one of the guests named John. It was his last full day in Jamaica after 4 beautiful weeks and he wanted to give something back to some of the neighborhood children that had brought him so much joy in his last days here.

With a little planning we decided that it would be 5 adults and 5 children piling into our van for the 1 1/2 hour drive to Mayfield Falls via Sav La Mar. We booked a tour guide and lunch package with the Original Mayfield Falls and headed off for the park early that morning. We were given directions to Mayfield Falls by the office staff when we purchased our tour package but we missed a turn and ended up taking an alternative route which ended up being a pretty bad road. There are some potholes on most of the roads in Jamaica but on this trip much of the road was gone and I certainly advise you to take this trip with an experienced guide of some sort because getting stuck or lost out there would be no fun. Eventually our bad road meets up with the road we missed or the good road but then both f them get horrible, the entry road to Mayfield Falls is in horrible condition and extreme caution is advised. I could not understand how they could let the road deteriorate to such poor conditions for one of the nicer natural attractions in the Negril area but things became a bit more clear once we arrived on scene.

There are now two attractions on the Mayfield River. The Original Mayfield Falls is where we chose to go based on local advice that the falls and river are much nicer here. The newer attraction is named Riverwalk at Mayfield Falls and they have strategically placed themselves on the roadway before Mayfield and overwhelmed the place with signage to make it seem they are they one and only attraction and the one everyone has come to see. You can see this is having an effect on the Original Mayfield Falls and is certainly costing them a lot in lost business and revenue. I have not decided whether we’ll stop by the other one next time or not. I think it’s kinda wrong whats being done and its apparent to me anyway that they are stealing their business by being somewhat deceptive in using the name Mayfield Falls instead of Mayfield Riverwalk or something and the signs are misleading.I think the staff and management needs to clear things up by creating some nice new signage of their own letting everyone know there are two places to see. I understand that Riverwalk is a newer and nicer facility but somewhat overpriced when compared to the Original. I cannot of course confirm this yet so I guess I should then huh? Settled then, I’ll go to Riverwalk next and compare them for you. Hows that?

Anyway the Original Mayfield Falls has some very beautiful scenery and we ended up having an incredible day hiking up the river to the main falls. I have to say here that without the wonderful services of Gary the Wonder Guide who with three kids hanging from his arms and neck was still able to skip up the river like a stone over the water it would not have been so nice a trip. If you go you simply must have a guide to help you navigate your way to the top or you’ll simply never make. The trip up is about an hour hike over some pretty tough terrain but well worth the effort. It’s an awesome nature walk through towering forests up the river with tons of great spots to swim in the cool mineral waters. You can drink the water direct from the river and it’s like drinking bottled water before they bottle it. It’s very refreshing and cold. The kids were good in the water but a few of us adults took a minute getting used to it. It’s definitely invigorating and according to many locals the mineral waters have healing powers and can aid in all sorts of ailments.

The goal of our hike was to reach the largest waterfalls at the top of the trail where we were able to slide behind the waterfall for a cool pic with Mathis, one of the local youths we took for the trip. It was a great accomplishment for us as a family to make it up there together and we all had a great time hiking the river. Both my kids and the local kids had fun and a new experience and there have been almost daily requests to return ever since we got back. We’ll certainly be taking more trips to Mayfield and for sure we’ll got to Riverwalk at Mayfield next so we can compare.

Our tour package included lunch at the on site restaurant and we were served a delicious meal of Jerk Chicken, Rice and Peas and Veggies along with a cool glass of fresh squeezed mango juice which was perfect. You certainly have the option of bringing your own lunch if you prefer but it’s not worth it. For the price paid the local food was awesome and not having to worry about was even better. We enjoyed our time at the river and left the work up to the very capable and friendly staff for the day. If you’re interested in more information on tours to Mayfield Falls please contact us for more details.

More pics from Mayfield Falls in the Jamaica photo gallery

So as you can see the blog posting slowed down some much as I expected it would for now. We’ve been busy taking in all there is to see around Negril and really immersing ourselves in the local community. We’re making friends and hanging out with lots of Jamaicans in the area and having as real good time of it. We’ve done some traveling around some and made it over to Montego Bay (Mobay to locals) for the 2007 Reggae Sumfest which featured an awesome lineup as far as I was concerned. We got to see some great musicians perform and I was most excited to see LL Cool J, Shaggy and Buju Banton on the same evening.

Friday nights concert turned out to be a moving experience and watching old school acts like LL Cool J and local mainstays like Morgan Heritage entertain the Jamaica crowd was loads of fun. LL put on a great show and after 20 years I was finally able to hear him sing “I Need Love” live. It was not quite a dream come true but definitely worth the experience. I’ve been a fan of his since he started and have much love and respect for his innovation and longevity. LL stands for Ladys Love Cool James and it sure was the case at Sumfest. The ladies most certainly love him and he had a crowd of them tossing themselves up before him. Morgan Heritage offered up a great show with some thought provoking lyrics and a somewhat political message for the pre elections crowd. Elections in Jamaica are serious stuff and people getting shot before them is not uncommon. Morgan Heritage has some meaningful lyrics in their music and the heavy influence of the Rasta culture is obvious. Select members joined Buju for a heartfelt closing to a great show and you can really feel how much they are loved by locals.

