Video to the Jamaica

​Jamaica is a stunning island with many amazing nature experiences.
Stunning waterfalls and amazing blue water holes generate an extraordinary experience.
If you like African culture you will certainly find it a similar vibe here.
See where to go and how to stay safe on this vibrant island in the Caribbean.

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Locations

Ocho Rios
​Ocho Rios is a town in the North of Jamaica.
It’s a vibrant place where you can find many great attractions. 

Montego Bay
aka MoBay is one of the main all-inclusive tourist destinations.

 Negril
The best place to have the advantages of a touristic town, combined with a non-touristic feel.
Find out why the Negril cliffs with Rick’s Cafe are a must see.

South Jamaica
incl. Kingston
​​​The area around Westmorland and Saint Elizabeth Parish are in the south of Jamaica.
This is where Jamaica is calm and rural. Kingston is also included here.

Not Linked

Portland Parish
​​​​Unfortunately we did not have the time to visit the untouched rural beauty of the Eastside of Jamaica.
Portland Parish is very beautiful according to one of our hosts.
​See my map for some attractions.

Dangers

Crime
Jamaica can be a dangerous place for individual tourists. With dangerous I mean robbing and pick pocketing, not violent crime. Violent crime is rare against tourist if you comply.

My biggest worry is that you can’t really distinguish, who is a bad person and who is a good person just from their looks. The same with the neighborhoods, they look very alike. If you don’t look like a local, especially if you are white, many people will take advantage of you especially in no touristic areas.
​
You have to be constant aware of what’s going on.
​Never have I experienced the difference so much of being in an enclosed hotel complex where the world is in “peace”, and looking over the walls to see a very vibrant, and (with American/European standards) aggressive world outside.

Not that particularly every person is bad but the level of danger is noticeably higher. But if you carry yourself with confidence and especially don’t get nervous even when hustlers try to make you uncomfortable to take advantage of you, you will be fine, like we were.
You should avoid traveling at night, like in most Caribbean countries.
​See here my tips for travel safety.

Natural Dangers
Hurricanes are a yearly concern in Jamaica, avoid going from September to November.

Wildlife
Most of the land animals are not dangerous, there is no reported venomous snake on the island. In the sea you have to worry about sea urchins especially on remote beaches. Most of the touristic beaches will be cleaned from the cost side hotels. See here what to do after you step on an urchin. There are jellyfish around Jamaica, most of them are just small, like the size of a golf ball. They just sting a bit and are not dangerous but appear in big swarms. The number increase from late spring and early fall. We did not see any on our trip in January.

Social Mishaps
Slavery can be an uncomfortable topic.

Not every Jamaican is a Rastafari. Rastafari are people who believe in a certain “religion” to live life in their principles. It’s technically no religion but similar. Here more about Rastafari.
​
Jamaica is dangerous for homosexuals especially for men. Google it for more information

​Traffic

Traffic
If you didn't get the memo, Jamaican drive on the left side of the road.
This was an extreme challenge for me even as an experienced driver. Not generally the traffic sides who changed but that you have to learn that you suddenly have 5ft (1.5m) "more car" on your left side.
This was very challenging while driving on narrow roads up mountains. That's why my left side mirror got hit multiple times by tree twigs or even a parking car. I got used to it after about 4 days and 70miles (100km).
But till then every new trip was complete concentration, when the road got narrower.
​
Other cars especially Taxis who you recognize because of their red plates are crazy drivers who don't mind slicing corners and overtaking trucks on questionable spots.
​
My recommendation is if you have never driven in a tropical country don't drive here by yourself. Book a Taxi or book a driver. Especially for a round trip. If you think that you are a skilled driver calculate enough time to get to know the streets and don't plan on going across the island on the first day. (We did, and we were lucky that nothing happened).

