Jamaica is one of the very best destinations you could choose for your next vacation. You literally have it all here: from perfect weather to exotic land and waterscapes, from history to food, from entertainment to quality cultural events.
What are the very best things to do in Jamaica? What to do in Jamaica for your vacation there? We have some tips for you – so read on and find out more.
#1. Visit the Waterfalls
Jamaican waterfalls are among the most beautiful ones in the whole wide world (and there are quite a few of them!). We recommend you to go and see the Dunn’s River Falls, the Blue Hole, and the Tacky Falls, as they are among the most impressive ones in Jamaica.
- Where you will find it: by taxi or on an organized tour (Dunn’s River Falls), trekking (Blue Hole), by taxi or on an organized tour (Tacky Falls)
- Hours: 24/7, but you might want to get there on daylight
- Prices: $20 entrance fee (for Blue Hole, for example), plus the price of transportation
- Time needed: about two hours, but it depends on where you are in Jamaica
#2. Attend a Live Reggae Concert
You can’t go to Jamaica and miss out on the one thing that was 100% born here and it has grown to be popular all over the world: reggae music. Relaxing and energizing, as well as very positive all the time, this music goes through your veins and conquers your soul as nothing else can. We definitely recommend you to attend a live concert, as it can be truly unforgettable!
- Where you will find it: most of the popular bars (Bourbon Beach, Jungle Nightclub, Grizzly’s Plantation Cove, and so on)
- Hours: evenings/ late evenings/ nights
- Prices: approximately $20 for a ticket (if that is needed, sometimes these concerts are for free as long as you spend money on drinks)
- Time needed: approximately 2 hours
#3. Relax
Jamaica is a place of sunlight that never fades away, exotic and luxuriant greenery, and uttermost relaxing vibes. Spend some time on the beach, soaking up the sun, have a couple of drinks, and simply allow your body to dictate what you want to do next. Is it sleeping until noon? Then go ahead? Is it drinking at 9 am? Then go ahead. Everything is OK here.
- Where you will find it: everywhere
- Hours: anytime
- Prices: anything
- Time needed: as much as you need
#4. Go to Ricks Cafe
Ricks Cafe is a very cool and popular bar in Jamaica, so you better not miss out on it! The place is very famous for the cliff jumpers who come here, but if you don’t want to do that, you can just sit back and enjoy the view – because it is a view you will enjoy with all your heart, that is for certain!
- Where you will find it: Montego Bay
- Hours: Monday to Sunday: 12 pm – 9:30 pm
- Prices: $60 to get there from Montego Bay, approximately $25 for a sandwich and an average of $7 for a drink
- Time needed: 2-3 hours
#5. Visit the Pelican Bar
The Pelican Bar is an extremely unique bar in the middle of the ocean – an experience you cannot forget once you’re there. The bar is located about one mile away from land and the only way to get there is by boat. Once there, you will enjoy views of perfectly blue waters and socialize from people from all over the world – because that’s just what the Jamaican atmosphere will do for you!
- Where you will find it: leave from Black River, Treasure Beach, or Parottee Point by boat
- Hours: 9 am – 6 pm
- Prices: $10 for the boat ride, $10 for food, $7 for drinks
- Time needed: 2-3 hours
#6. Get a Jamaican Rum Punch
Visiting Jamaica should be an experience you remember visually, but also an experience you remember in your taste buds – precisely because the food and drinks here are so unique and so unforgettable. A Jamaican Rum punch will follow you for many years to come because it’s more than a drink – it’s an experience in its own right!
- Where you will find it: every self-respecting bar in Jamaica
- Hours: all-day
- Prices: approximately $10
- Time needed: 30 minutes
#7. Take an Appleton Rum Tour
Appleton Rum is part of the Jamaican culture in the same way Jack Daniel’s is part of the American culture. It is thus more than worth going on a tour for this rum and seeing how they manufacture it, as well as learning more about its history. You will definitely find it interesting!
- Where you will find it: Appleton Rum Estate (
- Hours: 9 am – 4 pm (closed on Sundays and Public Holidays)
- Prices: $39 for a tour (price/ ticket/ adult)
- Time needed: 2 hours
#8. Go See the Bob Marley Museum
You can’t go to Jamaica and not pay homage to the great Bob Marley. The museum they created for him here will definitely teach you more about who he was, his art, his music, and what he left behind. We guarantee that even if you are not a huge fan of him, you will become one by the end of your Bob Marley museum tour.
- Where you will find it: 6, 56 Hope Rd, Kingston, Jamaica
- Hours: Monday-Saturday: 9:30 am – 4 pm, closed on Sunday
- Prices: $25 (price/ ticket/ adult)
- Time needed: 75 minutes
#9. Get a Jamaican Patty
Jamaican patties are pastries filled with meat or other fillings, and although they might not sound like much, we definitely recommend you to because the flavors, the spices, and the way in which the Jamaican patties are made are all unique, and they come together in a way that truly celebrates the culture of Jamaica.
