Miniguide to Ocho Rios, Jamaica
How do you get there?
Most likely you will land in either Kingston or Montego Bay when you fly to Jamaica. Ocho Rios is nicely placed in the middle of these two cities and you can easily take a bus from either destination with the Knutsford Express. This is what I did and it was a very comfortable and easy ride. Otherwise, I recommend renting a car while you are exploring Jamaica to get more flexibility. If you don't have your own car, you will need to rent a driver to get to most of the top places because they are a short drive outside of the main city. Check out Rentalcars.com to get the best rates wen you are looking for your rental car!
Where to stay in Ocho Rios?
There are plenty of amazing hotels in the area, and more variety to choose from other than the all-inclusive resorts you find in Montego Bay for instance. We chose to stay here and I would highly recommend it. It had an amazing view, lovely rooms, helpful staff, fantastic breakfast and restaurant and it is located close to the city and the beaches. Otherwise you will find more amazing hotel deals here.
What to do in Ocho Rios?
There are so many fun things to spend your time on here, some more active and some more relaxing. So it depends on your preferences and timeframe. However, here is what I recommend and what I would spend my time on if I went back. If you don't have a car yourself, I recommend one of these tours that will take you to all the different locations.
Dunn's River falls.
Dunn's river falls is definitely the most famous one so you will absolutely meet a lot of tourists here compared to the other places. But climbing up the waterfall is still a super fun experience. Just make sure to go there on a day there are no cruise boats in port if you can, or go early in the morning or in the evening to avoid the biggest crowds.
The falls extend across 600 feet and in addition to climbing it, there are multiple natural pools you can swim and relax in. Make sure to wear appropriate clothing and shoes. I was very surprised to see how many people were wearing pretty dresses, flip flops and even high heels trying to climb the waterfall. Even though the climb is not steep and can easily be done by most people, it is still a climb so I recommend wearing at least swimwear or shorts that can get wet and waterproof shoes like these we used. These will come in equally handy if you want to visit the Blue Hole or Konoko Falls as well.
Mahogany Beach
This beach is a little harder to find than the big beach by the port, but it is so worth it. It's ten times cozier and definitely my favorite beach in Ocho Rios. There is no admissions fee and they have all the amenities you need as well as a a little bar to get some cold drinks if you want. The beach truly comes alive during the weekends with beach football and barbecues. Mahogany Beach is about 1 km from the Ocho Rios town center so it's just a short stroll from most of the Hotels.
Blue Hole
Blue hole, also known as Irie Blue Hole, is my top recommendation for what to do in Ocho Rios. This group of natural pools surrounded by small waterfalls is relatively newly open to tourists. It's therefore not very crowded yet. If you have to choose between Dunn's River and the Blue Hole, I would say the Blue Hole 100%. Definitely go there before it becomes a major tourist attraction. It's truly beautiful and you can swim and relax or have fun jumping or swinging into the water. To make sure you don't slip on the rocks while you cross the river you need to have some waterproof shoes or aqua-socks as I listed above.
Check out the local market
Along the harbor, close to the city center you will find an amazing local market. So if you are looking for handcrafted works, getting a souvenir to take home or just want to check out the hustle and bustle of the city, then take a stroll through the marketplace.
What else can you do?
What you choose to do is up to everyone personal preferences, so even though there are much more to do in Ocho Rios, there were some things we chose not to do. However, it might be for you so I am listing it a swell and explaining why we choose to not do it.
Bamboo rafting on Marta Brae river is one of them. It sounds amazing and fun, but when we got there we saw that the water was rather dirty, the river was full of people doing the rafting so the views weren't that great, and it's located along the road so you can hear the cars honking all the time. It might have been fun, but we chose to skip it.
Another is visiting Konoko Falls. The trek to the waterfall is probably a very beautiful one, but we chose to go for the Blue Hole and Dunn's River instead, and felt that gave us enough climbing and trekking. But if you have plenty of time or want to check out everything, it is probably worth it.
Hope this was helpful?
If you are planning a trip to Jamaica, you might want to check out my Miniguide for Kingston as well.
If you want more travel inspiration, make sure to check out @TravelsWithIngrid on Instagram.