Tours

There is plenty to enlighten the visitor to Jamaica, with museums uncovering and revealing the island's history in a comprehensive and entertaining way. You can easily get a feel of Jamaica's rich heritage—her history, her flora and fauna, and of course her culture both musical and artistic—in just two or three days of leisurely sightseeing. Close to Kingston, Port Royal and the elegant Devon House take you back several generations; the lush Hope Botanical Gardens display the island's rich varieties of nature, and a trip to the renowned Bob Marley Museum and Tuff Gong Recording Studios will bring you right up to date with her musical culture.

Day 1

The old naval base of Port Royal is now a somewhat down-at-the-heels, funky fishing village. It lies across the harbor on the tip of the Palisadoes, Kingston's narrow sandy spit, which is also the site of the Norman Manley International Airport. You can get there by road or via a 25-minute boat ride from Victoria Pier. Sir Henry Morgan's restaurant in Morgan's Harbour Hotel, an upscale resort favored by both locals and tourists on the grounds of the old naval dockyard, rates as a perfect lunch spot during your visit.

Port Royal was founded in 1650 and soon became the hub of British naval and military power in the West Indies. It grew faster than any town founded by the English in the New World, and it became the most economically important English port in the Americas. But it's just as famous for its more grisly face as a haven for cunning pirates like the infamous Henry Morgan, and as a hive of gambling and drinking dens and brothels--the whole site protected by six forts and 145 guns. Port Royal soon earned a reputation as "the wickedest city in the world" and the massive earthquake of 1692, which saw whole streets sliding into the sea, was thought by some to be a case of divine retribution. Local merchants rebuilt their city, only to see it destroyed by fire a short 11 years later, in 1703.

This second devastation knocked the debauched city to its knees and from then on the area operated solely as a naval base. Horatio Nelson, later an admiral and the hero of the Battle of Trafalgar, served as a post-captain from 1779-1780 and was in charge of Fort Charles, the key battery in the island's fortifications. This fort was the only one of the port's six to withstand the earthquake.

A tour around atmospheric Fort Charles inlcudes plenty of old cannons, though nothing like the hundred or so guns that once made it the most heavily defended fort in the Caribbean. Best of all, you get a stunning view of the Kingston mountain range from its castellated ramparts. There is a small Maritime Museum in the fort with model ships, canoes used by the island's indigenous tribe, the Arawak, and a mock-up of Nelson's quarters. Just beyond the fort is the topsy-turvy shape of Giddy House, once the Royal Artillery store, first built in 1888 but damaged in the 1907 earthquake which accounts for its bizarre 45-degree tilt.

Take to the waters in a glass-bottomed boat. Trips out to the sunken city as well as scuba diving expeditions can be had from Morgan's Harbour Marina. At present, you need a permit to dive the protected treasure, though the club will have further details on this.

If you feel like cooling off after tramping around fortifications, then the Rockfort Mineral Baths are close at hand (three miles east of downtown Kingston). More than just a public swimming bath, this oasis offers a series of small mineral spas fitted with Jacuzzis with the water pumped in from a local spring. The site of the baths is of some interest, too. This was where the 17th century British Fort Rock was located, first strengthened against a threatened invasion from the French in 1694.

Back in Kingston, you might like to poke your nose into The National Gallery, home to a collection of paintings and sculptures by the celebrated Jamaican School (see Entertainment section for further details).

Day 2

Devon House, an easy walk from your hotel in New Kingston, is a former "Great House" set in gardens of palms and flowering trees. This huge house with its louvered windows and palm-patterned wallpaper was built in 1881 for George Stiebel, Jamaica's first millionaire. The house was restored in the 1960s and, with its fine antiques and paintings, now offers interesting insight into the style of merchant houses of the 19th century—complete with a private gambling den in the attic!

The grounds of Devon House are particularly attractive and often used as a backdrop for wedding photographs. You can stop for lunch in the old stables where there are two excellent restaurants (see Dining & Drinking), or merely grab a delicious pick-me-up from I-Scream, the popular ice cream stand.

About ten blocks east of Devon House is the Bob Marley Museum. This much-revered spot on Kingston's "must-do" list is where the King of Reggae used to live. There are exhibits about his childhood and family, with his simple bedroom kept intact. Marley died tragically of brain cancer in his 30s, having survived an assassination attempt—the bullet holes in the walls have been left as a reminder.

The old recording studios have been turned into an auditorium where your tour ends with an interesting film about Marley's later years. There is an Ethiopian restaurant in the garden, the Queen of Sheba, where you can get a good lunch including some of Marley's favorite vegetarian dishes.

