Experience
Martha Brae River Rafting
Near Falmouth, Trelawny
A slow river experience on a bamboo raft that works as a half day outside Montego Bay.
Why go
A bamboo raft, one captain standing at the front and poling it along, and slow green water the whole way. There is nothing to operate and nothing to keep up with, which is rarer on a trip than it sounds.
It offers a slower half day outside Montego Bay, with the pace set by the river rather than by a schedule.
Where it fits
This is not in Montego Bay. The rafting starts about three miles inland from Falmouth, in Trelawny, roughly forty minutes east of the city.
It works as a half day rather than a whole one, which makes it the natural thing to do on a second day, or on the one afternoon somebody staying at a resort decides to leave the property.
Good to know
It is a drive, not a walk
Roughly forty minutes east of Montego Bay, about three miles inland from Falmouth. Worth arranging the day before rather than on the morning.
A raft takes two
The rafts are handmade from bamboo, around thirty feet long, and carry two passengers with the captain poling from the front. Worth knowing before a group of five turns up expecting one boat.
Earlier is cooler
Nothing about the river changes through the day, but the middle of it is hotter than the start.
Our take
Our view: if you only leave Montego Bay once, leave for this. It asks almost nothing of you and it is the clearest look at the island away from the coast that is within easy reach of the city.
Guides that go here
More around Montego Bay
Explore from
Montego Bay A city on the water with the island's main airport in it. It can be a practical base for a first trip, especially when you want beaches, city access and the airport close together.Planning a Jamaica trip?
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