22 Photos Which Show Why Portland is Jamaica’s Most Beautiful Parish

Portland is easily Jamaica’s most beautiful parish with a great diversity in landscapes ranging from Jamaica’s highest mountain peak at a chilly 7,402 feet and dipping as low as to sea level with warm tropical breezes wafting in from the Caribbean Sea. What’s even lovelier is that this parish is untouched from the droves of tourists which flock our major three tourist cities and towns, so it’s possible you’ll find many of these gems 100% empty (and uncommercialized) if you visit. Portland attracts a more ecotourist laidback vibe so it’s no wonder yoga and wellness resorts have been growing in popularity in this side of the island. I’ll let the pictures do the talking– here’s why Portland is my favourite ❤ and Jamaica’s most beautiful parish.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle39 Comments

Puerto Seco Beach, Saint Ann

Puerto Seco is a white sand beach located along Jamaica’s north coast in the historic town of Discovery Bay, St. Ann. Christopher Columbus is believed to have first landed in Jamaica on this beach with his three ships Santa Maria, Pinta and Niña in 1494. For this same reason, a park named after him lies just five minutes’ drive away. Recently leased and refurbished by the Guardsman Group security company, Puerto Seco is one of Jamaica’s most iconic beaches and was renovated to highlight that historic charm.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle27 Comments

Fish Dunn Falls, Portland

Last month I decided to see what lies beyond the road to Holywell and what awaited was a pleasant surprise. I’d intended to visit at least one more waterfall from the parish of Portland going by this list of all the waterfalls in Jamaica, but ended up seeing three: Cascade waterfall, an unnamed pair and this mesmerizing beauty named Fish Dunn/Done Falls in the community of Silver Hill.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle32 Comments

Cascade Falls, Portland

Jamaicans are so matter-of-fact when it comes to naming places. Cascade waterfall, also called One Drop Falls, is located in a tiny rural district by the name of– you guessed it– Cascade. What Cascade lacks in breadth it makes up for in height measuring over 100 feet tall! The waterfall is visible from the main road and that seems to be where most people are content with getting their view of this beauty. Of course, that wouldn’t be adequate for an adventurous soul like myself.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle20 Comments

Reach Falls, Portland

Well well well, if it isn’t more of my favourite parish in the whole of Jamaica! Portland is an ecotourist’s haven with idyllic beaches, cool forests, relaxing rafting on the Rio Grande, nature resorts, sanctuaries and close to a dozen majestic waterfalls, both named and unnamed. The elysian Reach Falls in Manchioneal is a series of delightful cascades along the Driver’s River. It was first discovered centuries ago by runaway slaves from plantations in the neighbouring parish of St. Thomas who sought refuge in the John Crow Mountains.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle28 Comments

Boston Beach, Portland

I’m convinced that Portland has Jamaica’s best beaches! Boston Beach was a long drive from Kingston but that was quickly forgotten by time I arrived. Although it was my first time visiting this beach, I was always aware it existed because just next to it is the Boston Jerk Centre, home to Jamaica’s most famous jerk chicken and pork, a place of which I’ve always heard but never visited.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle19 Comments

Dead End Beach, Saint James

Jamaicans are unpretentious when it comes to place names. Therefore, it’s no surprise that this beach gets its name from being located at the end of a dead end street in Montego Bay, St. James parish. When I started this blog back in December 2016, I said I’d make it my point of duty to highlight free beaches across Jamaica since I resent the privatization of our best pieces of coastline and the need to pay for enjoying the natural resources of sun, sand and sea. My two beach posts in 2018, namely Frenchman’s Cove and James Bond Beach, strayed from that commitment but here I am, back in 2019 with the free beach link!

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle39 Comments
Statue of a man and woman standing in a fountain

The Top 10 Free Things to Do in Kingston, Jamaica

Kingston is the largest English-speaking city south of the United States, the capital of Jamaica, and a city I’m proud to call home. Kingston is located on the island’s southeastern coast and is the heartbeat of Jamaica– the home of business, commerce, government and a spirit and culture which can’t be found anywhere else in the world. Reggae and dancehall music were born in the deep gritty slums of Kingston as a means by which the city’s most oppressed and impoverished could escape their struggles, and now the entire country, region and world pulsate to these riddims.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle55 Comments

Rose Hall Great House, Saint James

Overlooking the beautiful Caribbean Sea lies the imposing Rose Hall Great House and sugar plantation, a remnant of our colonial days when sugar was King. The house was built of Georgian style architecture in 1770 by John Palmer and his wife, and was eventually handed down to his grandnephew by the same name, John Rose Palmer. The house and its surrounding 6,000 acres are stunning but what makes Rose Hall alluring to its thousands of monthly visitors is the legend behind it. In this article, I’ll share my experience and how you can also visit with Get Your Guide.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle23 Comments

Montego Bay Cultural Centre, Saint James

Good things in life are discovered by chance, and that’s how I ended up spontaneously visiting the Montego Bay Cultural Centre. On my first ever visit to Jamaica’s second city, my morning commute to school led through the Sam Sharpe Square and I happened to look out the window just as we were passing the cultural centre the first morning. I finished school early that same day and after alighting from a taxi in Downtown, I realized I was on what appeared to be the other side of the building.

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Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle11 Comments