Hidden gems on the north coast of Jamaica
November-December 2024
Here is a list of the best hidden gems to visit on the north coast of Jamaica.
1. Reach Falls (local tour)
If you want to visit Reach Falls, there are 2 options. The local tour or the commercialized tour. I will only talk about the local tour here because the commercialized tour is a lot more touristy.
The local tour won’t get you to the actual Reach Falls but to a different part of the river. When you get to this intersection, there will be guides waiting to take you to the falls. For 1000jmd they will drive you close to the falls and then it’s a 10 minute walk to get to the falls. It’s another 1500 jmd for the guide and they will ask for tips… The guide who came with me did help me with the walk, because of the heavy rainfall everything was very slippery and the falls were super strong so he made sure I didn’t fall. But besides that he didn’t really talk. I paid 3000jmd total, so a tip of 500jmd. I did this because I felt kind of pushed to tip. When we got back to the intersection I paid the guy and he told his boss, they didn’t really react happy. I just ignored them and walked away. Besides this, the road to the falls and the falls are really beautiful.
2. Nanny Falls
Nanny Falls is located in Moore town, a town with a lot of history. I paid 2000jmd to get to the falls with a guide. It’s a 20 minute walk to get to the falls, the road isn’t hard to walk but keep in mind you will have to cross little rivers.
This guide was very friendly and told a lot about the history of the maroons, which was very interesting to hear. Because of the heavy rainfall the waterfall was super strong. We tried to get as close as possible.
With a short little detour you can also visit another waterfall located on the road to Nanny Falls. When you climb up the rocks of one of the rivers that you will have to cross you will get to another waterfall. Definitely worth visiting, just tell the guide you want to see the other little waterfall. This one takes a bit more rock climbing and walking through the water.
3. Winnifred Beach
Winnifred beach is the best beach for experiencing the local vibes with not too many tourists in the Portland region. It’s (one of the few) free beaches, but they do stand at the entrance to ask for a contribution. When you’re visiting this beach I can really recommend to try the food at Cynthia’s.
4. Duncan Bay Beach
This is probably the quietest free beach you will find on the north coast. You can make nice long beach walks here and also a big plus, there is grass so you can chill on the grass.
To get to Duncan Bay Beach you can use the route taxi. I’m not sure if there is one that goes straight from Falmouth to Duncan Bay Beach, but it is possible to get out at Duncans and then take another route taxi to the beach. I got out at Duncans and decided to walk from there. It’s a 1 hour walk which I can’t recommend. It’s a very lonely road with no one else walking around besides maybe some dogs which scared me. Luckily when I was half way a car stopped and gave me a ride to the beach.
I’m used to walk a lot when I’m on vacation, but Jamaica is not a country where a lot of people walk longer distances, so you definitely draw attention when you walk alone on roads where no one walks.
5. Burwood Beach
Nice local beach, not at all touristy since most tourists go to the beach club next to this one. At the entrance is a little truck where you can buy drinks and snacks, the people who work here are friendly. Entrance is 700jmd.
So as I have said above, Jamaica is not a country where people walk a lot. I experienced that again when I wanted to walk to this beach. The road to this beach is not lonely, but with a lot of fast driving cars. It felt like walking next to the highway… And at some point I reached a turn, but there was no space to walk anymore. There was only road with fast cars. The beach was located after that turn, but I couldn’t continue walking. Luckily, again, a car stopped to give me a ride for that last part.
