Why go?

Jamaica is a large island, exceptionally beautiful and generally well organised for excursions, so there is plenty to explore from the two ports of call in the west of Jamaica – the tourism hub of Montego Bay and the smaller port of Falmouth a few miles to its east. The island has a long and tangled history, so there are historic great houses, plantations and rum distilleries, but there are also adventure parks offering ziplines, quad biking, horse riding and swimming with dolphins. Of course Jamaica has all the beaches and water sports you might want, but also excellent inland water, including waterfalls, tubing and serene river rafting on bamboo rafts.

Cruise port location

In Montego Bay ships dock in the Freeport area, which has five berths. This is three kilometres from downtown and the main strip Gloucester Avenue with its beach and shops. Recently built, Falmouth has two berths for extremely large ships, right next to the small town.

Can I walk to any places of interest?

Not in Montego Bay, though you will disembark into the duty free area with its shops. In Falmouth you can walk (through the duty free shopping malls) straight into the small restored Georgian area of the small town, and beyond it to the market, one of Jamaica’s liveliest.

Getting around

Jamaica has an extensive network of long-distance and local buses and local share taxis, but they don’t function that well for a visitor with limited time (particularly not from the Freeport in Montego Bay), so you are better off arranging transport through your ship or a ground-based tour company, any of which are happy to collect from the Freeport. Of course taxis are available to take you to local activities and nearby beaches, but if you want a tour of the west of the island it is better to book before disembarking. Local companies include Chris Jamaica Tours, Jacques Tours and Travel Around Jamaica Tours.

Best beaches for cruise-ship visitors

The closest – and excellent – beach is the lively Doctor’s Cave Beach right on Gloucester Avenue, also the main tourist strip in Montego Bay. There is a small entry fee, but it has a restaurant and bar, Sand, and lifeguards, bathrooms, parasols and some water sports. The sand and water are suitable for all ages. For something more secluded try the delightful Half Moon Beach on the road to Negril, a pretty strip of sand and shallow water sheltered by mangroves, with a dining room/bar and loungers and parasols. Tours do run to Jamaica’s most famous beach in Negril.

From Falmouth it is a short ride to Burwood Beach, a lively local beach with gazebos and washrooms.

What to see and do?

There are plenty of shore excursions to choose from in the west of Jamaica, but as always with Jamaica it pays to look a little beyond what is offered by the ships as the island reveals her genuine character to those who scratch beneath the surface (and lesser known sites sometimes provide round-trip transportation).

What can I do in four hours or less?

You can’t expect to see much of the island in four hours, but many activity-based excursions are set up to be achieved within this time. You can explore Montego Bay – the city, its main square in town, the craft market and the ‘Hip Strip’, Gloucester Avenue, with its shopping, bars and its beaches – or go for one activity not too far afield.

Easily accessible from Montego Bay are a zip-line tour or a horse-back ride through an old plantation, or a catamaran trip with snorkelling and beach time.

To see plantation life from the inside you can visit Rose Hall, a striking and grand plantation house with a fanciful story about a former owner Annie Palmer.

What can I do in eight hours or less?

A full day excursion (up to eight hours) gives you a much better chance to get into the island’s beautiful interior. Tours will often combine a cultural and water or sports activity and lunch along the way. Companies will take you as far as the Blue Hole and Dunn’s River Falls.

The journey to Appleton Rum Distillery shows Jamaica at its green and beautiful best. After an explanation of the distillation process, you tour the warehouses full of barrels and learn about ‘the angels’ share’ of rum. Tours are often combined with a visit to the Black River, with its alligators and birdlife, or the delightful YS Falls. There are some excellent plantation tours, bookable privately or through local operators. Try Barnett Estates and Croydon Plantation.  

The west of Jamaica has superb inland water. For bamboo-rafting, the Great River is easily reached from Montego Bay and from Falmouth there is the lovely Martha Brae river. Mayfield Falls are fun and there are tubing and other adventures at Chukka Cove’s Good Hope and on the Rio Bueno. Royal Caribbean covers these tours well and they are ideal for families.

Good Hope Estate also offer other adventures including quad biking, canopy tours and a Great House visit. Jeep safaris are offered by most cruise and land-based companies. If golf is more your thing there are five good courses within easy reach.  

If you have longer than eight hours, some departure times enable you to see the famous sunset from the beach or the cliffs in Negril.

Eat and drink

Jerk Centres, often set in gardens, are always fun. The ‘jerked’ (barbecued) chicken or pork is then hacked to bits with a cleaver in front of you and lobbed on to paper like fish and chips. Be wary of hot pepper sauce… Buying a coconut on the streetside is fun too: the vendor slashes at it with a machete, cutting a hole through which to drink.

Don’t leave the island without…

The Jamaicans are a creative bunch and so there’s plenty to buy. Woven straw items and wooden sculptures (referred to as African carvings) are widely available, as are sauces (Pickapeppa, Busha Browne’s) and soaps. Look out for small trinkets in red, gold and green (rastafarian colours) – sweatbands, rasta pencils and woollen tamoshanters. Outside shops, don’t be scared to bargain hard. Finally there is rum, of course, both white (like rocket fuel) and mellower aged/golden rums. Blue Mountain coffee is world renowned.

Need to know

Flight time

The flight time from the UK is just over nine hours

Safety

Jamaica is among the most rewarding Caribbean islands to visit, but you should certainly take sensible precautions by staying aware of your belongings and location. Do not wear expensive jewellery or flash cash around, nor leave valuable items visible in parked vehicles. If you wish to travel to remote areas of Jamaica you are advised to do so with a local company or accredited taxi driver.

It is very unlikely that you would be affected by internal Jamaican security issues, but you should be aware that Montego Bay has been in an official state of emergency (which enables the Jamaican military to be involved in police operations) for a number of months.

Best time to go

The best time to visit is in line with the Caribbean winter season, between December and April, ie when the weather is at its worst in the UK. August till October, is probably best avoided both for the hurricane season and because the island gets very hot and humid.