Shaggy has been a Jamaican favorite for years and the man puts on a great show for the crowd. His music is fun and his songs bring everyone to there feet. Big Hits like “It Wasn’t Me” and “Shorty” play well for locals and dancing and signing along with everyone was too much fun for all of us. By this time in the evening most people we’re worn down and shot out but still kicking and things we’re really grooving. I came to realize Shaggys’ real talent is his voice and he does not sing most or all of his songs. He has a lot of help but still puts out a great show.

The highlight of my evening and my trip to Jamaica so far was seeing Buju Banton play live in Jamaica. I’ve been a fan ever since the first time I played “Til Shiloh” all the way through and his music has grown stronger to me the more connected I become to Jamaica. He’s a visionary with a real sense of wa’ gwaan in Jamaica. Listening to the crowd sing to him as he opened up “Untold Stories” for us was possibly the most moving experience I have ever had a concert. I was actually brought to tears as a few thousand of us stood and sang what seems a obvious crowd favorite. It was moving to me to see my personal favorite matched up to that of so many locals as we all sang the entire song to Buju. It wasn’t until two weeks later that I took a walk down into the ghettos of Kingston and found even more meaning in the lyrics of that particular song. The concert got even more important to me as time has passed. It was an awesome experience and if you ever get the chance to see Buju in Jamaica I suggest you jump on it.

Jamaica is a music lovers paradise with live music pumping from just about every bar and club on the island. You can hear music at all hours ofthe day and night and just walking down the streets of Jamaica is a musical experience. There are lots more shows to talk about and I’ll do my best to start posting some more soon come mon.

More pictures from Reggae Sumfest 2007

This is our view from the front porch on the first morning in Jamaica. We’ve been in Negril for just over ten days now and it’s time I got some new photos and stuff up. These would be some of our first pictures here in Negril. It’s summer time of course and although the sun is hot the city life is pretty quiet. Not many tourists in town for the heat of summer so things are extra slow right now. Often times we find ourselves the only patrons of an establishment and some times they open up just for us. There is a good and a bad to that in that we are met by friendly faces but times are tough and everyone wants to make something from us.

We’ve gotten used to it quickly and a firm “No Thank You” covers almost everything. We got beat over a few meals because we didn’t think to ask about the price before we ordered some places. They’ll hit you hard at the end if they can and don’t be embarrassed to negotiate any check handed you. Times are tough all over and my money is best kept in my pocket. Jamaicans actually appreciate a good barter but have no love for a cheap person. If you can’t settle a deal they will probably curse you for wasting their time as if it were more valuable then yours.

Negril Beach in the summer is a beautiful thing and the sun shines down on us all day long here. The beach and water are our favorite spots so far and it’s been a lot of relaxing and chilling in the sun for us since our arrival. We’re slowly moving out and about and I have loads of more stuff to post about but a big part of our stay was the water fun for the kids. Our room at Heartbeat in Negril has an awesome view and the easy access to the beach and seas makes snorkel trips and frolicking in the water an easy activity for us all.

Our room does not have direct beach access and we are not on the famous Negril Beach. We’re currently at the base of the Cliffs of Negril and about a 2 minute cab ride at $150JA for the four of us. We do have a beach we can use that suits us just fine and it’s been a lot of fun for the kids to spend hours playing with some of the local boys on the beach. It’s behind a restaurant that seems more a late night bar but the day time crew at “On The Rocks” has been great. The beach here at Heartbeat is great but we much prefer the Negril Beach for a nicer cleaner beach with more activity and things to see. This beach is not maintained and some odd things are washed up on shore.

A Picture Perfect Day at Heartbeat in Negril Jamaica

One of the best things about Jamaica is all the natural beauty around us. On our 3rd morning in I got up a it earlier than usual and was able to catch a great Sunrise from the rocks outside our room. I was able to get a decent shot of the sun rising over the Negril Beach with the Mountains in the background that was just an awe inspiring thing to witness live. No camera can do the colors any justice and my amateur photography is not up to the task yet. I’m still learning the new camera and whats best to use in conditions like this but man it was worth waking up early thats for sure. It turned out to be a picture perfect day. I caught the sunrise, a trip to the beach for some fun in the sun with the kids, some beautiful snorkeling along the coast of Negril after a fabulous lunch of local cuisine and ended the day with a perfect Sunset from the vantage point of our room and the porch out front.

