Trifter

When you are in Kingston, Jamaica, it is worth your while to take a side trip to the Blue Mountains, which are just a short drive outside the city. This is a beautiful range of mountains where you will find rivers of white water, placid streams and majestic waterfalls. The Blue Mountain – John Crow Mountain National Park spans 78,000 hectares and is managed by the Jamaican government. The slopes of the mountains are covered with fields of coffee, one of the leading products of Jamaica. Naturalists will enjoy exploring the wide range of ecosystems that these mountains support and the higher you climb the more varied these become.

The most popular climb and the most scenic begins at Whitfield Hall, which is located about 10 km north of the hamlet of Mavis Bank. It will take you about 3.5 hours to reach the summit of Blue Mountain Peak if you want to take the scenic route. If you don’t care much for the scenery along the way, you can take a shorter route to the top. The temperatures are quite cool as you pass through the forests and coffee plantations, although the humidity is quite high. Therefore, you should dress in layer and bring bottled water with you.

Many climbers start out early, often as early as 2 a.m., when they want to see the sunrise from the mountaintop. Make sure you wear sturdy hiking boots. Even during the dry season, it is quite common to have rain showers, but during the rainy season fog and mist is quite common, along with the rain, which will obscure your view. You should never hike alone because the weather conditions can change so quickly. The hiking maps provided by the park are not very well done and there are few landmarks you can use to help you find your way back.

There are many tour groups that do lead hikes into the Blue Mountains:

• Sunadventure Tours
• Blue Mountain Sunrise Tour
• Y’s Waterfall

For something completely out of the ordinary, take a downhill biking tour. Peddling won’t be a problem because you won’t have to do it very often. The company you choose for this tour provides the bicycles and the gear and will drive you up to the top of the mountain. Breakfast, lunch and snacks are also included.