What to do in Ocho Rios Jamaica
Having already visited Ocho Rios Jamaica on previous cruises in which we toured Dunn’s River, the Botanical Gardens, shopping and Fern Gully, we wanted to enjoy something completely different. That being said, we also wanted to avoid the cruise line tours as we have always felt rushed, and they are typically very crowded with people. With these things in mind, we began searching Google and the Cruise message boards. After hours of research we decided on Peat Taylor Tours, and we could not have been happier with our choice. They have multiple tours that cater to cruise passengers, but we chose the White River Tubing and Cool Blue Hole, and what a great choice it was. Booking was very easy, and the owner was very responsive to our emails. We chose to pay the entire amount that was due ahead of arrival via PayPal and had no issues whatsoever. Be sure to print out the PayPal receipt and bring it with you for verification.
Waiting to Depart
Upon our arrival at the port in Ocho Rios, Peat Taylor was simple to find. We boarded a very nice, air-conditioned tour bus and waited for the other passengers that were on our tour to arrive. While waiting, we had a conversation with our tour guide, and she was very happy to answer all the questions that we had.
The Cool Blue Hole
When all the passengers arrived, we were off to the Cool Blue Hole, which took about 30 minutes to get to from the port. The drive was on an extremely narrow two-lane road that lets you get a glimpse of Ocho Rios. The lush tropical rain forest that we saw along the way was beautiful. During the 30-minute ride our tour guide gave us a little history of Ocho Rios and again answered our questions. When we arrived at the Cool Blue Hole there was a short walk to an area where we could change and leave our belongings. This area was watched at all times by our tour guide. After a quick change and lathering up in Sunscreen, we were off to the Blue Hole. WOW! That is all that can be said. It was absolutely beautiful! Waterfalls and pools of turquoise blue water. At this point we were met by a couple more tour guides that would take our group to the top of the river where we were able to wade through the cool rushing waters, jump off of various cliffs, swing on a rope swing, swim and take pictures. We were able to spend about 1.5 hours here and our two children absolutely loved it!
White River Tubing
After packing up we made our trek back down the mountain to the White River tubing drop off location. During the ride we were asked if anyone wanted to try a local dish called “meat pies”. Our family chose not to, but others tried them and said they were very good. When we arrived at the tubing drop off, we checked in and were provided with our tubes. The tubes were comfortable and had hard bottoms in them, so you did not bump your bottom on the rocks. The water was the perfect temperature and was crystal clear. Most areas of the river were slow moving but there were a few areas with decent rapids. The two guides were with us at all times so no one in our group got separated. After around 30-45 minutes of tubing, we were met by our main tour guide, and everyone boarded back on the bus for our trip back to the cruise port. From here we were dropped off at the port shopping center where we had plenty of time to do a little shopping before having to get back on the ship.
If you are looking for a great excursion that is separate from the hustle and bustle of the cruise line excursions, I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Ocho Rios Jamaica! Thank you, Peat Taylor Tours.
