Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica
by: Clint Leung
One of the ports of call for our Royal Caribbean cruiseship was
Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Probably the most famous site in the
region is Dunn's River Falls and we chose to tour it on our own
rather than through one of the cruiseship tours. Once we
disembarked from the cruiseship, there were cabs and
shuttlebuses available at the pier. Cabs to Dunn's River Falls
were $22 US for a return trip. Cabs allowed 1-3 people per
vehicle. We were also told at the pier that small shuttlebuses
also go to the Falls at $5.50 US per person. These were also
based on return trips. The only problem with shuttlebuses was
that we had to wait until they filled up the shuttle before leaving
for the Falls so since we were the first on the bus, we had to
wait about 15 minutes for it to fill up. The driver then asks you
when you want to be picked up at the Falls for the return trip.
Our driver suggested 2 hours to see the Falls so we agreed on
this time duration.
Once at the Falls, a woman then came onboard the shuttle to
sell tickets for admission to the site at $10 US per adult
person which was the same rate at the park's ticket booth.
Once inside the Dunn's facility, there were rentals for special
rubber shoes as well as lockers. We carried a small backpack
so we didn't require paying for a locker. We also brought along
our scuba diving booties so we didn't have to rent those rubber
shoes on site either. The cruiseship shop was also selling
these rubber shoes in advance. Shoes of some type are highly
recommended as the rocks on the Falls can be slippery and
some of the bottoms of the water pools are a bit rocky. If you
have old sneakers you don't mind getting wet, they will be
suitable for the climb up the falls as well. Our scuba diving
booties turned out to be sufficient. The entrance to the site is at
the top of the falls so we took some stairs that were adjacent
to the falls to the bottom where the beach and entrance to the
climb were.
There are official guides dressed in blue polo shirts and
shorts who will take groups up the falls. Normally, they will ask
to carry all cameras for you so they can take photos of you as
you climb. Of course, they expect to be well tipped for their
services. Also, groups were told to hold hands forming a
human chain up the falls. This was suppose to make things
safer but as we witnessed, this method of going up the falls is
not a guarantee against falling. We saw a woman let go and
she fell down the rocks during one of the steeper sections.
She wasn't badly hurt but we imagined that she sustained
some nice bruises. There are various points along the falls
where you could get off the falls and back on the stairs to walk
up the rest of the way. Not everyone there attempted to climb
the falls as many were happy to just walk dry along the side on
the stairs. We chose not to go with any of the groups which
tend to go up the left side of the falls. We made our way up on
our own mostly on the right side. With some breaks for photos,
we made it all the way up the falls in about 30 minutes. Going
with a group would have taken longer for sure. The water is a
bit cool and if you have a wetsuit, it is highly suggested that you
wear it for the climb. Cameras used there up the falls are also
recommended to be water resistant since they likely will get
wet. We left our digital camera on the ship and took one of
those $25 underwater cameras.
After climbing the falls, we headed back down to the relatively
small but uncrowded beach where the ocean water was
warmer until it was time to depart. The exit back at the top of
the falls was strategically located at the end of a market so we
did have to go through some locals who tried to sell us their
souveniers. These locals who worked inside the Dunn's site
were hustling but not as aggressively as those in the town of
Ocho Rios. The shuttlebus arrived at the site parking lot on
time as agreed. The total amount we spent including the park
admission and the shuttle was $31 US for the two of us.
Taking an organized tour through the cruiseship would have
cost more than double this amount. So it is quite possible to
tour Dunn's River Falls on your own rather than take the more
expensive tours. We were glad that we did see Dunn's River
Falls but we thought that it was not nearly as impressive as
depicted on photos in travel brochures.
