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Tour Options in Jamaica

Tour Options

Because most vacationers don't rent cars for both safety and cost reasons, guided tours are a popular option if you want to take a break from the beach and explore. Check with your hotel concierge for information on half- and full-day tours that offer pickup at your resort. Jamaica's size and slow roads mean that you can't expect to see the entire island on any one trip; even a full-day tour will concentrate on just one part of the island. Most of the tours are similar in both content and price. If you're in Montego Bay, tours often include one of the plantation houses in the area. Several Negril-based companies offer tours to Y.S. Falls on the south coast. Tours from Ocho Rios might include any of the area's top attractions, including Dunn's River falls, Kingston, or Mayfield Falls. In almost all cases, you'll arrange your tour through the tour desk of your resort. However, a few of these tours are quite unique, including the following.

Visitors to the south coast, Mandeville, and Kingston areas can experience more of the real Jamaica through Countrystyle, which offers unique, personalized tours of island communities. You're linked with community residents based on your interests; tours can include anything from bird-watching in Mandeville to nightlife in Kingston.

Reggae buffs visiting the Ocho Rios area enjoy the Zion Bus Line, which includes a visit to Bob Marley's boyhood home. Travelers ride a country-style bus painted in bright colors to the island's interior and the village of Nine Mile. The tour includes a look at the simple home where Marley was born and is now buried.

Information

Countrystyle Peace Village (62 Ward Ave., Mandeville. 876/962-7758 or 876/488-7207. www.countrystylecommunitytourism.com). Zion Bus Line (Chukka Caribbean Adventures, Llandovery, St. Ann's Bay. 876/972-2506. www.chukkacaribbean.com).