After the sunrise and a likkle brekfast we ran down to Negril Beach so the family could finally see the famous beach. It was pretty hot and we had things to do like hit the Hi Lo so we we’re not there very long. After the trip to Hi Lo we decided to have lunch at Jennys Restaurant just up the road from us as no one wanted to cook or wait for something to be cooked. We took the Brown Stew Chicken because it was ready and we wanted to try it. It’s become a favorite meal especially for the low price of $200JA per plate. A full meal consists of healthy portion of chicken served with rice and peas, cabbage and vegetables. My review of Jennys comes soon.

Later in the day the kids hit the beach and dad did a little snorkeling off up the coast and around the rocks near the hotel. The water s great and the kids are taking to the sun and sea better than expected. They both have a few extra bite marks from the bugs but we’re controlling it. The beach is close by and easy for them to swim and me to explore while still watching them. This is nearly the same spot as the sunrise pictures but looking back towards the beach.

The sea life around Negril is awesome and the short dive I took on our third day was great. The biodiversity near shore is still strong although I was disappointed in the number of game fish to be found. There are tons of tropical fish of all flavors and the pictures above are a small sample of the underwater photos I have been able to take. I’ve see a lot of things on snorkel trips around the cliffs here in Negril and I’m looking forward to taking the camera on some bigger dive trips as we go further off coast and into some deeper waters on a glass bottom boat soon. Their seem to be loads of juvenile tropical fish in the area with lots of small butterfly and other damsels. I was surprised to see a few Rock Beauty Angels and a Juvenile Queen Angel but my shots on those are shoddy. I need a weight belt for better motion control and shot consistency.

Juvenile French Angel off the coast of Negril Jamaica

Juvenile Banded Butterfly Fish

Pair of Banded Coral Shrimp

Large Snail off Negril Jamaica

I took a little nap during the afternoon showers which are very common here in Negril. It was nice to wake up to a cool refreshing breeze whipping through our room as it raced in from the ocean in front of us. The ocean breeze is really nice when we have it. Right now it’s hotter then heck in my room tonight as I type this blog post. It’s 11PM and about 85 C and I’m sweating like a pig in my bed. Theres a decent breeze tonight so I bust open the windows and hope for no mosquitoes. The afternoon showers make for some great cloud formations and leads into a perfect sunset and an end to a perfect day.

It looks like we’re falling in love with Negril Jamaica and I thinks Heartbeat has someting to do wit dat mon. A far I concerned we cyan stay here f’ever.

I have been thinking about our first few days or weeks in Jamaica and some of the things I want to do when we arrive on the island. I would like to spend some time checking out local attractions and I am planning a few day trips for our first week in JA. Finding things to do in Jamaica is easy enough but I want to make certain we catch some of the big attractions early on. I found Iexplore.com offers a great write up on Jamaican attractions and their listings for things to do in Jamaica has been helpful in my planning.

Mayfields Falls in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica West Indies

The first month or more of our trip will be in the Negril area and I want to visit as many of the natural attractions as we can. I have not made it to many of the falls besides Dunns River and I have never been on a river raft ride either so I think a stop at MayFields Falls is a definite. We may even consider spending the night and making a two day trip of this one. Mayfields Falls has been suggested to me as a great outing by one prospective guide I am communicating with in Jamaica. I think we may have need to hire someone to pick us up at the airport and deliver us to our first place to stay. I also think I may want this person to give us a couple days tour of the area in order to let the family see all the things around us. We may also take a trip over to YS Falls which is said to be a bit nicer but kinda far from Negril.

Natural Pool at YS Falls in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica W.I.

Of course we’ll be spending lots of time at the beach in Negril but we’ll have to be careful about that. It’s been a few years since we’ve lived by the ocean and I think we’ll need to get used to the sun again before we can handle a full day at the beach. The sun here in Florida can be brutal but it does not compare to the summers in Jamaica on the beach. You can feel it cooking you in JA and the kids won’t be able to handle that for long at all. We’ll need to plan some daytime activities and try to plan our beach playtime during the later afternoon hours when things aren’t as bad. If you’re planning a trip to Jamaica and need some ideas for things to do outside your resort check out this page.

Jamaica Overview | Jamaica Tour Guide | iExplore.com

Jamaica was inhabited by Arawak Indians prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1494. Although Columbus was in the habit of declaring that each new island he chanced upon was more beautiful than the last, he seems to have maintained a lifelong enthusiasm for the beauty of Jamaica.

A few years later, it was formally colonized by the Spanish whose rule lasted until 1655. They were displaced by the British who turned Jamaica into the most important of the British Caribbean slaving colonies. Within 100 years, virtually the whole island had been divided up into large plantations owned by absentee landlords and worked by forced labor imported from West Africa.

Welcome to Jamaica MAX. This blog will offer news and reviews on our Jamaican adventures. The Moya family is moving to Jamaica this summer for a 6 month adventure. We plan to cover as much of the wonderful island of Jamaica as we can during our first extended trip with the goal of returning next year on a permanent visa. We’re going to catalog the adventure here for all to see. Lets see how it goes.

Alfred