Jamaica offers a range of activities including water sports, world-class golf courses and rainforest eco adventures – just perfect for adventurous couples.
Head to the gorgeous white sands, boutique hotels and lively clubs of Negril – especially popular with couples and honeymooners.
Or visit family friendly Ocho Rios, with its all-inclusive resorts and array of holiday activities from water sports to eco-tourism adventures.
Spend time at Montego Bay, a party town also known for its great shopping and excellent range of accommodation.
Discover the ‘real Jamaica’ in the charming fishing villages of Treasure Beach, Port Antonio and Oracabessa, where you can find quaint markets with friendly vendors hawking kulu-kulu rum, ackee, yam and breadfruit.
In the island’s historic capital of Kingston – the largest English-speaking city in the Caribbean – visit the Bob Marley Museum, discover local flora at the Hope Botanical Gardens and glimpse colonial life in Port Royal, which was once the hideout of notorious pirate Henry Morgan, until a third of the town was destroyed by an earthquake in 1692.
Paddle a bamboo raft down the lush Rio Grande Valley and take a rejuvenating dip in the hot therapeutic mineral waters of the Milk River Spa, where the spring-fed water temperature often reaches 33°C.
At Ocho Rios (‘eight rivers’), visit Dunn’s River Falls, one of Jamaica’s most famous attractions, a picturesque series of waterfalls that cascade over limestone terraces and form natural rock pools before flowing into the Caribbean Sea below.
Climb the 183m-high tiers for panoramic views, or sunbathe and swim from the gorgeous beaches at the base of the magnificent falls – famous for featuring in the first James Bond film, Dr No.
Surrounded by tropical rainforest, spot bottlenose dolphins in Dolphin Cove and examine the colourful collection of exotic Caribbean flora at Shaw Park Botanical Gardens, a 10ha garden set on a hilltop overlooking the Caribbean Sea.
Admire a huge array of stalactites, stalagmites, overhead crags, tunnels and a subterranean lake among the spectacular limestone caves of Jamaica's north coast. For impressive sea views, visit Lover's Leap, a sheer 518m cliff just east of Treasure Beach.
Scuba dive among sponges, corals and sunken wrecks and see colourful tropical fish as well as nurse sharks, eagle rays, upside-down jellyfish and tobacco fish.
Come to Montego Bay in January for the famous Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival held at the Rose Hall Aqueduct.
Jamaica has the best golf courses in the West Indies, centred around Montego Bay.
Tee-off from the Cinnamon Hill Ocean Course at Rose Hall Resort & Country Club, a challenging mountain and coastal course rated by many as being among the top five golf courses in the world.
Or play a round at the championship course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr at the Half Moon Resort or at the Sandals Golf & Country Club at Ocho Rios.
Be sure to visit Jamaica's oldest golf course – the Manchester Country Club in Mandeville.
For the most fun in hiking (and for safety), sign up with an organised tour then discover a choice of great hiking and mountain biking trails through the Blue Mountains, including the 11km Guava River Trail, which follows the Guava River into the heart of the Blue Mountains.
Or hike through forested ravines and up ridges to a height of 2256m at the Blue Mountain Peak.
Hike trails around Port Antonio, Montego Bay and through the Rio Grande Valley – try the seven-hour White River Falls walk that follows the banks of the White River, or the less challenging walk to the Scatter Waterfalls, where you can also paddle a bamboo raft across the Rio Grande.
As with hiking, it’s best to join an organised mountain biking tour with experienced guides who can provide provisions and proper safety equipment.
One of the most popular destinations for mountain biking is the Blue Mountains.
For the best horse riding experiences on Jamaica, head to the North Shore around Montego Bay and Runaway Bay.
Choose from several independent dive operators or check to see if diving is included in your all-inclusive resort package.
From Negril and Montego Bay, take a scuba diving excursion to discover offshore coral reefs that are among the most remarkable in the Caribbean.
All the recognised dive operators offer PADI-certified dive guides as well as certification lessons.
For some of the best diving in Jamaica, head to Windward Edge and the wrecks of the Cayman Trader and the Texas. The latter, at 30m in depth, is especially known for its stunning black coral.
For some of the best snorkelling in Jamaica, head to the offshore reefs fringing the coast at Negril, offering many shallow areas perfect for children and beginners.
Or try the teeming coral reef east of Ocho Rios to Galina Point. Most resorts offer snorkelling equipment.
Most of the major all-inclusive resorts offer tennis facilities. However, if you really love to play, stay at the all-inclusive Couples Swept Away Negril, which boasts one of the finest sports complexes in the Caribbean and includes 10 tennis courts.
You can also try the Sandals Grande Ocho Rios Beach & Villa Resort, which offers three clay-surface and three hard-surface courts, all lit for night play.
In Montego Bay, you can find excellent tennis facilities at Rose Hall Resort & Country Club, and at Half Moon, which offers 13 courts, seven of which are set up for night games.
Hire a deep-sea fishing boat at Ocho Rios and hook up a blue marlin – Jamaica’s prime catch.
Latest update: Things to do in Jamaica: 21 September, 2023
Advertising