Jamaica Places

Ocho Rios and Runaway Bay

Picture the Jamaica of travel brochures—the towering waterfalls, the colorful flowers, the ferns so thick they form a canopy—and you'll be envisioning Ocho Rios. Located 67 mi (111 km) east of Montego Bay, Ocho Rios (often just Ochi) is favored by honeymooners and other romantic types for its natural beauty. Often called the garden center of Jamaica, this community is perfumed by flowering hibiscus, bird of paradise, bougainvillea, and other beautiful blooms throughout the year. (All that tropical growth, of course, means more rain than most other locations in Jamaica, but more on that later.)

Ocho Rios is where you can find one of the island's most famous attractions: Dunn's River Falls, where travelers climb up in daisy-chain fashion behind a sure-footed guide. This spectacular sight is actually a series of waterfalls cascading from the mountains to the sea. Dunn's River Falls is just one of several eye-popping natural wonders in the region. Several botanical gardens invite you to enjoy a few hours surrounded by tropical beauty.

Ocho Rios is a popular destination, so you won't be wandering through those gardens on your own. But it's easy to escape the crowds. Many people take advantage of the many rivers and go kayaking or white-water rafting. Ocho Rios is also home to a growing number of land-based adventure companies, so you can also go mountain biking, take a trip in an all-terrain vehicle, or whiz through the rain forest on a zip line.

In quiet contrast to Ocho Rios is Runaway Bay, the smallest of Jamaica's resort areas. About 12 mi (19½ km) west of Ocho Rios and 50 mi (80 km) east of Montego Bay, Runaway Bay is home to a few all-inclusive resorts and an 18-hole golf course. It has little of the tropical lushness for which Ocho Rios is known.