Magic happens when local female travel bloggers get together, and Breadnut Valley happened to be the first destination of hopefully many future linkups. Breadnut Valley Falls are a series of mesmerizing cascades and turquoise pools set in Breadnut Valley, Maggotty, St. Elizabeth parish. For an off-the-beaten path waterfall, surprisingly little hiking was involved! With that said, let’s talk about:
Continue reading “Breadnut Valley Falls, Saint Elizabeth”
I have a long ever-growing mental list of places to visit in Jamaica, ever since I came to the realization in 2016 that I barely know my island at all. In 2017 I was perhaps a tad bit too ambitious, setting out to see 17 places in ’17 and only accomplishing 8 of them. That being said, I saw a whole lot more than 8 places that year, 25 to be exact. This shows that life is fluid. While I create these lists for fun and to motivate you all (and myself) to go out & see interesting corners of Jamaica, I have and will likely veer far from it every year, all in good fun.
Continue reading “Bucket List Jamaica 2019”
On my personal Instagram page this month, I asked my followers what would they like to know about me or my blog and that I’d answer during my five-day 2nd anniversary celebratory blog-a-thon. I usually write from a more aloof position since I try to be very objective and matter-of-fact in sharing my adventures, but every now and again I welcome sharing more of me in my writing. Without further ado, here are my answers to those questions plus a few other questions I’ve received during this blog’s 2 year existence or just general facts I felt would be interesting to share!
Continue reading “Q&A | Adventures from Elle”
Jamaica gets millions of tourists annually and I’m just so fortunate to #livewhereyouvacation. However, that doesn’t mean us locals take advantage of all the sights to see and things to do around our own island. Many Jamaicans (& visitors too) only associate the resort towns of Jamaica with adventure and enjoyment– Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Negril– which usually means big bucks and a lot of travelling for the nearly 700,000 inhabitants of Kingston, the capital city on the eastern end of the island and far from these tourism centres. However, I’m about to show you how to enjoy the city that’s right under your noses. Set aside three days and let’s enjoy Kingston as I know it!
Continue reading “Elle’s 3 Day Itinerary for Kingston, Jamaica”
Located in the tropical mist forests of the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park (BJCMNP), Holywell (pronounced Hollywell) is a cool escape from Kingston’s heat. This 330-acres “park within a park” is blessed by the fragrance of fresh mountain air and pine trees, and at 900m (3,000 ft.) above sea level, the cool temperature allows Holywell’s ecosystem to support a wide variety of ferns, flowers, and trees which are rarely seen in other parts of Jamaica. Many Jamaican birds call this forest home, including all 30 of Jamaica’s endemic birds!
Continue reading “Holywell, Saint Andrew”
A Jamaican Made Christmas is a two-day exposition put on by the National Baking Company at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, just in time for shoppers looking to purchase Christmas gifts before the season gets into full swing. This is its fourth staging and for 2018, it welcomed 100 exhibitors, giving 100 local entrepreneurs invaluable exposure.
Continue reading “A Jamaican Made Christmas Expo, Saint Andrew”
I’ve received the question of which places are my favourites and had to recommend outings for friends quite a bit in the nearly two years of this blog’s existence. I decided to take that recurring question seriously and answer it in a blog post. The only downside (quite miniscule I assure you 😅) of running a local travel blog, especially for a country as small as Jamaica, is that people assume I’ve been everywhere, which let me reiterate for the umpteenth time, no I have not. I’m pretty sure I still haven’t seen even a quarter of the attractions Jamaica has to offer, especially the tourist-y spots.
Continue reading “Elle’s Favourite 10 Places in Jamaica 🇯🇲”
Black River is Jamaica’s widest river and home to our largest and most feared reptile, the American crocodile. Jamaica’s crocodiles are mainly found along the south coast, and the Black River is the best place to see them up close. Run by J. Charles Swaby, the Black River Safari offers pontoon boat rides which carries one onto the river where they’ll hopefully get a chance to see the crocs in their natural habitat. If you visit on a day where the crocs are shy, you won’t leave disappointed by the natural beauty of the river and its vegetation. Also, you’ll still get a chance at seeing them up close in the nursery which is included in each tour. Consider taking a combined tour to the YS Falls and Black River Crocodile Safari.
Continue reading “Black River Safari, Saint Elizabeth”
Indisputably one of the best beaches in Jamaica, Frenchman’s Cove in Port Antonio is an estuary which gives one the opportunity of swimming in fresh and salt water at the same beach. The beach receives its name from a fiery battle between the British and French near the Cove centuries ago after which the defeated French soldiers sought refuge there.
Continue reading “Discover Frenchman’s Cove: Jamaica’s Most Beautiful Beach”
My last trip to the zoo was at least a decade ago and I’ve had an inexplicable hankering to visit since last year. Hope Zoo welcomed its first visitors in 1961 but inadequate funding, deterioration and a dwindling animal population led to a decline in public interest. This paved the way for private ownership and in 2011, the Hope Zoo Preservation Foundation (HZPF) took reins. Devising a model from local and international environment and wildlife preservation bodies, the Hope Zoo was transformed to tell the Jamaican story by showcasing local fauna alongside African macrovertebrates and American jungle species since these regions have had the greatest impact on Jamaica.
Continue reading “Family Fun at Hope Zoo: What to Expect”
Adventures from Elle 