Things To Do And See In Ocho Rios Jamaica
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Ocho Rios is one of the most popular resort towns in Jamaica. Welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, it is a tourist destination that does not fail to please. Whether arriving by road, helicopter, or cruise ship, visitors will notice the natural beauty of the area as soon as it comes into sight.
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There are relatively high hills forming a backdrop to the town which
sits on the edge of the Caribbean Sea. The main and largest beach is the
focal point of Ocho Rios and its beautiful crescent shape is punctuated
by high-rise buildings on either end. Not far away heading into the
interior, the land is covered in greenery with tall trees, gardens and
an abundance of exotic blooms.
With this landscape there is clearly much to see, and entrepreneurs,
responding to the demands of today's tourists, have developed dozens of
attractions, offering a great variety of things to do.
Anyone familiar with the Spanish language cannot help but think that if
they visit Ocho Rios, they will find eight rivers there. But there are
only a few rivers winding their way down the hills surrounding Ocho
Rios. However, the famous Dunn's River Falls and Beach more than makes
up for the misnomer that is the lively resort town's name. It is the
most popular attraction in Jamaica with its clean, clear water cascading
down a six hundred foot natural "staircase" forming many pools and falls
on its way. Visitors have a whale of a time climbing the Falls from the
beautiful beach, where Sean Connery watched Ursula emerge from the sea
singing "Under the Mango Tree" in the classic James Bond thriller, "Dr.
No". Some take hours to get to the top as they frolic in the
exhilarating ponds and get massaged under the falls on the way up. The
whole site begs for photograph after photograph to be taken.
Dolphin Cove, located almost opposite to the entrance to Dunn's River
Falls is also very popular as the site offers a variety of programmes,
from swimming with the dolphins to touch encounters, and experiences
with sharks and sting rays as well as other tropical animals. There is a
restaurant and beach with water sports on offer too.
On the White River, visitors enjoy the relaxing lazy ride downstream on
a long bamboo raft guided by a captain with bamboo pole. Many people
report that they never felt that chilled out by the end of this cruise.
Further upstream, where there are rapids, there is kayaking and tubing.
Another natural beauty is the Fern Gully, which is a river bed converted
into a main thoroughfare, but with trees and vegetation so dense on both
sides that for two miles, the road is covered by a gorgeous canopy.
There is a smattering of roadside stalls here with a few displaying very
controversial erotic art that is definitely not for the faint-hearted.
There are several shopping centres, boasting duty free and gift shops,
as well craft markets to cater to all the shopaholics who travel abroad
in search of bargains and unusual items. Wood carvings and rasta
jewellery are favourites. There is also a huge Jamaican art scene with
galleries such as Harmony Hall displaying the works of famous artists
like Judy Ann MacMillan, Graham Davis, Gene Pearson, and many others.
Of course Ocho Rios also offers vibrant nightlife with many bars and
nightclubs, like Margaritaville at Island Village. Listening to a reggae
band belting out the golden oldies on the beach is not to be missed.
There are many and varied dining experiences from eating a Jamaican
patty chased with a jelly coconut chopped by a roadside vendor, to the
more elaborate jerk establishments like Scotchies, to the more
traditional restaurants like Evita's which overlooks the resort town,
and the spectacular Ruins Restaurant, where Jamaican and Chinese cuisine
are served in spray distance of a gorgeous waterfall.
Ocho Rios also provides the whole array of water sports, right off its
beautiful beach where the cruise ships dock. Apart from swimming,
visitors experiment with snorkeling, diving, parasailing, waterskiing,
jet-skiing, windsurfing, and much more.
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