Ocho Rios-Jamaica Beach and Waterfalls

Ocho Rios, Dunns River Falls

Ocho Rios (Spanish for "Eight Rivers") is a town in the parish of Saint Ann on the north coast of Jamaica. Although he landed in many spots along the Jamaican coast, many believe that Christopher Columbus first set foot on land in Ocho Rios. Just outside the city, travelers and residents can visit Columbus Park, where Columbus supposedly first came on land, and see maritime artifacts and Spanish colonial buildings.

Once a fishing village Ocho Rios now well known as the second of Jamaica's tourism communities. It is a port of call for cruise ships hosting several of Carnival Cruise lines and other cruises weekly as well as cargo ships loading sugar, limestone, and in the past, bauxite.

The name "Ocho Rios" is a misnomer because there are not eight rivers in the area. It is most likely a British corruption of the original Spanish name "Las Chorreras" ("the waterfalls"), a name given to the village because of the nearby Dunn's River Falls.

The north coast highway from the international airport at Montego Bay to Ocho Rios has been improved since 2000 and the journey is now an hour and forty five minutes drive. On 26 August 2011, Jamaicas government announced a $21 million revitalization plan for the resort area.

The town has restaurants, night clubs in Margaritaville and Dolphin Cove, where tourists swim and interact with dolphins. Scuba diving and other water sports are offered in the town's vicinity.

Mystic Mountain, Ocho Rios, Jamaica

The Rainforest Adventures park at Mystic Mountain in Ocho Rios is the heart and soul of the Jamaicas ecotourism and rain forest activities! You’ll have ample opportunities to put on your explorer’s hat and take your camera on a photo safari, the park take you all the way from the seashore to 700 feet above sea level at the top of the mountain, stretching over 100 acres of the Saint Ann and Jamaicas coastline. This is one rain forest tour in Jamaica that will give your memory chip a workout it won’t soon forget! The development of Mystic Mountain in Ocho Rios adds its many attractions.