Turquoise waters that bathe it on all its sides, reefs and coconut trees, coffee plantations and sugar cane. Also skeins of dreadlocks and tricolor wool hats. And Bob Marley’s catchy voice as an eternal soundtrack. Jamaica, it is true, is what is expected of it. A tropical paradise in which good vibes materialize in conceiving life without urgency and worshiping certain herbs that promise happiness.
But this island cradled by the Caribbean is also an ideal place to release adrenaline. Its wonderful environment helps, covered in jungle vegetation, with 150 rivers that spill into waterfalls and a row of imposing mountains, the Blue Mountains, which constitute its spine. Many do not know it, but adventure is served in this territory touched by the magic of reggae, rum and Rastafarians.
Thunderous like the sound of a thousand taps, dozens of waterfalls cool this island the size of the principality of Asturias. Dunn’s River Falls are the most famous (and consequently the most popular) and we find them in Ocho Ríos, the region whose name is the English distortion of the other name given to it by the Spanish: Las Chorreras.
Here, in the peaceful natural pools formed by the water that falls from the rocks, a dip is a blessing. As is the YS Falls in the south, which consist of seven levels and are surrounded by lush gardens. Other magnificent waterfalls are Somerset Falls, with a drop of almost ten meters.
Suddenly its bulging eyes appear, then its serrated back and finally its prominent jaw. They are the crocodiles that populate the chocolate waters of the Black River, the longest navigable river course in Jamaica. A river that, in its union with other tributaries, forms the largest wetland reserve in the entire Caribbean.
In this swampy area we find spectacular estuaries, marshes and mangroves with roots that, like spider legs, reach twelve meters in length. Avoiding them, while sailing aboard a boat, is almost more difficult than spotting the feared reptiles that, unmoved by human presence, often come out to say hello and sometimes end up floating just below the boat. There are those who, with the help of the guide, even dare to touch them.
Although this activity is known as this, it is worth clarifying that it is not the intrepid rafting that one imagines, with rapids, curves and changes in level. Nothing further. Sailing the Martha Brae River is doing it peacefully aboard a bamboo raft, directed by a boatman who, like the gondoliers of Venice, tells you fascinating stories as well as starts singing songs (in this case to the rhythm of reggae).
Thus, in these five kilometers of crossing that once connected the sugar farms with the port of exit to the sea, a curious legend is discovered: that of a Taíno princess who managed to alter the current of the river to prevent the Spanish colonists from discovering a secret cave in which (even today, they say) gold is hidden. All this while passing by a landscape of extreme beauty.
Here, speed plays an important role. And it does so within the tropical jungle, which is where Mystic Mountain is located, a kind of amusement park where you can indulge in the strongest emotions. You can ride a chairlift (Sky Explorer) that ascends over the treetops to reach the Mystic Pavilion. Or jump on a zip line from which you can see, behind the jungle, the immensity of the sea. Or compete on a ropes course always wearing harnesses.
But the best is the self-directed sled roller coaster, with which you descend a thousand meters through the forests with the possibility of doing it at full speed or on a quiet ride.
The water has never been so blue (from turquoise to emerald to sapphire) as in this type of White River sinkhole, which with erosion has created natural pools to swim in and limestone caves to explore. A place of incredible beauty where you can climb the rocks, soak under the waterfalls and (the bravest ones) jump, from a height of two meters, through a rope swing very Tarzan style.
The calmer ones will simply choose to splash around in this kind of hole to see how the skin benefits from the properties of a bath rich in minerals.
The idea of ??the Caribbean paradise has a lot to do with this beach, the most famous image of Jamaica (with permission from Bob Marley’s hair). Eleven kilometers of very fine sand, which is located at the westernmost end, where, by law, no building can exceed the height of the palm trees.
In Negril there is time for everything: practice water sports, jump on a trampoline installed in the middle of the sea, relax in the bars on the shore or even sail by boat to a nearby desert island to taste a delicious lobster. Or if not, there will always be laying down in front of a postcard sunset on this beach praised by experts as among the best in the world.
