I live in Kingston, Jamaica. Considering I mostly write about my island home on here, it’s clear that I love many things about Jamaica. We have a lot of issues here too like every where else, but I’d say the good outweighs the bad for me. In answer of today’s prompt, here is the number one reason why I love living in Jamaica. In fact, my answer is one of the reasons why I say Kingston is worth visiting.
Nature is a short drive away, no matter where you are.
As someone who finds my therapy in nature, be it a garden, river, waterfall, beach or the mountains, I absolutely love knowing that I can drive less than an hour from my house in the island’s biggest city and end up in nature. In fact, on days where I don’t wish to drive far, there is a great view out the window or in my garden. Living on a small tropical island which a dense mountainous interior has really spoiled me rotten and I wouldn’t have it any other way. In fact, nature trips don’t even need to be planned in advance here. I can pop by a waterfall or river after work, before work or just spontaneously if bored at home. The other day I ended up at the beach because our power company had a scheduled outage while conducting repairs and I decided that spending the day outdoors would beat lazing around the house without entertainment.
With that said, enjoy all these lovely nature spots which are less than an hour away from my house in Jamaica’s capital city of Kingston, Jamaica.

Penfield Falls 
Bob Marley Beach 
Mount James 
Castleton Gardens 
Orchid Falls at Pretty Close 
Cane River Falls 
Kingston Reggae Garden 
Falling Edge Falls 
Maryland, rural St. Andrew 
Maamee River 
Palisadoes, road leading to the airport
If you’d like to find out more about these spots and how to find, I’ve written about most over the years.
- Penfield Falls in Gordon Town, St. Andrew
- Bob Marley Beach in Bull Bay, St. Andrew
- Castleton Gardens & river in St. Mary
- Pretty Close in Gordon Town, St. Andrew
- Cane River Falls in Bull Bay, St. Andrew
- Kingston Reggae Gardens in Golden Spring, St. Andrew
- Falling Edge Falls in Stony Hill, St. Andrew
- Maryland in St. Andrew
- Mammee River in Gordon Town, St. Andrew
- Mount James article.. coming soon (September 15)
Wrap Up
Jamaica isn’t a bed of roses, but at least we have a beautiful country with gems around every corner– many lying in plain sight. Which of these spots were your favourite? Let me know in the comments below.
Before you go, don’t forget to subscribe.
‘Til next time.
Find Elle on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube and Amazon.
That shot of the Palisadoes Road is awesome, amazing angle ❤️!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! Climbing that sand dune was worth it 🙂
LikeLike
Love this: “Nature is a short drive away, no matter where you are.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! 😃
LikeLike
Kingston has the city life with bustling food, art, and culture at every turn, but is also just a step away from beautiful nature with its lush waterfalls, rivers, and forests. You are really lucky to live there!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks dear! Honestly, the only reason Jamaicans migrate is for better opportunities in work, salary and education. If one can overlook those issues (easier said than done, ha), life here is great. Thanks for reading 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jamaica is truly beautiful. I love the beautiful waterfalls and nature trails! Looking forward to visiting soon!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agreed! I eagerly anticipate your visit ❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think my answer to this question would be exactly the same! Lovely photos!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awesome! It’s a joy to live near such beautiful spots in the time of “concrete jungle cities” as we call them. Thanks for reading and I’m happy you like the photos 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
You certainly do have a beautiful country, Elle! Beauty at every turn.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! And to think that none of these beautiful gems are even marketed as tourist attractions because we have others which are even more beautiful 😍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Waterfalls🥰😍🥰😍🥰😍, Hiking in the mountains, beaches, Rivers, Festivals, Music, Language, Food and the list goes on.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Right? So, so many things to love about living in Jamaica 🙂 thanks for reading!
LikeLike
Wow! You live in a beautiful place. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! Jamaica is truly beautiful
LikeLiked by 1 person