When you grow up learning in school that the parish of Manchester has no rivers or beaches, this one means a lot. Relatively unknown even to my friends born and raised in this parish, Gut River runs mostly underground then emerges for a short 200m journey to the Caribbean Sea. It is found along a narrow remote coastal road and is one of the many places in Jamaica where fresh water can be enjoyed alongside saltwater. Gut River is said to get its name from the German word ‘gut’, meaning good. This is one of at least five rivers found in Manchester Jamaica, but some are seasonal.
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How to Find Gut River
In the interest of uniformity, I’ll describe this trip as if it were from Kingston but since school has me staying in another corner of Jamaica temporarily, my trip was much different (and shorter). The drive to Gut River from Kingston takes you along the Washington Boulevard and onto the Mandela Highway where you can choose to pay toll for the south coast highway (for a small car, that’s $550 each leg) or drive the longer route along the Old Harbour Main Road. Both will take you through rural St. Catherine and Clarendon, where you can take a rest stop at Juici Patties and check out Empowerment Park. Next, drive along the Winston Jones Highway into Manchester then on the Spur Tree Road and Gutters Main Road which lead to the community of Alligator Pond. This is because the road winds along the parish border of St. Elizabeth for a bit then fully becomes Manchester again when you take a left near the entrance to the Little Ochi stalls. There’s a sign which says 19km to Alligator Hole marking this road. From there, you can’t get lost really. It’s one long loooonely road that gets really bad in many parts but is still navigable by an ordinary small car.
The drive from this sign to Gut River itself took half hour because we had to be dodging potholes, but it’s really not a long distance. Take good care not to hit any creatures–the goats aren’t accustomed to vehicles coming this way much but a simple horn will clear the way. 😅 Look out for the sign below very carefully on the right near a driveway and gate/ signs of civilization. Had it not been for a family group with 3 cars parked nearby, we likely would’ve driven past it!
Besides transport costs, this estuary is truly free! Of course, that means none of the amenities we take for granted in commercialized spots such as restrooms, benches and shops are available, so you’re better off wearing your swimsuits and taking everything you may need such as food and drink.
Gut River & Beach
Initially I thought I was at the wrong place because from the road, the location looked rather small and err…. algae overgrown. Had the drive not been so long and cumbersome, I might’ve turned back. The family I mentioned earlier were running a boat* by the river so for the first time ever at an off-the-beaten-path spot, I felt like I was intruding/ had arrived at a bad time. Nonetheless, they were amicable and my friend & I got some directions to the beach from them and spent some time there first. Along the way we met this elderly gentleman too who lives there and seems to enjoy having visitors.
The beach was a huge unbroken piece of coastline stretching for an endless number of miles and dark-sand, typical of Jamaica’s south coast. Fancy having all this to ourselves! The tide was a bit rough though, stirring up the sand and making the water appear dirty.
Best thing to do after splashing around in brine for an hour? Rinse off in river water.
While that was hard for me to do given my swimming inabilities, I still had my fun. The water was the cleanest and clearest I’ve seen in a long long time. And if jumping into bottomless (err.. about 20ft. deep) water is your thing, Guts River will surely deliver! We were joined by another group at this point and after lyming together for a bit, decided to call it a day. My planning skills were lacking on this one as we had brought neither food nor water, plus who wants nightfall to catch them on this sort of road anyway? 👀
Wrap Up
I’ve been missing in action for a bit so I’m extra happy that my latest adventure was at a place which meets the definition of off-the-beaten-path in every sense of the term. However, maybe my expectations were a bit too high and that sign’s boast of ‘Ultimate South Coast Getaway’ was overly ambitious. 2022 Travel Advisory: Please exercise caution while visiting this corner of Jamaica. It is remote and notorious for criminal activities.
‘Til next time. ✌🏽
_______
* Running a boat- Jamaican colloquial expression for cooking a big hearty meal outdoors, usually with friends or family over open fire, a BBQ/jerk pit or grill.
Note: Gut River can be approached from Clarendon via a road which connects Milk River to Alligator Pond, but I was advised that that road is worse and erred on the side of caution. If you have a 4WD though, consider it. It’s allegedly shorter.
