Jamaica Tours, Guides and Vacations

Rafting on the Martha Brae River is one of the original Jamaica tours and river rafting is one of the most popular attractions in all of Jamaica. With the number of scenic river trips in Jamaica it’s pretty easy to find an eco adventure in the rivers and waterfalls of both the North Coast and South Coast Jamaica.

With the popularity of the North Coast as a major tourist attraction in Jamaica the northern attractions are more popular with the majority of tourists to this Caribbean country. The Martha Brae is one of the most beautiful and popular rivers for rafting in Jamaica and it’s proximity to Montego Bay have been apart of that but the river itself holds 100′s or years worth of good memories from travelers all over the globe.

The tranquil waters of the Martha Brae River received its name from an Indian legend, Martha Brae. The story is that she took the secret of a gold mine location to her grave, instead of offering it to the Spanish. After leading them to this river, legend claims she used magic to change the weather, causing her and her Spanish captors to drown.

River rafting tours are available from Negril, Mobay and Ocho Rios with average drivetimes around 1.5 hours and river rides lasting about 1.5 hours. Enjoy a relaxing ride or swim in the refreshing spring fed river for an exhilarating experience. Trips run all day from about 9am until 5pm with afterrnoon beig the busy time of day. The rafters village is built to handle large crowds and to find 10 or 15 full tour buses in the lot is a common site.

Contact Jamaica MAX for more details on river rafting tours.

Jamaica offers some unique travel adventures and scuba diving the Caribbean Sea is one of the more popular sports vacations in Jamaica.

The Caribbean is well known as a dive destination with hotspots like the Cayman Islands and Cozumel Mexico just a short distance away. Jamaica’s waters are not quite as nice as many of our neighbors but the diving is considered well worth the effort by those who venture out with a Jamaican dive shop on a proper trip to one of the many scuba dive attractions in the country.

Jamaica has a number of popular dive locations on the North Coast with both Montego Bay and Ocho Rios offering a wide range of great dive vacations. The Widows Maker Cave is the most popular dive in Mobay. The cave starts in about 35 feet of water and goes down to about 80 feet. Most people enter the cave at 80 feet and slowly rise through the cave to exit through a chimney 10 feet wide at the 35 foot mark and you can also go in the opposite direction by entering through the chimney and swimming down to the 80 foot depth. Ocho Rios has the wreck of the Kathryn which is a 140 foot Canadian mine sweeper from World War II which was sunk in 1991 by a Jamaican dive company as an artificial reef and dive attraction. Its a popular dive spot for first time wreck dives and intermediate divers looking for a new adventure.

Negril is the laid back side of the island but don’t let the image of beaches and bars fool you, there are a number of extreme adventures in and around Negril which is known for the best diving in Jamaica. Scuba diving is a dangerous activity which requires certification on specialized equipment before any reputable dive operation will take you out. There are different types of certification and even different organizations and standards that you can be certified with. PADI is one of the most popular diving certification programs and the standard here in Jamaica. Much of the diving in Negril is run from scuba shops at local resorts but the best diving in Negril is with a professional dive shop that caters to certified divers.

If you already have your dive certification you won’t want to tag along with the resort divers because they usually spend their time on easy dives. You’ll appreciate contacting an independent scuba dive operator like Negril Scuba which will be able to build a custom itinerary around your certification level and personalize your dive vacation.

Negril Scuba began as a small resort shop but has grown into a professional dive shop with three locations in Negril offering the best scuba diving in Jamaica. Owner David Wallace started running dives from his fathers resort, known in those days as Mariners Inn, after a guest told him that the diving in front of the property was “better than sex”. Today the property is known as Negril Escape but David still has his dive shop and they still run daily dives from the convenience of the resort for guests who book dive vacations.

Negril Scuba also offers two beach locations with boats taking dive trips to the best dive spots off Negril Beach including reef diving and night dives. Advanced divers usually opt for dives at locations such as “The Arches” and “The Throne Room” or one of the many wrecks in the area including an airplane and shipwreck. You can visit their website for a list of all the dive sites in Negril or just give them a call and book a dive vacation in Negril for your next adventure.