Destination attractions things to do in montego bay

Posted: 02/09/2007--25/11/2008 || Rate this Article: 3 || Views|| Sign In || Register ||Hello Guest

Montego Bay (also known as Mobay) is the second major resort city in Jamaica. The city is located on the northwestern coast of the island and is a popular tourist destination. Montego Bay throbs with activities, attractions, culture, and adventure.

Begin your visit to the city by taking a Hilton High Day Tour. This 45 minute coach ride takes you through plantations, mountains, valleys, and profuse tropical foliage. You will visit a sugar mill and watch the process of making sugar from sugarcane. The tour will also take you off the traveled roads down winding country lanes and into picturesque villages. You will meet interesting people, watch local craftsmen, and gain firsthand knowledge of the culture.

If you are adventurous and ready for excitement, you will enjoy rafting down the Great River. Caliche Rainforest and Canyon White Water Rafting offers many river expeditions and rainforest sightseeing tours. The rafting and rainforest adventures are available for both the beginner and the seasoned explorer.

Doctors Cave Beach is an attraction for sunbathers of all ages. It has become world famous and is one of the most popular beaches in Montego Bay. The beach got its name from a group of doctors who first discovered it in 1932. At that time the only entrance to the beach was through a cave. The cave was eventually destroyed by a tropical storm. The transparent, turquoise water allegedly has therapeutic minerals and maintains a temperature that never falls below 78 degrees Fahrenheit. This curative feature of the water has attracted tourists for many years. The beach has a wide expanse of white sand and it also encompasses the Montego Bay Marine Park, which contains many species of marine life and coral reefs. The Marine Park is a great place for snorkeling and exploring the underwater world aboard a semi-submarine.

If you like touring restored Great Houses or old mansions, you can take a trip to the famous Rose Hall Great House. The Great House was the home of the legendary slave owner Annie Palmer and the native folklore abounds with stories of her evil deeds as the mistress of the former plantation. The dungeon has been transformed into a caf and the entire mansion has been restored to its original eighteenth century architectural grandeur. Visitors can get daily guided tours of the elegant estate and its scenic gardens.

Montego Bay is also home to the Half Moon Equestrian Center, which offers both horseback riding and mountain biking. Bare back swimming with horses, pony rides, guided trail rides, and sunset beach rides are offered to the visitor. The Center also hosts bike riding down mountain trails, through scenic valleys and up rolling hills. Safety helmets, mountain bicycles, and guides are provided.

Another fun attraction is a visit to Glistening Waters in the small town of Falmouth, located in Montego Bay. Glistening Waters operates nightly tours of the luminous lagoon. Take a pontoon trip after dusk and watch the water glitter with the bioluminescent, microscopic dinoflagellates. When the water is agitated, these tiny organisms glow, illuminating the water with ribbons of light. Tourists can see the glittering outline of fish and swim with the microorganisms.

Rafting on the Martha Brae River is another delightful tourist attraction. An experienced raftsman will take you on a gaily-decorated 30-foot bamboo raft down the Martha Brae River. The bamboo raft floats gently along three miles of flourishing tropical scenery. There are also sites along the way for swimming and a Tarzan swing for the adventurous.

After a trip down the Martha Brae, you can also go on the Black River Safari. The Black River flows through Montego Bay and is the largest navigable river in Jamaica. Boat tours take the visitor through palms, mangroves, wetland, one hundred species of tropical birds and Jamaicas largest waterfall, The Y.S. Falls. A highlight of the tour is the hand feeding of American crocodiles by trained guides.

Montego Bay has a myriad of other activities for visitors. These include theme parks, pirate style sailing, deep sea fishing, concerts featuring local music, water sports, golf, and go kart racing. A vacation in Montego Bay will be a unique experience as you revel in the colorful scenery, culture, and vibrancy of this charming city.