The official website for Dunn's River Falls is
http://www.dunnsriverja.com
About The Author
Clint Leung is owner of Free Spirit Gallery
(http://www.FreeSpiritGallery.ca), an online gallery specializing
in Inuit and Northwest Native art including carvings, sculpture
and prints. Free Spirit Gallery has numerous information
resource articles with photos of authentic Inuit and Native art
as well as free eCards.
by: Clint Leung
One of the ports of call for our Royal Caribbean cruiseship was
Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Probably the most famous site in the
region is Dunn's River Falls and we chose to tour it on our own
rather than through one of the cruiseship tours. Once we
disembarked from the cruiseship, there were cabs and
shuttlebuses available at the pier. Cabs to Dunn's River Falls
were $22 US for a return trip. Cabs allowed 1-3 people per
vehicle. We were also told at the pier that small shuttlebuses
also go to the Falls at $5.50 US per person. These were also
based on return trips. The only problem with shuttlebuses was
that we had to wait until they filled up the shuttle before leaving
for the Falls so since we were the first on the bus, we had to
wait about 15 minutes for it to fill up. The driver then asks you
when you want to be picked up at the Falls for the return trip.
Our driver suggested 2 hours to see the Falls so we agreed on
this time duration.
Once at the Falls, a woman then came onboard the shuttle to
sell tickets for admission to the site at $10 US per adult
person which was the same rate at the park's ticket booth.
Once inside the Dunn's facility, there were rentals for special
rubber shoes as well as lockers. We carried a small backpack
so we didn't require paying for a locker. We also brought along
our scuba diving booties so we didn't have to rent those rubber
shoes on site either. The cruiseship shop was also selling
these rubber shoes in advance. Shoes of some type are highly
recommended as the rocks on the Falls can be slippery and
some of the bottoms of the water pools are a bit rocky. If you
have old sneakers you don't mind getting wet, they will be
suitable for the climb up the falls as well. Our scuba diving
booties turned out to be sufficient. The entrance to the site is at
the top of the falls so we took some stairs that were adjacent
to the falls to the bottom where the beach and entrance to the
climb were.
There are official guides dressed in blue polo shirts and
shorts who will take groups up the falls. Normally, they will ask
to carry all cameras for you so they can take photos of you as
you climb. Of course, they expect to be well tipped for their
services. Also, groups were told to hold hands forming a
human chain up the falls. This was suppose to make things
safer but as we witnessed, this method of going up the falls is
not a guarantee against falling. We saw a woman let go and
she fell down the rocks during one of the steeper sections.
She wasn't badly hurt but we imagined that she sustained
some nice bruises. There are various points along the falls
where you could get off the falls and back on the stairs to walk
up the rest of the way. Not everyone there attempted to climb
the falls as many were happy to just walk dry along the side on
the stairs. We chose not to go with any of the groups which
tend to go up the left side of the falls. We made our way up on
our own mostly on the right side. With some breaks for photos,
we made it all the way up the falls in about 30 minutes. Going
with a group would have taken longer for sure. The water is a
bit cool and if you have a wetsuit, it is highly suggested that you
wear it for the climb. Cameras used there up the falls are also
recommended to be water resistant since they likely will get
wet. We left our digital camera on the ship and took one of
those $25 underwater cameras.
After climbing the falls, we headed back down to the relatively
small but uncrowded beach where the ocean water was
warmer until it was time to depart. The exit back at the top of
the falls was strategically located at the end of a market so we
did have to go through some locals who tried to sell us their
souveniers. These locals who worked inside the Dunn's site
were hustling but not as aggressively as those in the town of
Ocho Rios. The shuttlebus arrived at the site parking lot on
time as agreed. The total amount we spent including the park
admission and the shuttle was $31 US for the two of us.
Taking an organized tour through the cruiseship would have
cost more than double this amount. So it is quite possible to
tour Dunn's River Falls on your own rather than take the more
expensive tours. We were glad that we did see Dunn's River
Falls but we thought that it was not nearly as impressive as
depicted on photos in travel brochures.
The official website for Dunn's River Falls is
http://www.dunnsriverja.com
About The Author
Clint Leung is owner of Free Spirit Gallery
(http://www.FreeSpiritGallery.ca), an online gallery specializing
in Inuit and Northwest Native art including carvings, sculpture
and prints. Free Spirit Gallery has numerous information
resource articles with photos of authentic Inuit and Native art
as well as free eCards.
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