Jamaica road trip

[brownsd54]

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.