- Where you will find it: everywhere
- Hours: at any time of the day
- Prices: around $2
- Time needed: 10 minutes
#10. Sleep in an Overwater Bungalow
This is by far one of the best types of accommodation in Jamaica. The overwater bungalows feel like a dream come true: they provide you with enough comfort to make your stay there absolutely unforgettable, but more than anything, they provide you with an immense sense of beauty, as you will wake up every day in a scenario and with a view that is torn out of fairytales. Definitely worth it!
- Where you will find it: Sandals Royal Caribbean
- Hours: N/A
- Prices: approximately $2,000
- Time needed: one night
#11. Go Bamboo Rafting
If water sports are your thing, you must go bamboo rafting in Jamaica. It is such an exhilarating experience and it will provide you with such great memories! Let the adrenaline rush take over your body and allow Jamaica to offer you what it does best: excitement and positive vibes.
- Where you will find it: Martha Brae Rafting Village
- Hours: Monday – Sunday: 9 am to 5 pm
- Prices: $50
- Time needed: 1 hour
#12. Eat Jerk Chicken from Street Food Vendors
Street food is more than a way to feed yourself – it is part of the culture you are visiting. If you want to get immersed into the Jamaican culture, don’t forget to get jerk chicken from a street vendor – it is like nothing you have ever tasted before, that’s something we can ensure you of!
- Where you will find it: most street vendors
- Hours: we recommend the morning time
- Prices: $5
- Time needed: 10 minutes
#13. Visit the Dolphin Cove Ocho Rio
Everyone loves dolphins (how could you not?), and Jamaica isn’t short of them. You will find a lot of dolphins at the Dolphin Cove in Ocho Rio, but more than that, you will find here a place that is almost magical in its beauty. More than worth paying a visit!
- Where you will find it: Belmont Road, Ocho Rios, Jamaica
- Hours: Monday-Sunday: 9:30 am – 5:30 pm
- Prices: $199/ person
- Time needed: 2-3 hours
#14. Go to the Doctor’s Cave Beach Club
Want to lay on one of the very best beaches in the world? Jamaica isn’t short on beach clubs, but the Doctor’s Cave Beach Club has been consistently rated among the very best beaches in Jamaica. So, if you want to aim for the best of the best, this is IT.
- Where you will find it: 92 Gloucester Ave, Montego Bay, Jamaica
- Hours: Monday-Sunday: 8:30 am – 6 pm
- Prices: $6/ day
- Time needed: 4-5 hours
#15. Hike the Blue Mountains
OK, they might not be blue, but they are most definitely majestique. The grunginess of their appearance and the lush greenery that guards them every day of the year will complement an adventure that is bound to be unforgettable. The Blue Mountains can be fairly easy to hike, but some more advanced tracks are available as well – so regardless of where you stand, you will be able to share in the joy of hiking these splendid mountains. Plus, this is where the famous Blue Mountain coffee grows, so you can hop in a tour and learn more about it.
- Where you will find it: taxi or bus from Montego Bay (149 km away)
- Hours: all day long
- Prices: $150-$175 for private tours/ guided hiking
- Time needed: several hours
#16. Visit the Green Grotto Caves
As you have already noticed, Jamaica is filled with natural beauties that are unique and unforgettable in the purest way there is. The Green Grotto Caves are a marvelous experience in its own right as well – so we strongly recommend you to go there, especially if you are a nature lover.
- Where you will find it: by bus from Montego Bay or Kingston
- Hours: Monday-Sunday: 9 am – 4 pm
- Prices: $7 entrance fee (price/ ticket/ adult)
- Time needed: 1-2 hours
#17. Eat a Goat Curry
You have definitely had a curry before, but have you ever had Jamaican goat curry? We guarantee that this will be a completely different experience – one that is so delicious you will want to repeat it over and over and over again.
- Where you will find it: most restaurants (Shark’s Negril is recommended)
- Hours: depending on restaurant hours
- Prices: approximately $10
- Time needed: 30 minutes to one hour
As you can see, Jamaica is definitely very generous for tourists of all kinds. If all you want to do is lie on the beach and enjoy a delicious cocktail, that is precisely what Jamaica will provide you. If you want to spend your days enjoying delicious foods and drinks, you will find plenty of bars and restaurants that offer this to you at more than decent prices.
If you want to experience Jamaica through a different point of view, you can try one of the unique bars (such as the two we have mentioned on our list). But if all you want is to sit back and relax, there are plenty of places where you can do this as well.
Big fan of adventure and sports? There are SO many things you can do in Jamaica! From watersports (including the bamboo rafting mentioned here) to swimming with the dolphins and hiking the Blue Mountains, Jamaica is an insatiable source of adventure and fun.
No matter where you come from and no matter what kind of tourist you are, it is guaranteed that you will have a wonderful time in Jamaica – precisely because this welcoming place opens its gates to everyone, loves everyone, and shares in the universal love of peace, fun, and music.
There is literally no way you won’t fall in love with Jamaica and everything it has to offer, from its music to its vibes, from its beaches to its historical centers, from its cuisine to its adventure spots. In fact, you will love it so much here that we guarantee that you will want to return!
