Jamaica Tours, Guides and Vacations

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