Nanny Falls in Portland, Jamaica: Explore its History & Beauty

Nestled in the highlands of Portland, eastern Jamaica lies the beautiful Nanny Falls. Nanny Falls is located in the historic community of Moore Town, one of Jamaica’s four remaining maroon communities. Formerly known as New Nanny Town, Moore Town was founded in 1740 after the signing of a Peace Treaty between British colonial authorities and the Windward Maroons following the First Maroon War. This treaty granted the Windward Maroons 500 acres of land on which they currently reside. Today, Moore Town is a quiet village and its residents enjoy self governance and a self-sufficient way of life in harmony with nature and ancestral ties. Despite this, Moore Town faces modern challenges such as a dwindling community and aging population, as many of its young people migrate to urban centres or overseas in search of greater opportunities. That being said, here’s how to plan a trip to Nanny Falls and enjoy a slice of Jamaica’s rich maroon heritage.

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Where is Nanny Falls + How to Visit

Nanny Falls in located in Moore Town within the Upper Rio Grande Valley, similar to this waterfall. This valley separates the Blue & John Crow Mountains, Jamaica’s first and only UNESCO World Heritage Site to date. Reservations are required, so I booked ahead with Nanny Falls Tours, a licensed tour company. A right turn from Port Antonio leads to the Breastworks to Windsor Road. As you ascend, shops and houses get fewer to make way for sweeping valley views and the majestic Rio Grande snaking along to the coast. You’ll be alright finding the location once you use Waze for directions. We learnt this from our tour guide in retrospect, as we were using Google Maps and it led us astray for a few minutes. We made a wrong turn at the fork pictured above. When you get to that fork, take the “bottom road” on the left.

Travel is certainly the best teacher, as this trip cleared up some misconceptions I had about Maroon communities. I expected that Moore Town would have bad roads, and that it would be difficult to find but these were far from the truth. Sure, the drive from Kingston to Moore Town took 2 1/2 hours but it was still very straightforward to find. Secondly, the roads were way smoother than many roads in the capital city of Kingston where I live. I was pleasantly surprised! Some parts are narrow though, so sound your horn when going around those corners. Tours to Nanny Falls cost $2,000JMD per person for locals, and US$30 for foreigners. Group discounts are available for 10 or more persons. You can skip the heritage lesson if you’d like and head straight to the falls, but don’t do that! The heritage lesson really elevates the experience. Bring mosquito repellant! Restrooms are available before the start of the trail.

A Short Walk to Nanny Falls

The tour usually begins at the community’s historical landmarks then ends at the waterfall where you can spend as long as you like. However, the threat of rain made us start at the waterfall instead. My tour guide Andre was excellent, and led us on a 20 minute stroll through the lush forest pointing out plants, birdcalls and the harmless critters which inhabit the freshwater such as crayfish and jangas (river shrimp). There were a few areas with loose stones, and the trail sloped gently uphill but Crocs and water shoes were sufficient footwear. Flipflops– not so much. The trail ends at a staircase leading down to the falls.

Nanny Falls was cold, pristine and refreshing. You can swim (the middle gets a bit deep) or walk around the edges of the pool to get beneath the falls. Swimming beneath the falls with the rainforest canopy overhead and sunlight filtering through felt spiritual.

Bump Grave, Nanny of the Maroons

The Right Excellent Nanny of the Maroons, Jamaica’s only female National Hero, is buried at Bump Grave in Moore Town. She founded present-day Moore Town in 1740. Nanny originates from the Asante region of Ghana and was captured along with her brothers circa 1700, and taken to Jamaica to work as slaves. However, they managed to escape and flee to the mountains, joining the free Blacks and indigenous Taino people who already lived there to evade capture. The Maroon communities grew as more enslaved Africans escaped the plantations and joined them. The British retaliated and launched the First Maroon War in 1730 to defeat them, but were unsuccessful as the Maroons had an excellent vantage point and were skilled in camouflage and guerilla warfare.

As such, the British surrendered with a peace treaty, granting the Maroons land and self governance in exchange for military support and preventing new enslaved Africans from joining their stronghold. While controversial, the resilience and bravery of Nanny & her people are undeniable. Nanny freed more than 800 slaves over the span of 50 years. Pay your respects to Queen Nanny at Bump Grave in Moore Town, as well as to their previous Colonel who played a key role in the community’s modernization. Both are included in the tour.

Moore Town Maroon Cultural Centre

We stopped by the Moore Town Maroon Cultural Centre afterwards to see their collection of artifacts and storyboards. They had books, straw baskets, calabash bowls, gourds and abengs on display. The abeng is a cow horn which served as the first means of on-land communication in Jamaica.

Wrap Up

Did you learn something new today? Sound off in the comments section below! I thoroughly enjoyed this tour with Andre and the Nanny Falls Tour Company. He was very knowledgeable about Maroon heritage and taught me much more than I included here for the sake of brevity. If you’re looking for fun things to do in Portland, Nanny Falls has to be on the list. My only regret is not visiting sooner!

On another note, I’m pleased to report that Adventures from Elle surpassed 1 million reads on May 14, 2025. It’s a milestone I never would’ve imagined when I started this blog in 2016. I’m super grateful to everyone who reads, shares & comments on my posts to make milestones like this possible. This hobby has saved my life in many ways, so thank you. ❤️

If you enjoyed this post, you’d also like:

• 3 Jamaican Maroon Festivals You Can Visit
• 5 Places Where You Can Experience Taino History
• Rafting on the Rio Grande in Portland
• Unwind at the Orange Bay Camp Ground

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