Home / Central America / Jamaica / Tourist attractions in Jamaica: What to see

Tourist attractions in Jamaica: What to see

This post is also available in: Deutsch Français

Jamaica is a popular destination for beach tourism in the Caribbean. The island is full of green mountains covered with lush vegetation, waterfalls and coasts with beautiful beaches. Jamaica is an island in the West Indies located west of Haiti and is an ancient English colony. Below are the most important tourist attractions of Jamaica.

BEACHES AND NATURE

The northern coast of the island is the richest in beaches and the most developed from a tourist point of view. Montego Bay is the capital of Jamaican tourism, where there are vast white sand beaches, including especially Doctor’s Cave Beach. A few tens of kilometers from Montego Bay, on the extreme western tip of the island is the seaside resort of Negril, characterized by long white sand beaches protected by coral reefs.

Besides Montego Bay other tourist attractions of Jamaica along the north coast are the seaside resorts of Port Antonio and Ocho Rios.

In Port Antonio it is possible to raft along the Rio Grande in a tropical setting. Just east of Port Antonio is the famous Blue Hole or Blue Lagoon. This is a lagoon with a close connection to the sea surrounded by vegetation-rich cliffs. It is one of the most photographed places in Jamaica along with Dunn’s River Falls. The latter are a group of waterfalls that are located near Ocho Rios.

Ocho Rios is the fastest growing tourist destination in Jamaica. In addition to the beaches, excursions to Dunn’s River Falls are possible. These are spectacular waterfalls surrounded by tropical vegetation located a short distance from a white sand beach. The Fern Gully gorge is also a picturesque destination not far from Ocho Rios.

THE HISTORICAL PLACES

In Saint Ann’s Bay is the place where the first Spanish settlement on the island was founded: Sevilla la Nueva. While the site of the first landing of Christopher Columbus in Jamaica in 1494, Discovery Bay, is located halfway between Ocho Rios and Montego Bay.

The capital Kingston has some historical attractions and is the center of Reggae music, where you can visit Bob Marley’s house. In its vicinity, excursions to Port Royal – an ancient buccaneer base – and to Spanish Town – home to the ancient Spanish capital of the island – where the cathedral of Santiago de la Vega is located, are to be made.

A good road network runs all over the island and can be easily covered with rental cars. In 2015, for the first time, UNESCO added a site from Jamaica to its World Heritage List: the Blue and John Crow Mountains. This is a forested mountainous region located in the southeast of the island. These mountains, besides being important for their biodiversity, were the refuge for the Tainos (the indigenous inhabitants of Jamaica) and the Maroons (slaves of African origin) who escaped the slavery imposed by European settlers.

The climate of Jamaica.

This post is also available in: Deutsch Français