Jamaica is an independent Commonwealth island country in the Caribbean Sea.
Jamaica is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles located in the Caribbean Sea. Jamaica is located south of Cuba and west of Haiti. View Map.
Jamaica is renowned for its lively and influential reggae music, beautiful and diverse landscapes featuring welcoming beaches and lush rainforests, rich cultural heritage including its history of resistance and resilience, and its iconic contributions to cuisine, such as jerk chicken and ackee and saltfish.
1. Birthplace of Reggae:
Jamaica is the birthplace of reggae music, a genre that has gained global popularity. Iconic musicians like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Jimmy Cliff hail from Jamaica and have contributed significantly to the genre's worldwide recognition.
2. Olympic Success:
Despite its small size, Jamaica has produced some of the world's fastest sprinters, including Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. The country consistently excels in track and field events at the Olympic Games.
3. Blue Mountain Coffee:
Jamaica's Blue Mountains are famous for producing some of the world's best and most expensive coffee. Blue Mountain Coffee is highly sought after for its smooth and mild flavor.
4. Unique Cuisine:
Jamaican cuisine is renowned for its bold flavors, especially jerk seasoning. Jerk chicken and jerk pork, marinated with a blend of spices and slow-cooked over pimento wood, are popular dishes both on the island and internationally.
5. Beautiful Beaches and Ecosystems:
Jamaica boasts stunning beaches and diverse ecosystems, including rainforests, coral reefs, and the famous Dunn's River Falls. The island's natural beauty attracts millions of tourists each year.
Enjoy your stay!
"Jamaica, Land We Love"
- Doctor's Cave Beach. Easily one of Montego Bay's most popular beach hangouts, Doctor's Cave Beach is a stretch of golden sand and calm, rippling waters is quite intimate thanks to a ban on radios, footballs and vendors. This beach is close to some large resorts, so it can get crowded during the height of the winter tourist season. There's a small fee for admittance to Doctor's Cave Beach, but that makes facilities clean, with tiled changing rooms, and rental equipment, such as chairs, umbrellas and snorkeling equipment. There are nearby beach restaurants, like the Groovy Grouper Bar and Grill, and other water sports and tour activities can be booked here, including glass-bottom boat tours, sailing, kayaking and water-skiing.
- Negril (Seven Mile Beach). If you're ready to get your "Jamaica Jaman"-party going on the beach, head directly to Seven Mile Beach (yes, it's 7 miles long) in Negril, Jamaica's best spot for sunbathing. This haunt is famous for attracting sexy sunbathers, locals, families and even nudists lurking in designated 'nude' areas. Street food, like jerk chicken, are on offer by beach vendors, and there are many water sport options and clothing for sale. Live reggae music usually pumps from Alfred's Ocean Palace, where partiers jive on the sand. And for the night owl, hit the Jungle Night Club where the party continues until sunrise.
- Treasure Beach. You'll have to bundu-bash to get to Jamaica's idyllic Treasure Beach, but it is worth the 2-hour drive over bumpy back-roads. It's a collection of four fishing villages and dark sand beaches stretching for nearly 6 miles, blissfully untouched by hordes of tourists. Very peaceful, Treasure Beach has beachfront cottage rentals and charming guesthouses, many of which are located in Frenchman's Bay and Calabash Bay, the area's most popular beaches. The Santa Cruz Mountains are a beautiful backdrop to waters colored with charming fishing boats, a secret secluded Jamaican world. Though isolated, Treasure Beach is far from dull. After sunset, there's the Pelican Bar, or Frenchman's Reef restaurant for spicy jerk chicken and lobster at good prices.
- Boston Bay Beach. On the island's eastern side you'll find water so bright blue it almost hurts the eye. Boston Bay Beach is a cove, picture-perfect, flanked by tree-covered rocks, and a surfer's paradise. Large waves attract surfers, and travelers and novices alike can rent boards or get surfing, kitesurfing or windsurfing lessons here. Jamaica's best jerk stands, said to dish up the finest - and hottest - spicy jerk food and sauce in Jamaica are found here, the birthplace of jerk food.
- Reggae Beach. At Reggae Beach, you'll likely hear the sounds of afternoon reggae jam sessions that often take place on the soft sands. Local musicians flock here to play tunes and enjoy the soft sands and crystal clear water. With cliffs on either side, Reggae Beach is picturesque, and with waters filled with fan corals and colorful clownfish and rays, it also is good for snorkeling. Grab food and drink at one of three beachfront bars, while listening to DJs or the frequent live music. Fridays make good afternoon visits, when after-work jam sessions are held, DJs spin tunes and a bonfire blazes until early morning.
Trust us when we tell you to only bring summer clothing. Perhaps bring a sweater along for the flights here and back. Except of course if the return flight is for Minnesota in the winter, then by all means bring what you can. Anything bamboo is advisable, cooler than cotton and wrinkle free.