Ocho Rios Jamaica
Home of the Dunn River Falls

Ocho Rios Jamaica, also known by locals as “Ochee’, is located on the north coast of Jamaica. It belongs to Saint Ann’s Bay Parish.

It is the largest parish in Jamaica and part of Middlesex County. This is also called “The Garden Parish” for its beautiful gardens and vegetation.

Every Caribbean Cruiser knows about the Dunn River Falls

The market town of Saint Ann is the capital of the parish, but all tourism activity and resort development has been concentrated in the city of Ocho Rios.

The literal translation in Spanish means Eight Rivers, some say that it could be a corruption of the name Las Chorreras, meaning the waterfall.

Ask any Caribbean Cruise Vacations passenger and they will tell you that Ocho Rios Jamaica is well known for the abundance of waterfalls in the area.

Ocho Rios Jamaica was once a small town and in the last few decades has developed to be an important tourist center.

They have dragged tons of sands to the exotic beaches and built all kind of apartments, hotels, shopping centers and restaurants and Beaches Resorts.

Cruises docked in Ocho Rios

Cruise Ships

Ocho Rios Jamaica is a must stop for the cruise lines offering services to the Western Caribbean Islands. I’ve had clients asking specifically for one that stops in Ocho Rios.

The day spent there is a full day of fun and entertainment. They have built a deep water pier that can host three cruise ships at a time.

On any given day you’ll find the streets of Ochee full with tourists looking for souvenirs, that I can assure you, are there in abundance.

There are a few shopping plazas to serve the tourists. In those shopping areas you’ll find souvenirs, Jamaican handcrafts and above all kind of Duty Free articles.

Ocho Rios Jamaica

The Beaches of Ocho Rios

The beaches of Ocho Rios Jamaica

Dolphin Cove – Swim with dolphins. It also features lots of white sand and clear waters.
Dunn's River Beach – This not a typical white sand beach, it puts you under the Dunn’s Waterfalls and the waters that come from the mountains.
James Bond Beach – It is called this because of the proximity of Ian Fleming’s Ocho Rios home. It is less crowded than its neighbors.
Mallards Beach – Located near the center of town and it’s always crowded with hotel guests and cruise visitors.
Puerto Seco Beach - The beach is full of locals, reggae bands and Jamaica Food vendors selling the famous Jamaican Jerk Chicken.
Turtle Beach – Many locals crowd this beach every day. But there is always space in the white sands for everybody.

Beautiful Ocho Rios Bay

Activities in Ocho Rios

Here you may enjoy such sports as Caribbean Snorkeling, Scuba Diving, Swimming and Sunbathing.

Also land sports like Tennis, Horseback Riding, Golf and the sport our women like most: Shopping.

There are also a few important places to mention. You can visit them depending on time.

Rio Nuevo - It is where the battle for the island was fought between the Spanish and the English. Try to guess who won...?
Port Maria - Showcasing many beautiful buildings of the Colonial times.
Dunn's River Falls – One of the famous waterfalls is Dunn’s River Falls. It is a great experience to swim in its waters and play below the water falling from the heights. The place is one of the most photographed sites in Jamaica.
Fern Gully – This is another place worth visiting. It is a rocky very deep canyon of a few miles from the coast to the center of the island’s mountains. The variety of tropical ferns of many species is mind boggling. Once you get very deep the sun is almost unseen because of the immense foliage.
Discovery Bay – Place where Columbus landed in 1494. You may find here a few old Spanish Building of those times.
Plantations – In those old plantations you may find model agricultural centers producing the island’s major exports like citrus, banana, coconut.

For more information visit Jamaica Tourism Website

The Market in Ocho Rios

Image Credits:
dun river by poco a poco
ackee by jerome walker
All courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
The resorts images are courtesy of the resorts mentioned.