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thinking about renting a car and driving around the outside of the island. No idea how to start planning this or even if it is safe to do? Can you rent rooms for just a night or 2? Would a week be long enough to travel from Mobay around the east and south coasts and back up to Negril?
Dana1, not something I would do for sure. Rooms are always available. Get a driver. I just googled the topic and found alot of replies on TA. Check there also.
Have you driven in Jamaica before?
Cap
My ex and I drove on our first visit to Jamaica. Took a little getting used to, but it was no problem. We had a blast and stopped anywhere we wanted to see different things. You will enjoy it!
It is our plan as well .. Fly into Kingston and stay around Portland area for a few days and head up and around... Not gonna make any big reservations so that we can just do as feel and travel on as we desire
Look for jitterbug's posts, she always gets a car and usually takes a long journey to somewhere on the island.
Thanks for the replies...never driven in Jamaica before but if you never try, you never learn. Anyone know how much it costs to rent a car in Mobay? Do you need a special license or will a Canadian license be sufficient?
Make sure you get full coverage on the vehicle including tires and wheels. POT HOLES can and will do major damage.
No way for you to know where they are.
Cap
Everything is safe....... until its not. No one expects issues but as with anywhere on the planet they do occur. We rented a scooter and had no issues and toured around quite a bit. Use common sense.
we have rented the the last 4 times we where there, it's very freeing to not have to worry about always having to find a ride here or there. As long as you have a good map and take your time you will be fine. And if you have a American Express Airmiles reward Card, TD Visa Travel Rewards Card, or World Mastercard, you can save about half of the cost of rental cause they all cover the insurance.
Just know it's very possible just not for the faint of heart! Iam glad I didn't drive my first reach just so I was able to see what all of the fuss is about but Iam very much looking forward to renting a car next reach!
Not to mention my fiancé and I recently went to Puerto Rico and rented a car.. Not quite the same but still some agressive driving and poor road conditions.. Iam ready for Jamaicas challenge
Not me. Drivers are too affordable and will stop anywhere you want.
We come down for two weeks at a time and for the last ten years I have rented a car at the Airport in MoBay and returned it when leaving.......the only issues I have ever had was hitting a Pot Hole and getting a flat..............Keep one eye on the road and the other on traffic................do a lot of Golfing at Tryall, Negril Hills,Cinnamon Hill, and White Witch........Love the freedom of going when and where I want........Took a little while to get used to driving there ....but.......now I don't give it a second thought.......
Ken
My most memorable experience ever in Jamaica was circumnavigating the island in 2013. We own a vehicle so I can't help you about the airport rental, but as for the roads, as long as you stay fairly close to "the beaten path" the roads aren't that bad. Be very aware though and don't be in a hurry. The first rule is, do not, I repeat, do not try and drive like the Jamaicans do. Don't try to keep up, just do your own thing at your own speed. We drove toppless (top down on the jeep...everyone get their mind out of the gutter), and never feared for our safety once. I'm not saying nothing will happen, just saying we had a great trip.
I would want my trip to be a more structured though. Just showing up with cash in hand looking for a room might be a little frustrating. This should be especially true if it's your first trip. I'd book hotels and/or bed and breakfast ahead of time, this time, and check places out and get some numbers for your next tour around the island. I'd book rooms in Ocho Rios 1st night, then Port Antonio, Kingston, Black River and then home. So, four nights. Just another word of advice, I'd skip Kingston on my first road trip. Its very busy and very very hard to navigate and can be a little dangerous. I'd do Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, back to Ochie, and then if you are really comfortable driving in Jamaica, I'd go to MoBay and then south to Black River along the R6, with a stop at YS Falls on the way.
On our trip we left Negril on day one and had lunch at Scotchie's in MoBay. Then on to Ochie. We stopped along the way to watch a ship loading at Rio Bueno. We sat on a small beach beside the ocean and noticed a small but fast moving river. We drove upstream a ways to a cane field where we could park and swim for a bit. That was a nice afternoon but we had to move on. We stayed at the Hibiscus Hotel in Ochie first night. We loved the hotel so much that we delayed our trip and stayed a second night. The hotel was overlooking the ocean and during my morning coffee I watched a fisherman setting out his traps. He then went down the shore aways and tied up. I managed to hale him over and he took my wife and myself on this great tour of the Ocho Rios waterfront all the way from the bauxite pier to Rio Nuevo. What a great day. Then day three on to Port Antonio for a raft trip down the Rio Grande. You might even want to spend two days in Port Antonio as there is so much rich history there and so much to see. Like I said, this is where I'd drive back to MoBay and go south to Black River.
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brownsd24,
Love your jeep. Here's mine in Jamaica. Different brand, same fun utility machine:
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Great advice from brownsd54. The roads from Montego Bay towards Port Antonio are well maintained, wide and easy to navigate. It is a great way to get a feel for driving in Jamaica before the real fun starts. Port Antonio to Kingston isn't bad, but the roads are a little narrow and not as well maintained. If this is your first time driving, definitely skip Kingston. From Kingston, highway 2000 is comparable to an expressway in the US. From then on, from Mandeville until Negril, the roads are much more challenging.
I've made the circumnavigation twice and loved every minute of it. We started in Negril both times. In 1985, we stayed in Mandeville, Kingston, Port Antonio, and Runaway Bay. In 1990, we skipped Mandeville and Kingston. I used to have a Dinner's Club card that covered the co0llision damage waiver, but I'm not sure any cards cover it these days. Jamaica, Ireland and Israel you're gonna pay for that insurance and the tire/wheel coverage is sound advice. That first trip, I drove 950 miles (not km) over ten days.
So many adventures. I copied some WW II topo maps from the university library and just explored. Roads that ended in jungle. Roads that ended in cow pastures and a little boy led us back to the paved road. Milk River to Alligator Pond in first gear. The botanical gardens in Castleton. Rafting on the Rio Grande without another raft in sight. The boy who ran down the bank, dove in and swam out to us underwater holding a bouquet just above the water. A stop for a delicious meal over a fire and buying a duck carving. The two women with laundry baskets on their heads and little ones clinging to their skirts, who helped us find our way somewhere in the middle of the island. "Yes, keep on," and as we pulled away, "Enjoy your stay!" Oh, we unforgettably did.
In 1975 I made the circumnavigation in one long day. Not by choice
Cap
My husband and I did the trip around the island 6 times - usually did it in about 2 weeks though. The only thing we had reservations for was the rental car - just stayed wherever and never had a problem finding a room. The last time we did this was in 2005. We usually stayed in small hotels and never had a problem finding a room. Stayed outside of Montego Bay, Port Maria, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Bath, Morant Bay, Whitehouse/Little Culloden and in Negril. Usually stayed in about 6 or 7 different places during a 2 week trip. If our favorite place didn't have a room, they usually sent us to another hotel down the road which usually turned out to be really nice too. Had some of the best times on those trips. Kingston is kinda hard to get through though but we live in a very rural area so not used to big cities. We usually did very little driving at night though - only very short distances to go for supper. To me, its the only way to travel in Jamaica.
i've done a lot of driving around and through jamaica . . . daytime drive unless i'm in a familiar area and just going out to dinner. . . . it's the only way to see jamaica at your own speed . . .