Travel Destination - Jamaica: Seven Must-Do Activities

Jamaica is one of the most beautiful Islands in the world. While a lot of people go there to lay on the beaches, I prefer getting out and enjoying the many outdoor options. After multiple Jamaican holidays, and dozens of activities I would have to say these are the seven we seem to repeat!

Appleton Rum Factory
The 11,000-acre Appleton Sugar Plantation is not only home to sugar cane fields but also the Appleton Rum Factory. The tour covers the production process which has the rum stored for 3-30 years in their aging warehouses. After the tour there is tasting, tasting and more tasting before each visitor leaves with a small bottle of rum. You can also buy rum and other souvenirs at the gift shop.

Beach Horseback Riding
For a unique way to enjoy the magnificent Jamaican beaches, go on horseback! After riding along the beautiful shoreline the saddles are removed from the horses. You then ride bareback into the ocean! It is an awesome way for both you and the horse to cool off. You do get really wet so you need to wear a suit under your clothes.

Caving
There are over 1,000 caves in Jamaica with a large number of show-caves and/or grottos located along the coast. A great choice is the Green Grotto Caves on the North Coast. Its amazing labyrinthine limestone, stalagmites, light holes, subterranean lake and incredible rock formations show nature at her best. it is a perfect choice for the beginners as well as a must-see for all James Bond fans.

Rockland Bird Sanctuary
Down a bumpy road, about 3 miles out of Montego Bay, is the Rockland Bird Sanctuary. There are birds, wildlife and a garden to tour but the highlight is feeding the hummingbirds. Everyone is given a small bottle of sugar water and taught how to get the bird to land on your finger. The birds will then drink the nectar from the bottle while sitting on the finger: it is really an amazing experience.

Scuba Diving And Snorkeling
Jamaica's crystal clear waters on its Northern coast are perfect for scuba diving and snorkeling. The water is calm and filled with very diverse coral reef structures, colorful sponges, plants, caves and sea life. There are incredible reef walls which start at 60 feet and can go down to over 150 feet. They are covered with amazing varieties of both soft and hard coral. The many overhangs make them very easy to explore and view some amazing sights! I should add you need to be certified to dive here but anyone can snorkel.

YS Falls
Located in the Jamaican South Coast, the three-tier YS Falls are located in a papaya plantation. After arriving by tractor, you can use the rope swing to dive in, get your pictures taken behind the falls, relax in the pool at the bottom, go tubing down the river, dare the canopy tour, go swimming or just walk around and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. It is less crowded than the more popular Dunn's River Falls.

Zip line
A zip line adventure across Jamaica's lush tropical valleys is a breathtaking experience. Safety is a priority as riders are given instructions, strapped into harnesses and required to wear helmets; making this a blast for all ages. A couple of the places also have a freefall line and swing rides which are really scary and fun at the same time!

Jamaica is a wonderful place to vacation: you can soak in the rays one day and jumping into a waterfall the next!

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Landmarks of the beautiful island of Jamaica

The beautiful island of Jamaica boasts a rich, colourful and awe-inspiring history that is still very much preserved today in its timeless landmarks that shout the secrets of days past.

When we discover Jamaica's landmarks, we come closest to discovering loopholes through time that reveal many timelines in history. The landmarks tell the tales of Spanish and British colonialism, the days when pirates plagued the land and the birthplace of reggae.

Kingston
In the capital city of Kingston, a must-see landmark for travellers or locals is the incomparable Port Royal. Back in its heyday of seventeenth century this city was hailed the wickedest place on earth. Frequented by notorious and feared pirates such as Henry Morgan and Blackbeard, and home to the Caribbean's most defeated bout with morality and sobriety, it is no wonder why this place got its name.

Legend has it that the 1692 earthquake that sank half the city in the sea is a retributive act of God for Port Royal's wickedness. But even so, Port Royal being the rebellious town that it is, decided that it was going to use the earthquake to attract even more people to it. When the earthquake hit on June 7, 1692 its shifts made half the town uneven and created the Giddy House, another famous Jamaican landmark. All who go into this half sunken, uneven house are all left feeling light-headed after exiting it.

