Set between the beauty of the Caribbean Sea and the craggy ridges of the Blue Mountain range, Jamaica’s attractions range from hidden waterfalls and white-sand beaches to historical architecture, great food and unique ecosystems.
But the island's allure extends well beyond nature – when it comes to music, sports and culture, few places can rival Jamaica. These are the top experiences you can't miss and that will keep you coming back for more.
On Jamaica’s remote east coast, Reach Falls are arguably the most spectacular on the island and receive a fraction of the visitors who flock to the more accessible Dunn’s River Falls.
Local guides will help you as you walk up the river, keeping your belongings safe and dry while pointing out the best places to snap photos as you splash in jade-colored pools shaded by jungle vegetation, climb up limestone crags and get pummeled by jets of water in the “washing machine." The more adventurous have the option of climbing up to Mandingo Cave.
East of Port Antonio on Jamaica’s north coast, a steep road leads down to the public beach, which is, as yet, mercifully undeveloped and one of the island's best beaches.
Winnifred Beach is a beautiful stretch of white sand popular with Jamaicans, particularly on the weekend when the bass booms from competing sound systems. Food and drink stands supply nourishment in the form of curry goat, brown stew fish and jerk chicken.
Planning tip: The beach is maintained by the local community, so bring some cash and make a donation if you can.
As befitting any capital worth its salt, Kingston never sleeps and its nightlife is second to none. You can try out the latest moves on the dance floor alongside the locals dressed in their best jeans and “batty riders” (short shorts) at uptown nightclubs such as Taboo, Fiction and Kingston Dub Club.
Planning tip: Look out for posters advertising all-night reggae music fests, taking place near Half Way Tree featuring a dozen or so big-name performers who sometimes hang out with the audience after their set.
One of Jamaica’s most iconic dishes, jerk pork, is cooked in oil drum grills by street vendors in Kingston and elsewhere, smoked in roadside cookshops and even served at high-end restaurants.
Jerk pork harkens back to the traditional Maroon way of preserving the meat: it’s marinated with Scotch bonnet chilies, allspice, garlic, thyme and spring onion and smoked slowly over pimento (allspice) wood fire for that unique taste.
It’s quite dry and smoky, with a spice and sweetness to it. The slabs of dark meat are precision-chopped by the cook and typically served with homemade hot sauce drizzled on top.
Planning tip: Every Jamaican has their own opinion regarding the best recipe and the best place to sample
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Emmy-winning travel expert Samantha Brown is constantly on the move. The host of Samantha Brown’s Places to Loveon PBS, which recently kicked off its seventh season, spends more than 150 days a year crisscrossing the globe exploring cities big and small.
Even among the many extraordinary islands and countries that make up the Caribbean, Jamaica stands out. Its beaches are a dream. Its food is a point of national pride. Its forests and rivers are exotic and otherworldly. And its cultural influence on the world stage far outweighs its diminutive size, from Rastafarianism to Reggae, Bob Marley to Usain Bolt, Sensimilla to Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. Despite its global renown, you’ll never get the true beat of its rhythm until you visit.
I grew up with African food, but in a Lebanese way.Let’s take my mum’s okra stew — the African version is filled with fried fish, cow foot, sheep tail, oxtail and beef all in one stew — while Lebanese cooking is quite simplistic and based around fresh salads and grills, that sort of stuff. So, the stew she’d make would have none of that, just beef, and it wouldn’t be made with palm oil. It was African food but in a tame way, because of my Lebanese dad. Whenever my mum makes it, I go absolutely mental — it warms up your belly, is full of good nutrients and is a different flavour to anything you’ve ever had before. My grandma once made it in Freetown, Sierra Leone, with fufu (pounded cassava root and green plantains, rolled into small balls) — proper authentic. I choked on a fish bone but it was the best meal I’ve ever had.
Perfect for trendsetters and taste explorers alike, the plant-based revolution, continues to grow every year, with evermore people choosing to trial and embrace this way of life for both their wellbeing, and the good of the planet! A flavour-packed adventure, the Rastafarian Ital cuisine is like a carnival for your taste buds, blending vibrant flavours with alkaline and protein-rich ingredients like callaloo, lentils, and beans, which play key roles in these recipes. Rastafarians choose to follow a natural, plant-based diet for reasons including increased energy levels, minimal additives, and a deeper connection to Earth.
The survey compared hotel rates across 40 European destinations for December 31, with prices at all hotels with a central location and rated three stars or more in each destination recorded.
With dozens of luxurious all-inclusive resorts and some of the most popular attractions in the Caribbean, a trip to Jamaica can be pricey. But it doesn’t have to be.
There are so many natural and cultural treasures dotted all over the island of Jamaica that it's no wonder visitors continue to come back years after their first trip.
Jamaica is its own ting, man, unlike any other place. Be it the creativity of its arts scene, the mouthwatering cuisine or the culture that birthed reggae music, Jamaica lives up to the hype as one of the most popular Caribbean destinations.
It's no secret that Jamaica excels at white sand beaches and sensual, apricot-colored sunsets. What travelers often overlook is the island's road trip appeal.