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Jamaica
Jamaica gained full independence within the British Commonwealth in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence and a drop off in tourism. Elections in 1980 saw the democratic socialists voted out of office. Political violence marred elections during the 1990s.
Dunn's River Falls in Ocho Rios, Jamaica
by Clint Leung
One of the ports of call for our Royal Caribbean cruiseship
during the week of November 28/04 was Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
Probably the most famous site in the region is Dunn's River Falls
and we chose to tour it on our own rather than through one of the
cruiseship tours. Once we disembarked from the cruiseship, there
were cabs and shuttlebuses available at the pier. Cabs to Dunn's
River Falls were $22 US for a return trip. Cabs allowed 1-3
people per vehicle. We were also told at the pier that small
shuttlebuses also go to the Falls at $5.50 US per person. These
were also based on return trips. The only problem with
shuttlebuses was that we had to wait until they filled up the
shuttle before leaving for the Falls so since we were the first
on the bus, we had to wait about 15 minutes for it to fill up.
The driver then asks you when you want to be picked up at the
Falls for the return trip. Our driver suggested 2 hours to see
the Falls so we agreed on this time duration.
Once at the Falls, a woman then came onboard the shuttle to sell
tickets for admission to the site at $10 US per adult person
which was the same rate at the park's ticket booth. Once inside
the Dunn's facility, there were rentals for special rubber shoes
as well as lockers. We carried a small backpack so we didn't
require paying for a locker. We also brought along our scuba
diving booties so we didn't have to rent those rubber shoes on
site either. The cruiseship shop was also selling these rubber
shoes in advance. Shoes of some type are highly recommended as
the rocks on the Falls can be slippery and some of the bottoms of
the water pools are a bit rocky. If you have old sneakers you
don't mind getting wet, they will be suitable for the climb up
the falls as well. Our scuba diving booties turned out to be
sufficient. The entrance to the site is at the top of the falls
so we took some stairs that were adjacent to the falls to the
bottom where the beach and entrance to the climb were.
There are official guides dressed in blue polo shirts and shorts
who will take groups up the falls. Normally, they will ask to
carry all cameras for you so they can take photos of you as you
climb. Of course, they expect to be well tipped for their
services. Also, groups were told to hold hands forming a human
chain up the falls. This was suppose to make things safer but as
we witnessed, this method of going up the falls is not a
guarantee against falling. We saw a woman let go and she fell
down the rocks during one of the steeper sections. She wasn't
badly hurt but we imagined that she sustained some nice bruises.
There are various points along the falls where you could get off
the falls and back on the stairs to walk up the rest of the way.
Not everyone there attempted to climb the falls as many were
happy to just walk dry along the side on the stairs. We chose not
to go with any of the groups which tend to go up the left side of
the falls. We made our way up on our own mostly on the right
side. With some breaks for photos, we made it all the way up the
falls in about 30 minutes. Going with a group would have taken
longer for sure. The water is a bit cool and if you have a
wetsuit, it is highly suggested that you wear it for the climb.
Cameras used there up the falls are also recommended to be water
resistant since they likely will get wet. We left our digital
camera on the ship and took one of those $25 underwater cameras.
After climbing the falls, we headed back down to the relatively
small but uncrowded beach where the ocean water was warmer until
it was time to depart. The exit back at the top of the falls was
strategically located at the end of a market so we did have to go
through some locals who tried to sell us their souveniers. These
locals who worked inside the Dunn's site were hustling but not as
aggressively as those in the town of Ocho Rios. The shuttlebus
arrived at the site parking lot on time as agreed. The total
amount we spent including the park admission and the shuttle was
$31 US for the two of us. Taking an organized tour through the
cruiseship would have cost more than double this amount. So it is
quite possible to tour Dunn's River Falls on your own rather than
take the more expensive tours. We were glad that we did see
Dunn's River Falls but we thought that it was not nearly as
impressive as depicted on photos in travel brochures.
The official website for Dunn's River Falls is
http://www.dunnsriverja.com
Towns in Jamaica (click town name for more information)
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