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Adventures from Elle 
Before Hurricane Ivan came in 2004 and fill up the blue whole with sand and stones it was about 80ft deep and the place didn’t have any bush it was pure sand but after that it was abandoned but still a great place i visit there almost every weekend and get information that it will soon be fixed back to how it was before
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Oh that’s lovely! I didn’t know Hurricane Ivan was where the decline happened. Thanks for sharing! I’d revisit if the area gets some much needed improvements 🙂
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We made it in November 2019 to Gut River. Seemingly a new owner has some developement plans with the area. A few guys were there for fishing and one was firying fishes under a pavillion. The told us, the buildings will be rebuilt to offer overnight opportunities for guests. Gut River is a place with high secret hint potential, once, if it’s cleaned and revived.
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Wow that’s amazing. The area is extremely remote but it could become appealing if developed and marketed well to the right audience. I hope you enjoyed!
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[…] into the path of oncoming traffic. It was actually hilarious and brought back memories of my Gut River trip last year where the several hundred goats we passed were not accustomed to vehicles using […]
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Still on my original travel list, still not crossed off. Some day soon I hope! Thanks for your honest recap.
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You’re welcome. 🙂 Someday soon I hope too!
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One of the nicest hidden gems on the island. I really enjoyed my visit there. It is definitely a run a boat spot. When we got there 2 groups of friends were running a boat on the property at the time.
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Haha certainly! Did you check out Alligator Hole too while on that strip (the place with crocodiles & manatees)? If so, how was it? I’d wanted to but it was gonna be dark in an hour and this huge pothole/crater I saw further ahead discouraged me. The car had already been through enough 🙈 but incentive to go back another time 🙂
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I went to Alligator Hole long before that trip, I actually stopped there on the way to Farquharson Beach near Milk River. It was a really beautiful spot though and they had a little museum set up with information on the animals. Funny story I was a question about there on my University Language & Content Exam and I thought the panelist was making it up but when I went there I was blown away. I think I have an old blog post with pictures from my visit but I want to return to see if it has improved or not.
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That’s pretty cool. Take me with you! 🤗
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The pictures look great! Also, the dedication to wade through the water to get there – it woulda take a lot of convincing for me to get there. =D
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Thank you, and ha! There was an elderly gentleman who lives there and was relaxing in a hammock who coaxed me lol. It also helped that I was in the company of a more adventurous spirit, bless his soul 🙂
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That is stunning! I can’t remember the last time I went swimming in a river—or anywhere for that matter.
Also, you should really specify your prices are in JMD before you give foreigners a heart attack lol
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Awww poor thing 😦 really hope you can rectify that before summer’s end. And haha, you’re right. I really should. I used to do that in some of my earlier posts then grew lazy, assuming my readers would get the gist but imagine if this was someone’s first read. Wow 😂
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I don’t think I will, but maybe in November the cruise will take me to some lovely beaches.
Not all your readers know where you are, haha. Giving the USD estimate is also a good idea. 😋
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I hope so too, and thanks! Good idea 🙂
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No prob 🙃
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We loved our stop here (and met Allen too who allowed us to go to the beach via his property without getting wet). Admittedly e were going to Milk River bath also, and Alligator Pond after for dinner, so this was a natural stop. A bit further along east are the manatees which you can stop and go see on a rowboat.
When we last went (2013?) the macca had been recently cut back from the roadsides and the road was in decent shape. But lonely for sure – no shops, houses, cell towers…..definitely not the place to break down!
As always, loving your adventures, Elle.
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That’s awesome! I’d love to make the Alligator Hole/manatee watch and Milk River stops too but didn’t have the time that afternoon. Sounds like a wonderful day! The road has certainly deteriorated since then and the bushes were very overgrown. In fact, there were parts where the road could’ve easily been 2 lanes but was reduced to one by the overgrowth. I guess that road is so infrequently used that no one gets paid or given any incentive to maintain it. It made for a great adventure though regardless. 🙂
Thanks very much for stopping by & for taking the time to comment with your experience. Take care!
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If you were on the west side of the river you probably met Allen, who is the unofficial caretaker there. He keeps the place clean. He is there most of the time.
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I met an elderly gentleman in a hammock who told me he keeps the area clean and pointed out his house, but I didn’t get his name. It’s likely the same fellow. He’s doing a good job!
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👍👍
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Thanks Renegade!
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