We were up at 7:30am, a little earlier this morning in order to catch our 8:30am shuttle. After a quick breakfast at the Regency we packed up towels and put on swimwear under street clothes and made our way to the resort lobby. Our driver Finley found us there and we were off. We made a quick stop at the Hyatt where one other couple joined us.
The morning drive to Ocho Rios was very wet – much of our trip took place in a downpour – but by the time we got to the foot of Dunn’s River Falls the skies were starting to clear. We stopped in at a roadside shop where we were able to rent water shoes for $7 (you have to buy them inside if you don’t have your own) and then proceeded to the main gate where Finley secured tickets for us. We found lockers and stashed our towels, etc., and then found the tour guides.
Melbourne and Orville (technically the videographer) were our very high energy guides for the hike up the falls. We joined them and a group of about twenty-five others and made our way to the foot of the falls at the point where they empty out into the ocean. After a brief introduction and some safety tips, we started a human chain to climb the 180m stretch up the river.
Dunn’s River Falls is a stunningly beautiful waterfall that cascades into several pools and small lagoons on it’s way down to the ocean. It deposits travertine sediment as it goes, which makes it a “living phenomenon” as it rebuilds itself even as it erodes. In the movies, it is probably most famous for being the waterfall in Dr. No where James Bond and Honey Ryder wash up after being shot at on Crab Key. It’s a pretty easy climb with a guide to show you the best footing along the way, with the most challenging section being at the beginning, where the water is moving fastest and at highest volume – still quite manageable.
Even with the frequent stops for photos and waits for the group to stay together (punctuated by cheers and enthusiastic prompting from our guides) the climb only takes a little over an hour, and the water never gets much above waist level. Along the way the guides engage the crowd by highlighting a “waterslide” (smooth surface with a shallow drop at the end), a “massage” (1m cascade to run over the back of your neck and shoulders) and a safe place to fall backwards into a small lagoon – all great for photos. I was able to take my phone for photos in a baggie, and while it certainly got wet (it has a pretty good water resistance rating), I never had to submerge in order to keep my hands free. The trip is also mostly in shade and we never felt we were at risk of a sunburn.
And it really is a magnificent waterfall. This is exactly the kind of setting that projects the image of the Caribbean as a lush tropical paradise with exotic birds and colourful plants set in a sun-dappled rainforest at the end of the world. Spectacular.
At the top of the falls there are signs (Congratulations! “You have completed the climb…) and opportunities to take photos, so after donning one of my Scout themed t-shirts I took a selfie and counted it as a expedition hike ( ⚜ 🙂 ). Then we found our towels and some dry clothes and got ready to go. As we left we were herded through a colourful if somewhat aggressive mini-bazaar of souvenirs and local crafts before finding Finley again, waiting for us near the entrance. We returned to Montego Bay along a reverse route from this morning, happily dried out and sunny again.
We were well into the afternoon when we returned to our resort and just got in for the end of lunch at the Regency. Then we had a nap!
The day rolled lazily along and just after 4pm we remembered that the resort does a tea service every afternoon, so we decided to try it out. It’s a very nicely done affair, with individual tea pots for a variety of teas, a tiered serving stand with the traditional crustless sandwiches and sweets, and excellent service. The tea was held in a covered section of the resort but completely open to the outdoors so a pleasant light breeze came through as we ate and drank.
Faced with the impending end of our vacation, we started to plan for the trip home, starting with a quick trip outside the gates of our resort to the Scotiabank just past the end of the resort driveway. After figuring out how to get American money instead of Jamaican from the ATM, we stashed a small travel fund away and returned to the resort, just in time for the last sunset. We met a British couple sitting in a pair of Adirondak chairs watching the sun go down, and were able to persuade them to snap a few shots of us in exchange for returning the favour.
Then we faced the fact that we needed to pack up and make ourselves portable for travel again. Happily we have not amassed too much extra stuff, having opted for smaller and/or lighter souvenirs, and our bags were not completely crammed when we arrived. Still, we realized that – despite not having easy access to laundry (resort fees are steep for this) – we had packed more clothes than we needed, especially as the temperature probably never went below 26ºC. In a little over an hour we had most of our gear tucked back into bags with just overnight things accessible.
Our last dinner was at Eleanor’s which features – fittingly – Caribbean cuisine. We had a lovely meal again, with crab cakes, spring rolls, wedge salad and a very tasty coffee rubbed sirloin steak with a cabernet reduction. This restaurant is outdoors on a patio as well, so we enjoyed a warm evening atmosphere close to the sea while we ate.
After dinner we wandered toward the main stage and heard the end of the local reggae fest performance, and witnessed one of the oddest musical shows of our stay: a Jamaican country singer who was a vocal ringer for many popular American country stars. I’m not generally a country music fan but he was very entertaining – you’d swear Willie Nelson was at the resort.
We stayed and listened for about half an hour while he sang favourites, and then decided a good night’s sleep would be in our best interest before getting on planes tomorrow. We retired to our room for the last time and watched Key Largo to finish out our film noir fest. Tomorrow we fly away.
