Climbing Dunn’s River Falls was probably the most fun day I had whilst exploring Jamaica. So here’s all the practical information you will need to do the same; plus the reasons why Dunn’s River Falls are the most famous waterfalls in Jamaica.
Aside from the beaches and Bob Marley’s gaff, Dunn’s River Falls is one of the most well-known attractions that people flock to every year in Jamaica. The falls are located in the North of the country near Ocho Rios. And although that’s quite a journey from Montego Bay where our ship docked, we were still very much up for doing something more than simply sit on a beach every time we got to the glorious nation of Jamaica. (Although don’t get me wrong, the beaches are blooming’ marvellous.) So, we decided to venture over to Dunn’s River Falls one day in February.
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The historical sciencey bit…what actually is Dunn’s River Falls?
Dunn’s River itself is actually rather on the short side as rivers go, and is more of a stream if you want to get technical about it. However, what makes this badboy special is that the water from the river’s source is full of calcium carbonate. And this calcium carbonate helps to very quickly form a type of limestone called travertine.
(Ooh..scientific words! At this stage I’d like to point out that although geology was my least favourite part of Science lessons at school, when I’m out and about in the world in places like this, actually seeing the strange rock formations in the rocky flesh, it becomes far more interesting as a concept.)
Over time, the travertine formed itself into what looks like gigantic dome-like steps, interspersed with the odd pooling of a lagoon- all the way down the full 600ft length of the falls, depositing the crystal clear water directly into the Caribbean Sea. The extra crazy thing about Dunn’s River Falls is that it’s consistently changing and being rebuilt by the sediment in the spring water.
Back in the day (1657 to be precise), the Battle of Las Chorreros was fought at Dunn’s River Falls; which was basically a massive fight over who was in charge of Jamaica. Unfortunately the battle didn’t actually involve the native Arawak or Taíno people- who were eventually wiped out- but instead involved the Spanish attempting to get the island back from the British, who had snatched it off of the Spanish just a few years prior to the battle in question. England won, and although there were some other attempts to wrestle Jamaica from the clutches of the English, to this day the country is part of the British Commonwealth. That is to say, Jamaica has been independent since 1962, but old Queen Elizabeth II is still technically Queen.
From Montego Bay to Dunn’s River Falls (‘Are We Nearly There Yet?’)
Luckily we had made friends with an awesome taxi driver called Randy who met us every time we docked at Montego Bay. Randy always gave us a pretty reasonable rate for wherever we wanted to go, be it just down the road to Doctor’s Cave, or further afield like the day in question.
Whilst Randy clearly had rather a soft spot for our Dance Captain, it’s hard to say for sure whether that was the reason for the highly agreeable prices he charged us or whether there was more to it than that. Either way he seemed like a nice guy, and generally in the Caribbean I realised it’s always better to arrange your transport before you arrive. The second you leave the gates of the Montego Bay cruise port, you will without a doubt be figuratively pounced upon by hundreds of taxi drivers offering up their driving skills and/or some marijuana.
(True story; though I was surprised to discover possession of the drug is technically illegal. In Jamaica of all places, who knew!?)
Related: Journey to Jamaica
Montego Bay, the second largest city in Jamaica, was chock a-block at the time we were driving through. Reggae and dancehall music blasted out from every window, nook and cranny, and signs over the roads featured catchy rhymes like ‘Stay alive, don’t drink and drive!’ and ‘Protect Your Head, Don’t End up Dead!’ Also alternatively more serious instructions like ‘Speed Kills. Don’t be in a Hurry to Enter Eternity!’
The use of exclamation marks added an air of lightheartedness to the humble road sign which I really did appreciate, and led me to believe that if only there were more exclamation marks in our general vicinities, maybe the world would be a happier place?(!)
Choose your road trip passengers wisely
The journey to Dunn’s River Falls took around two hours, but once we were out of the traffic of the city and winding our way along past the rainbow-coloured roadside restaurants and the normal-coloured roadside goats strolling around, the time flew by. Even when twenty minutes into the journey one of our fellow fully adult passengers attempted to start up the ‘are we nearly there yet?’ conversation, the sunshine and turquoise sea helped to ease the pain of these many repeated questions. By the time ‘I’m starving,’ ‘I want to go to the beach’ and ‘this taxi is too hot,’ had also been bandied about by the said passenger several thousand times, I’m not gonna lie guys, I was almost on the verge. Almost. But not quite. The scenery outside was just too astonishing, and I was especially a fan of the hand-painted buildings with hand-painted signs and murals dotted upon them.
What an awesome island Jamaica is. Nothing could bring me down!! And on top of that, it taught me a valuable life lesson: some people just really like to complain, and there is literally nothing you can do about it.