Streets
There are many potholes you have to drive around, which is very difficult because of the RHD (Right Hand Drive) vehicle. There are also Dogs and Goats (yes goats) who stray on the side of the road. In bigger towns, people just randomly walk and run over the streets, so near in front of cars driving 35mph (60km/h) that you have to figure they don't value their life too much. 
The only exception to all the points above is the newly highway 2000 and the highway from Spanishtown to Kingston. There are not a lot of people driving there, due to the high cost of about 2$ every 5miles (8km) which will be cashed on check points.
The streets on the other hand, are excellent on these two roads.

Insider Tip
​There are some rental companies who rent LHD (Left Hand Drive) cars.
​It's hard to find them but that could be a great option.

Budget Tips

Knutford Express​
Use the Knutford Express for a cheap alternative of travel between the touristic areas.
You have to book tickets in advance as far as I heard.
Rides for about two hours will cost around 30$

Mini Bus
For the more adventurous people, you can take a mini bus, where you will share the space with locals and sometimes chicken as well. Cost is about nothing (5-10$).
But this is not for the fainthearted and can be dangerous as well for tourists.

Rental Car
If you want to rent a car go to Island Car
They have the best reputation and more or less the best prices on the island.
Our experience was quite good.

Before You Go

 Entry
American and Canadian citizens do not need a visa for a stay of 6 months or less.
Most European citizens need no visa for a stay of less than 3 months.

Medical
Malaria Risk low, Zika Risk low, HIV medium.
Talk to your doctor about vaccination.
Language
English is the main language. Nevertheless, the Jamaicans talk to each other in a mix of English and Jamaican patois, (see here my list of Patois words).
It's very hard to understand if they talk to each other.
We got to know people who didn't speak English as well.
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Weather
Great weather year round, 75°F (25°C) to 95°F (35°C) through the year.
Best season will be from January to May.
Rainy season start in June until November with its peak in September where storms increase.
Hurricane can occur in September to November.

Emergencies
If you have an emergency the official number is 911 number. There are special tourist policemen around who can help you.
If your Passport got stolen, call your embassy.  

Currency
The official currency is the Jamaican Dollar J$
In the main tourist areas, the US$ will be accepted as well. Most places accept Credit Cards (Mastercard/Visa)

New In The Caribbean?
(Maybe you want to reconsider going to Jamaica)
If you plan an individual trip in Jamaica outside
of a Resort, read my advice below:

If this is your first trip in the Caribbean, first
trip outside of an all-inclusive resort or outside of your home country (for
Americans and Europeans) you may want to consider going somewhere else first.
This was the first island I was concerned about my safety a lot of the times and you may want to hone your craft of how to travel countries like that first.
Maybe places like Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Panama or even the Dominican Republic may be better to start traveling.
Everything I have learned on my trips in these countries, got put to the test in Jamaica.
​
I don't tell this scare you, I tell this to raise your awareness that
this island is very vibrant and can be dangerous if you haven't developed "street smarts" yet.
That doesn’t mean that Jamaica is a war zone but it does not make the trip more enjoyable if you are constantly unsure of your safety.
If you travel outside of the protected all-inclusive resorts, people who have generally not much wealth, try to take advantage of you.
It will be even harder if you are white and don’t know Jamaican or African culture, who are somewhat similar.
The biggest issue was distinguishing the bad boys from the good guys, because I couldn’t read their intentions.
That many people try to take advantage of you as soon as you look a little lost has not raised my trust if somebody actually tried to help me.

Again this is my opinion, and my girlfriend who has an African mother and has more experience with “African
culture” was a little more comfortable than I was.
Nevertheless if you have experience in traveling
the “Traveling Silverback Way” and know how to stay
safe. You will be fine.
​Nothing happened to us as well.
This should only raise awareness for newbies
of individual traveling and people that are very concerned about their safety in Jamaica.

Examples of dubious things that happened to us.
1. Irie Blue Hole with hustlers on the street
2. Dunn's River Falls with the Tourist Gauntlet

MAP of Jamaica

Open in google Maps

See here my Map of Jamaica
You will Find Beaches, Activities, Accommodations, Restaurants and much more.