Insight Guides Pocket Jamaica (Travel Guide eBook)

By Insight Guides

Perfect day itineraries and top travel tips in a pocket-sized package. 

Plan your trip, plan perfect days and discover how to get around - this pocket-sized guide is a convenient, quick-reference companion to discovering fun and interesting things to do and see in Jamaica, from top tourist attractions like Seven Mile Beach, the Blue Mountains, the Bob Marley Museum and Dunn's River Falls, to hidden gems, including Negril's craft market. 

Compact, concise and packed with essential information about Where to Go and What to Do, this is an ideal on-the-move pocket travel guide when you're exploring Jamaica.

- Cultural: delve into the country's rich heritage and get to know its modern-day life and people
- Inspirational: discover where to go and what to do, highlighted with stunning photography
- Practical: get around with ease with a free pull-out map featuring key attractions
- Informative: plan your visit with an A to Z of advice on everything from transport to tipping
- Inventive design makes for an engaging, easy-reading experience
- Covers: Montego Bay, Annotto Bay, Port Antonio and the east, Kingston, Central Highlands and the south, Negril and the west.

About Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps, as well as phrase books, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Insight Guides
• Release date: Nov 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781839051623

Insight Guides

Pictorial travel guide to Arizona & the Grand Canyon with a free eBook provides all you need for every step of your journey. With in-depth features on culture and history, stunning colour photography and handy maps, it’s perfect for inspiration and finding out when to go to Arizona & the Grand Canyon and what to see in Arizona & the Grand Canyon. 

Book preview

How To Use This E-Book

Getting Around the e-Book

This Pocket Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration and planning advice for your visit to Jamaica, and is also the perfect on-the-ground companion for your trip.

The guide begins with our selection of Top 10 Attractions, plus a Perfect Itinerary feature to help you plan unmissable experiences. The Introduction and History chapters paint a vivid cultural portrait of Jamaica, and the Where to Go chapter gives a complete guide to all the sights worth visiting. You will find ideas for activities in the What to Do section, while the Eating Out chapter describes the local cuisine and gives listings of the best restaurants. The Travel Tips offer practical information to help you plan your trip. Finally, there are carefully selected hotel listings.

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights in Jamaica are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map], tap once to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

You’ll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Jamaica. Simply double-tap an image to see it in full-screen.

About Insight Guides

Insight Guides have more than 40 years’ experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce 400 full-colour titles, in both print and digital form, covering more than 200 destinations across the globe, in a variety of formats to meet your different needs.

Insight Guides are written by local authors, whose expertise is evident in the extensive historical and cultural background features. Each destination is carefully researched by regional experts to ensure our guides provide the very latest information. All the reviews in Insight Guides are independent; we strive to maintain an impartial view. Our reviews are carefully selected to guide you to the best places to eat, go out and shop, so you can be confident that when we say a place is special, we really mean it.

© 2019 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

Table of Contents

Jamaica’s Top 10 Attractions

Top Attraction #1

Top Attraction #2

Top Attraction #3

Top Attraction #4

Top Attraction #5

Top Attraction #6

Top Attraction #7

Top Attraction #8

Top Attraction #9

Top Attraction #10

A Perfect Day in Negril

Introduction

Landscape and Vegetation

National Identity

Tourist Attractions

A Brief History

Columbus and the Arrival of Europeans

British Rule

Plantations and Slavery

Emancipation

Independence and Democratic Rule

Politics Today

Historical Landmarks

Where To Go

Montego Bay

Downtown

The Beaches

South of the Bay

East on the Coast Road

Great Houses

Falmouth

Cockpit Country

Discovery Bay and Runaway Bay

St Ann’s Bay

Ocho Rios To Annotto Bay

Dunn’s River Falls

Rivers and Plantations

Firefly and Annotto Bay

Port Antonio and the East

Port Antonio

West of Port Antonio

East of Port Antonio

Jamaica’s Eastern Tip

The Blue Mountains

Kingston and Environs

Downtown

New Kingston

Port Royal

Central Highlands and the South

Spanish Town

Mandeville

Black River

Treasure Beach

Negril and the West

Negril

To the South

What To Do

Sports and Outdoor activities

Beaches and Water Sports

Snorkelling

Diving

Boat Charters, River Tours and Rafting

Sport Fishing

Other Activities

Golf

Walking, Hiking and Cycling

Horse Riding

Spectator Sports

Cricket

Soccer

Horse Racing

Polo

Nightlife and Entertainment

Shopping

Arts and Crafts

Clothing

Coffee

Rum

Cigars

Children’s Jamaica

Festivals and Events

Eating Out

What to Eat

Jamaican Cuisine

International Cuisine

What to Drink

Restaurants

Montego Bay

Falmouth

Runaway Bay

Ocho Rios

Port Antonio

Blue Mountains

Kingston

Treasure Beach (South Coast)