(Also that if you’re going to spend two hours in a car with someone, you should think very carefully about whether that person is an ‘are-we-nearly-there-yet’ style human being or more of an ‘appreciate-every-moment’ sort. It can really make the world of difference, especially to your eyes if you’re an ‘eye-roller’ like myself. Oh boy oh boy did my eyes get some rolling in in that journey)
Safety Equipment for climbing Dunn’s River Falls
Eventually the eight of us burst free of the taxi when we pulled into Dunn’s River Falls car park. We approached the entrance but stopped on the way to buy a few rather snazzy pairs of water shoes in the colours of Jamaica’s flag. Pretty cool, I’d say.
Don’t get me wrong, water shoes (or any shoes at all), are not obligatory, but in the interest of safety when climbing the natural steps of a gigantic, rather powerful and slippery waterfall, I thought it’d be for the best.
In terms of safety equipment for climbing Dunn’s River Falls…that’s pretty much it. Finito.
Jamaican-themed water shoes now in our possession, we headed onwards past some of the most astonishing trees and flowers I’ve ever seen, brightly coloured and stretching upwards to the sky. Also past the largest spider I have ever met in my entire life, chillaxing on its web which hung across a sign showing us the way.
I didn’t stop to introduce myself but it’s leg-span was probably roughly the size of my actual face. What a guy.
The most famous waterfalls in Jamaica
The climb itself starts directly from the pristine white sandy beach at the bottom, and I’ll tell you this for free, it is one full on beautiful beach. Part of the reason Dunn’s River Falls are so famous is that it was featured in a James Bond movie (Dr No, take a look).
Although you have to pay an entrance fee to climb Dunn’s River Falls, you can spend as much time as you want there; so it’s fully worth having an explore and pretending to be James Bond or Ursula Andress if you’ve got time on your hands. Behind the beach in the speckled shade of the trees, is the stunning waterfall- a bulbous white staircase with water pouring over it all the way down the hill.
Climbing Dunn’s River Falls
I’ll be honest, when we first arrived and saw how incredibly steep and incredibly slippery parts of the climb are- with the added challenge of having gushing water attempting to propel you in the opposite direction of your upwards climb- two of us announced that we’d start from halfway up. But having mulled this decision over for a bit we realised that it would be a bit silly to come all the way to Dunn’s River Falls and only do half of the climb.
Especially when, upon closer inspection, we could see that there didn’t appear to be anybody falling to their deaths here.
Also, as it was a day when there were a whole load of cruise ship passengers visiting, the waterfalls were actually rather busy. All manner of old and young people were clambering up them like nobody’s business.
If they could do it then so could we.
There are guides dotted around who take groups of people up the waterfalls in long lines, all holding hands in a slow-moving human chain. But let me tell you- I was not about that Guide Life, oh no siree.
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Once I’d got the hang of searching for a good footing in water that was moving so fast you can’t see what you’re stepping on, I was off! And so were the rest of my gang, grabbing hold of rounded rock edges and pulling ourselves up and over into the pools, before searching out narrow pathways through the cascades that took us around the human chains and up onto little cliffs and crevasses. Away from the hordes.
Don’t get me wrong, we all slipped and slid every now and then, or misjudged the depth of the water and suddenly plunged into a shoulders-deep pool. But that was all part of the fun of it to be honest and I couldn’t help but do a little dance every time I reached the next level, Rayman style. Joyous!
So pals, don’t get me wrong- Dunn’s River Falls is by no means one of those quirky, off-the-beaten-track places you might just happen to stumble upon. It is Tourist Central Station, Please mind the gap.
But without a shadow of a doubt, climbing Dunn’s River Falls was the most fun I’d had in ages, and probably one of the most hilariously fun activities I did during my entire three months in the Caribbean. Although I’m sure part of that was down to the fact that we refused to climb the falls with a guide, going for the more Lara Croft style option instead.
What. A. Laugh.
LOGISTICAL STATISTICALS
- Normal entrance fee for Dunn’s River Falls is $23 USD for adults and $15 USD for children, although we got a cruise ship crew discount. There’s also a lower charge for Jamaican residents.
- This is the type of situation where a GoPro would really come in handy if you’re keen on documenting the whole thing. Obviously the fact that you’ll be in an actual waterfall means that your humble camera will just not suffice, alas.
- Normal opening hours at Dunn’s River Falls are 8.30am-4pm or on cruise ship days 7am-4pm.
- Jamaican themed water shoes cost $10 USD a pair if you’re up for a snazzy pair of your own. (I highly recommend them in all seriousness)
Dunn’s River Falls has always been one of my favourite Jamaican attractions. I have been there many times, but never chose the option of going up the falls with guides.
I always preferred to be more adventurous and go without guides. In this way, I can go at my own pace, not having to wait on anyone or have anyone waiting on me. This freedom makes it even more enjoyable.
Yes!! Definitely agree with you there, it’s so much more fun to go at your own pace without the guides.