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Holidays in Jamaica

Jamaica Main Guide | Places to visit | Things to do

Jamaica is a large island located in the Caribbean Sea about 150km south of Cuba. It is the third largest island in the Caribbean, 200km long and 80km wide. The terrain is quite hilly, with significant amounts of the island being over 500m above sea level.

The climate is generally warm and sunny year round, though the mountains do make for some differences from place to place. The highlands are cooler than the coastal regions. Cold winds and rain sometimes result from cold fronts on the American continent in winter. Jamaica is in a hurricane zone. The hurricane season runs from July to November, though direct hits are uncommon.

Jamaica is considered to be one of the most attractive islands in the Caribbean. It receives over a million visitors a year and has won many awards as a quality destination. The predominant language spoken is English.

Jamaica Facts At A Glance

Area: 10,991 square km.

Climate: Tropical. Cooler in the highlands

Terrain: Mostly mountainous with a narrow coastal plain

Population: 32.7 Million

Languages: English

Currency: Jamaican Dollar

Time Zone: 5 Hours behind GMT

International Dialling Code: +1 876

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Places to visit

The capital of Jamaica is Kingston, a busy city and a centre for commerce. Some areas of the city can be dangerous and others are fairly unpleasant, but overall the city is well worth a visit. Kingston boasts an excellent music scene and good nightlife with plenty of bars, cafes, clubs and entertainment venues.

If you like to dine, Kingston has a good range of Caribbean and Mexican food on offer, plus English, Mediterranean and Eastern/Pacific cuisine. The shopping is also good, ranging from malls and boutiques to local markets.

The second city of Jamaica is Montego Bay, which in many ways is the tourist capital of the island. The city has excellent facilities for visitors and some good historic attractions including Fort Montego. Shopping and dining are both good, as is the local music scene. The island’s international airport is located at Montego Bay. In the nearby region are several good resorts including Falmouth, Negril and Runaway Bay

Also located near Montego Bay, the second-largest resort on Jamaica is Ocho Rios. Many cruise ships put into the port there. Among the attractions are the Dunn River Falls, which are among the most-photographed places in the world.

Things to do

Jamaica offers a wealth of things to do. Of course, on an island in the Caribbean there is plenty of sunshine, and plenty of beaches to enjoy it on. There is more to Jamaica’s coasts than loafing about in the sun though – however attractive that might be!

You can swim with dolphins at Ocho Rios, or go deep-sea fishing for Marlin, Tuna and Kingfish from Montego Bay. The island also has several marinas where you can charter a yacht or take a boat trip along the coast. Glass-bottomed boat trips are popular, allowing you to see the enormous variety of Caribbean marine life without getting wet.

Scuba diving is popular all over the Caribbean, and Jamaica has many excellent dive sites on offer. The island’s coral reefs shelter a vast range of marine life and feature deep grottoes and sheer walls to explore.

If you prefer a more personal boating experience, try sea kayaking on the coast. Kayaking is not difficult to learn but can be hard work if the sea is choppy. The best time is first thing in the morning before the wind gets up. For more aquatic fun, try the AquaSol Theme Park on Montego Bay. AquaSol has go-karting, watersports and other sports on offer as well as restaurants and bars.

Jamaica is a popular destination with golfers, and has several courses set in beautiful surroundings.

Inland, there is plenty to see. The island has fine botanical gardens at Coyaba River Garden and Museum and Shaw Park Gardens. Or if you really want to see Jamaica, take a bicycle tour or go horse riding. Riding bareback along the coast, through the waves, is an experience never to be forgotten while mountain bike tours will take you from the mountains to the sea by way of the coffee plantations.

Many of the plantations offer tours including lunch and samples of local produce. Plantation tours offer a chance to see life on Jamaica as it has been for centuries. Another good way to see the island is to take a raft ride on the Martha Brae river through the jungle.

You can’t get much more inland than being underground. The Green Grotto Caves near Ocho Rios are nearly 10km long, and lead to a saltwater lake situated nearly 50m below sea level.