Negril

A–Z Travel Tips

A

Accommodation

Airports (see also Getting There)

B

Bicycle Rental

Budgeting for Your Trip

C

Car hire

Climate

Clothing

Crime and Safety

D

Driving

E

Electricity

Embassies and Consulates

Emergencies

G

Getting There (see also Airports)

Guides and Tours

H

Health and Medical Care

L

Language

LGBTQ Travellers

M

Media

Money

O

Opening times

P

Police

Post Offices

Public Holidays

R

Religion

T

Telephones

Time Zones

Tipping

Tourist Information

Transport

V

Visas and Entry Requirements

W

Websites and Internet Access

Y

Youth Hostels

Recommended Hotels

Montego Bay

Runaway Bay

Ocho Rios and environs

Port Antonio and the east

The Blue Mountains

Kingston Area

Treasure Beach (south coast)

Negril

Jamaica’s Top 10 Attractions

Top Attraction #1

Kevin Cummins/Apa Publications

Rose Hall Great House

Some believe that this landmark property is haunted. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #2

Getty Images

YS Falls

Fun for all at this tiered waterfall fringed by mature forest. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #3

Kevin Cummins/Apa Publications

Seven Mile Beach

This stretch of fine sand is considered one of the best beaches in the Caribbean. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #4

Photoshot

Blue Mountains

Explore this magnificent mountain range on a guided walk. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #5

Kevin Cummins/Apa Publications

Runaway Bay

One of the most popular resorts on the north coast. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #6

Kevin Cummins/Apa Publications

The National Gallery

Features a large collection of Jamaican paintings and sculpture. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #7

Kevin Cummins/Apa Publications

Black River

Home to a variety of birds, fish and crocodiles. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #8

Kevin Cummins/Apa Publications

Bob Marley Museum

A fascinating insight into the life and work of the reggae icon. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #9

Kevin Cummins/Apa Publications

Treasure Beach

An ideal place for a relaxing getaway on the south coast. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #10

Kevin Cummins/Apa Publications

Dunn’s River Falls

No visit to Jamaica is complete without a walk up these famous falls. For more information, click here.

A Perfect Day in Negril

7.00am

Early swim

Start the day with a refreshing swim on Seven Mile Beach. You’ll have the place to yourself apart from a few joggers and early birds, and the sea will be blissfully calm.

8.00am

Breakfast/ lighthouse

Tuck into a full Jamaican breakfast, either at your hotel or at Just Natural restaurant at West End. Then stroll to the Victorian Lighthouse, where you get a great view out to sea and along the cliffs.

10.00am

Craft market

Back to Seven Mile Beach by taxi and wander around the craft stalls for a bargain. Pick up some snacks for later – fresh fruit from the women on the beach and delicious patties from Niah’s Patties.

11.00am

Taxi tour

Find a reputable taxi driver outside your hotel and agree a rate for a tour of the south coast. Head for Bluefields Bay, via Savanna la Mar.

11.30am

Blue Hole

Spend time at the Blue Hole, jumping 7.5m (25ft) into the water or sunbathing around the spring-fed pool. Call in at the Peter Tosh Mausoleum at Belmont, a shrine to the superstar reggae musician.

2.30pm

Black River

Take a boat tour a few miles up the longest river in Jamaica and into the Great Morass, the swamp where the crocodiles live, and fit in a spot of birdwatching before returning to Negril.

5.30pm

Take a sunset cruise

Sail off into the sunset with a rum punch and watch the last flickering rays of the day. You’ll be taken to the rocky cliffs at West End, before stopping off at Rick’s Café to see intrepid young cliff-jumpers fling themselves off the rocks.

7.30pm

Romantic dinner

Enjoy a romantic candlelit meal at Ivan’s Bar & Restaurant at Catcha Falling Star Hotel, nestled on top of Negril’s scenic cliffs. Take in the beautiful view while sipping a cocktail or two.

10.00pm

Night fever

Head for The Jungle, the iconic club where you can work up a sweat on one of the four dance floors. Security is tight and the music carries on until the last guest staggers out.

Introduction

The island of Jamaica amazed Christopher Columbus when he visited in 1494 on his second journey to the West Indies. He described it as the ‘fairest island’ and marvelled at the mountains that ‘touched the sky’. Today’s visitors will be equally charmed by the warm sunshine, beautiful beaches, rivers and streams that gush from ravines, lush tropical scenery and majestic mountains, as well as the vibrant grassroots culture.

Landscape and Vegetation

The third-largest island in the Caribbean, just south of Cuba, Jamaica is 235km (146 miles) in length and 82km (51 miles) across at its widest point. The island is aligned almost east-to-west in the water so that sunrise wakes the eastern tip, proceeds to caress the length of the island, and kisses the western tip ‘good night’. Geographically it is extremely diverse, with a central backbone of high mountains blanketed with a mixture of wet limestone forests and plantations of pine and native hardwood trees, such as mahoe