We recently had our first visit to Jamaica and got to experience Dunn River Falls. We have traditionally avoided Jamaica. We’d heard stories that honestly made us nervous. When we first started cruising, Jamaica was in the news several times for crime against tourists including cruise sanctioned excursions. After hearing a lot of positive feedback from fellow cruise passengers, we were forced to reconsider. We finally decided to give it a go and can happily report its no different than any other Caribbean island. Be a smart traveler. Be aware of your surroundings and don’t flash cash!
Dunn River falls is very popular with cruise ship passengers and, after hearing so many good reviews, it was at the top of our list. We looked at booking an excursion here but it just didn’t make sense given its only 13 minutes by car from Ocho Rios. There are 5 cruise ports in Jamaica so keep that in mind. Ocho Rios is the closest to Dunn River which is what made doing it on our own cost effective. We also knew we wanted to swing by a supermarket and pick up some snacks and 6 pack of Red Stripe to take to the falls and there are several within walking distance of the cruise port.
PRICE
You have 2 options for Dunn River Falls. You can book an excursion or arrange transportation to the park and pay the $25pp. There are multiple tour options when booking an excursion, some including additional activities like river tubing and blue hole, but we knew we had a limited time frame and wanted to do only the falls. The cheapest tour I found was $58pp on Viator. Some of the excursions are transportation only so read the fine print.
Alternatively you can hire a cab to take you to the falls. The cost is $10pp each way. I certainly recommend asking one of the guides with laminated tour flyers for transportation only rates…they can usually match the cab rates and they are much more careful drivers. If they have even 2 car accidents on their record, they can’t work for the tour companies anymore. To be honest some of the cabs on the road were pretty wild.
We used a tour operator and our driver, O’Neil, agreed to swing by the supermarket for no extra cost. We paid $40 + $10 tip round trip for the 2 of us.. We set a pick up time and he was waiting for us in the parking lot when we exited. O’Neil was an entertaining fellow and immediately engaged us in conversation on Jamaica and local economy. He was also quick to point out things as we drove by. We really enjoyed his company and will be sharing his information if you’re interested in booking directly with him.
BENEFITS OF NOT BOOKING A TOUR
We didn’t save a significant amount of money over booking with the cheapest tour company. However we didn’t have a schedule to adhere to, which was key. We waited until the gangway was down (9am) and had a leisurely chaos-free breakfast then strolled off the ship afterwards. No fighting the crowds. And unlike a tour, we had a private ride and got to determine exactly how long we wanted to stay. I’d also think the tour company would expect you to tip based on the total cost of the tour even though a portion of the price goes to your entry fee.
A GOOD RAINY DAY ACTIVITY
On arrival it was sprinkling but this quickly turned into a gentle shower. It would have made for a terrible beach day. As it turns out, the falls are more enjoyable in the rain. You spend a lot of time waiting for the people in front of you to scramble up each section of rocks. It would potentially have been much warmer under direct sun. Later, we heard a lot of passengers back onboard whining about the rain (which of course was clearing up as we left port). They should have gone to the falls!
THE FALLS AND PARK
Walking into the park there is a kids splash pad and botanical gardens on your right and a market area to the left. Unfortunately security will demand you walk through the shops on your way out. If you’ve ever been to Disney World, you know every ride ends with an exit through the gift shop! There are lockers for rent. A large locker is $10 with $3 deposit returned when you turn in the key. The lockers are monitored by a friendly guard as well. He freely gave us helpful advice every time we came within earshot.
We walked down to the viewing deck and had a cold beer and took some pictures before locking everything up and heading to the bottom. You should bring water shoes, but if you don’t you, can buy them for $10. I wouldn’t attempt the falls without shoes. The bottom of the falls are on the beach. Its actually a beautiful beach and definitely worth a stop for a swim if you have time. There are a few shops located here but the beach is narrow. There are no bars or beach chairs so maybe not ideal for an all day experience.
The hike up is 600ft and a bit challenging in some places. The guides are quick to identify people in the group who need extra help and direct them exactly where to step. There are several entrance and exit points if you or someone in your group needs a shorter version. It was fairly crowded and took us just over an hour to complete. We were at the park a total of 2 hours but I could have easily stayed longer and walked up the falls again.
I should also mention Jamaicans are very blunt when asking for gratuities but in no way pushy. We had a gentleman offer to take our picture with our phone and even told us to do different poses. Afterwards he put his hand out but when I told him we have no cash, he shrugged his shoulders and walked away. He clearly held no grudges because he tried again right before we left.
Also I should mention there is a food stall next to the key return booth selling hot hand pies referred to as “patties” for $3. Coincidentally the same amount you are refunded on locker deposit! I never turn down the opportunity to try local food.