Also, take time to visit Fort Charles that the British used to ward off the Spanish after they took control of the island in 1655, or the historic St. Peter's Church that was destroyed twice within just over a decade and finally rebuilt in 1726. These Jamaican landmarks are unforgettable.

Prices to Port Royal from Kingston vary but they are generally in the vicinity of $54 per person, $52 per person in a group of 4-6 persons and $45 per person in a group of 7 persons and more.

For all you die-hard Reggae fans a must-stop attraction on you tour of Jamaica's most famous landmarks should include a trip to the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston. Housed in his former studios where he hammered out world-renowned hits, you can indulge in all sorts of Marley memorabilia for an entrance fee of $10.

Also, visit the former great house now turned a national monument, Devon House. At this national landmark, you will get a tour of the Jamaican-Georgian styled home with lavish furnishings eat ice cream and chat with a few of the locals.

Or take a tour of Jamaica's highest peak on the Blue Mountain, home to Jamaica's Blue Mountain Coffee on your next tour of Jamaica's landmarks.

Montego Bay
If you are in the Montego Bay area a popular one among tourists, don't pass up a visit to the Rose Hall Plantation. This famous Jamaican landmark sitting on 6,000 acres is said to be haunted by its former residence, the slave-cursed Annie Palmer, more popularly known as the White Witch of Rose Hall. A slew of misfortunate deaths of her husbands and a notorious mistreatment of her slaves that often included whippings that cleaved flesh from bone, earned her this nickname.

Ocho Rios
In St. Ann is the Bob Marley Mausoleum. Often referred to as the Nine Miles area, this town boasts the largest collection of Bob Marley souvenirs, T-shirts and the final resting place of the Reggae icon. The Zion Bus Line from Chukka Cove is how you get here and while on tour refreshments are served.

Mountainous Jamaica is home to many caves. During slavery, runaway slaves would hide out in the island's many caves to escape recapture. One such cave that served this purpose was the Green Grotto Caves. Take a safe and guided tour through the caves and explore the many deep, winding passageways where maroons once hid for their lives. The limestone cave is 1,525 metres long and 12 metres deep and has numerous chambers and light holes. It also boasts an underground lake - the Grotto Lake. Tours are available daily 9am- 4pm and are priced at $20 for adults and $10 for children 4-12 years old.

To see some of the horrors from which slaves fled, take a quick trip to the Coyoba River Garden and Museum, home to a collection of relics from the plantation society. See old maps, slave shackles, whips and an array of items from Jamaica's history. Also, enjoy breathtaking views of small a waterfall running on huge rocks on the property, take pictures of Ocho Rios Bay from Ysassi Lookout Point, enjoy world-famous Blue Mountain Coffee in the courtyard or visit the shops of Jamaican arts and crafts.

For all you James Bond fanatics, drop by the Golden Eye Estate where author, Ian Fleming, wrote 13 of his James Bond novels. History has it; Ian Fleming fell in love with the island while on a CIA mission in 1946. The Golden Eye Estate was originally a three-bedroom villa, but has now been upgraded with four new villas, all of which boast a serene, beautiful view of the lush trees that surround them.

The Golden Eye Estate has played host to the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Truman Capote, Graham Greene and Noel Coward whose Firefly Estate sits right next door and is also open to tourist all year round.

Another interesting landmark to see while in Jamaica is the island's most celebrated waterfall, Dunn's River Falls. Here you can see where the river meets the Caribbean Sea and climb the rocks washes by the rushing waterfalls.

St. Elizabeth
Lovers' Leap is also a favourite landmark in Jamaica. This famous St. Elizabeth landmark earned its name from the legend of two slaves so madly in love that fearing separation from each other, jumped from a 1700 feet cliff to their deaths. Visit http://www.treasurebeachjamaica.com/lovers.html for more information.

There is never a dull moment to be had in Jamaica, a country filled with such a rich history could never disappoint and it doesn't.

By Tommy Fassbender