You can get a free tour of the Tuff Gong Recording Studios, but ring first to see if a visit is convenient. If you're in the mood for even more things Marley-related, then it is worth traveling out of town a bit and seeing where his old recording studios have taken new root. Marley's son, Ziggy, runs the studios; you get a conducted tour, and there is a good souvenir shop selling tapes and Marley memorabilia.

Hope Botanical Gardens is a 200-acre site containing the Caribbean's largest collection of flora and fauna, though there was quite a lot of destruction following Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. The gardens took shape back in the 19th century, starting life as an experimental crop station on the site of the old Hope estate. Highlights of a visit include the orchid house, sago palms from the antediluvian era, a maze, and first-rate aviary. There is also a small play park for children complete with a petting zoo.

Day Trips

The city is well placed for alternative day trips, be it a spell by the beach or a hike into the mountains, should you fancy a change from the hustle and bustle of downtown Kingston. Blue Mountains (4 wheel drive recommended):

Head north out of Kingston and you're in the craggy, mist-strewn and leafy peaks of Blue Mountain country. There are several scenic routes you can take, some involving energetic hikes, others half-day tours by car. If time is limited, a quick trip to the little village of Mavis Bank nestling in the Yallahs River valley is recommended. It's just one hour's drive from Kingston and ideal if you want a glimpse of Jamaican country living. Focal point of this single street village is the pretty white painted church and the Hikers Guide Rest Stop, where you can pick up a guide to lead you on local nature walks for around USD 15 per day. The Rest Stop also serves a simple Jamaican lunch. Better still, head for lunch at the Blue Mountain Taverna, followed by a tour of the JABLUM coffee factory, located below the main road into the village.

Blue Mountain coffee is reckoned by some to be the finest in the world, and the coffee factory in Mavis Bank is one of four plants where the beans are processed. An informal tour will show you how the beans are husked, sized and dried, a few historical artifacts, and how to "cup," the noisy process by which experts taste the coffee for quality. It involves lots of sucking, swilling and spitting, a bit in the style of wine tasting—you have been warned!

There are guides who will take you on the walk from Mavis Bank (around 2 hours, reasonable fitness required) to the starting point of the trail to the Blue Mountain Peak which, at 7,402ft, is the highest point on the island. It might sound terribly daunting, but climbing the peak is actually relatively easy, and should take three-five hours up and two-three hours downhill, depending on your fitness levels. The climb is just under seven miles, and magnificent: an opulent trail winding through wild orchids and ferns, coffee groves and banana plantations, with the chance to do some bird-watching too. The doctor bird, the national bird of Jamaica, is thick on the ground. It is a beautiful, swallow-tailed hummingbird recognizable by its loud buzzing call, and found near the many flowering bushes. Regular signposts make the hike easy without a guide, and if you want to extend the hike, there are huts on the peak where you can overnight (albeit uncomfortably) and a campsite with cabins and showers at Portland Gap, about one hour up.

Hellshire Hills

More hiking opportunities are available in the Hellshire Hills, the vast and somewhat arid upland region to the west of Kingston. The area was once home to the Taino Indians and then to runaway slaves. Now it is migrant birds and a handful of the endangered Jamaican iguana who have settled here, the latter growing up to 2 meters in length.

The hills cover 100 square miles and form a loop surrounded on three sides by the Caribbean. Low rainfall and the scrub-covered limestone makes this a seemingly inhospitable place to visit, but if you are into nature and want to see one of the island's genuine wilderness zones, then a day trip here with a guide is highly recommended. Best of all, opt for the one-day "Iguana Project Trip," offered by the Iguana Conservation Group at the University in Mona. The cost includes transfers from Kingston, eight-mile guided hike and lunch.

Hellshire Beaches

The eastern edge of the Hellshire hills is marked by lovely sandy beaches and coves, reached via a road that runs south from Portmore to Hellshire Point. There are buses from Parade and Half Way Tree that run to the beaches, roughly every half hour. The beaches are highly popular with Kingstonians, especially on weekends, when the locals set up fish stalls piled high with lobster, and reggae blasts a rhythmic beat. Fort Clarence Beach Park is one of the liveliest, with good amenities: there is a small restaurant and bar, car parking facilities and toilets. Fisherman's Beach has a good social scene with stalls selling jerk, beer and fresh fish to the crowds of city dwellers who throng here on Saturdays and Sundays. You can also hire jet skis and snorkels. The village behind the beach has gaily painted shacks and houses.

A short drive south takes you along a wonderfully unspoilt stretch of coastline towards Two Sisters Cave. Ancient earthquakes created subterranean chambers here where the Taino Indians set up home. In the past, explorers found old weapons and bits of pottery, as well as petroglyphs of faces and figures. You might come across a guide sitting at the entrance to the caverns who will be willing to take you in and show you around for a donation.