Jamaica Travel Guide

Wedding and Honeymoon

Planning a wedding and honeymoon in Jamaica? This destination offers a combination of Caribbean island paradise and cultural diversity that lends itself beautifully to an amazing wedding and honeymoon. Friendly locals and tropical settings in a romantic and relaxed atmosphere ensure couples will remember their wedding or honeymoon in Jamaica for a lifetime. Jamaica Wedding Venues and Honeymoon DestinationsThere are many resort areas offering fantastic venues as well as a vast selection of accommodation options and numerous eateries. The most popular wedding and honeymoon spots include Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Negril and Port Antonio. There are also stunning gazebo, waterfall, garden and forest retreats available for ceremonies. The year-round good weather is an added bonus and those with some time on their hands can enjoy sailing and golf, venture to the local craft markets or go swimming with dolphins& Jamaica Wedding FormalitiesA marriage license and certificate is required and the local registrar's office will be able to provide the relevant information, as well as any other rules regarding weddings in Jamaica. Couples are advised to give themselves ample time to ensure all requirements are met.

Blue Mountains hike

Jamaica's Blue Mountains offer an experience not usually expected in a Caribbean vacation: the chance to set off on a steep hike through a national park mountain range across streams and beside waterfalls, through a botanical wonderland.Hikers also pass by coffee plantations, because it is in these mountains that the famous Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is cultivated and blended, so sought after that it has become one of the island's chief exports. Climbing from sea level, on the outskirts of Kingston, along trails up to the foggy peaks, hikers discover a complex series of ecosystems. En route to the mountains is the Blue Mountain Inn, one of Jamaica's most famous restaurants. Further on at Irish Town the Strawberry Hill resort is the premier place for food and lodging, having been frequented by the rich and famous. Those not planning to hike, but wishing to enjoy a vista of the mountains can picnic at Holywell National Recreation Park in the area (open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm).

Hiking in Jamaica

Jamaica is an island with something on offer for everyone. If beaches and parties don't add up to your idea of the perfect vacation, then the numerous hiking and birding opportunities might. Jamaica has a number of great hiking areas including the Blue Mountains and Cockpit Country. The Blue Mountains offer hikers pleasant walks in and around small towns such as Port Antonio, or rugged treks through the forests with the need for machetes and delicate river crossings. The hike to the peak which may only be 7 miles (11km), but the change in altitude is a staggering 3000ft, making for a compact and exhilarating workout to enhance your holiday getaway.

Cockpit Country in Jamaica is the most extensive Jamaican wilderness left in the country. Visitors to Cockpit Country can take part in numerous hikes in the region, the most popular being the Windsor circuit. The Windsor hike leaves from Windsor and takes hikers along the Troy Trail to Bamboo Bottom before passing through Guthries to return to Windsor. At 3 miles (5km) it is not a strenuous hike and it offers visitors to Jamaica are great chance to see some of the wilderness the country has to offer. There are a number of other trails through Cockpit Country but visitors are advised to take a guide as many of the trails are not kept n good repair and it is easy to get lost if you do not know the region.

Bird watching in Jamaica

Jamaica has an extensive range of endemic bird species, more so than any of the other Caribbean Islands. The island boasts more than 290 species of birds ranging from migrant visitors to permanent species. In winter the number of bird species in Jamaica generally doubles as the European and North American winter forces the birds to migrate to warmer climates. Thus winter is the best time to visit Jamaica if you want to see the greatest variety of birds. Numerous tour companies offer birding tours of the country complete with experienced guides who know the best places to spot birds and how to identify them.