Now, if you’re the type (like me) that likes to sit with nature and contemplate the grandeur of the Earth, the passing of the day that has gone and the days that are to come – there are many tranquil natural spots along the Negril coastline to enjoy this shining view. But if you are the type (like me again!) that wants to listen to some good music, surround yourself with friends and cocktails after leaping into the turquoise sea from the top of a cliff – then head to Rik’s Cafe.

Splosh:

Beware, it is extremely touristy (so much so that the tourists even ‘take-on’ the locals at cliff jumping. I watched as one tourist crowd tired of waiting for some kids to jump from a particularly high point, for the sum of two US dollars, and just jumped themselves screaming “this height is nothing!!”). It’s a little over the top (no pun intended) but the drinks are good and the food is tasty and they certainly have a very excellent view out to the sun. As well as a swimming pool. And shady gazebos. And waiter service throughout. And you can party into the night.

If I were to be mean, I’d say it’s a small slice of Cancun in Jamaica. If you know what I mean by that you might stay away. But having said that – some of my best nights have been in Cancun! You could always decide for yourself over a Red Stripe and the red sun…

Official Website: Click me!

Now I don’t want to be pinickety but I am going to be. Roaring river is hardly roaring. And that’s even after a few months of rain. I’d say it’s gushing laudably. The fast-paced flow spins through small bridges and mangroves, along fields and eventually down into the small colourfully-wooden-housed-village below. There was a deep green-blue hue to the water when I visited and this cooling sight along with the occasional spray were a refreshing treat as we walked up the hot forrest steps towards the caves. It was hard to resist the temptation to throw myself back down into the beckoning stream – especially as a few people were already sploshing around in the current. Nature lovers get ready – this is an idilic setting.

A garlic leaf. Identical in aroma to clove garlic:

OK, so the river didn’t roar – but the caves are definitely cavenous. Our friendly guide had spent the past decade or so taking people deep into the mouth of these rocks and he was well versed in explaining how boiling volcanic lava had met with the icy water to produce such intricate and windy passageways into the earth below. Our luck was in as on the day we arrived an almost omnipotent ray of sun streaked through the opening of the caves and onto the cave floor. I’ll say no more and let you see for yourselves:

I don’t know what it is about caves that bring out people’s imaginations, but in each of the caves I have been in I have always baffled to learn that “this 4000 year old stalactite in India looks like Ghandi” or that “These ancient granite formations in Nottingham resemble Robin Hood” and so on and so forth. It’s as if the natural beauty of geology and ‘the science bit’ that explains the uncanny creation of rocks and air pockets under the ground, from molten liquid at a temperature of 1000 degrees centigrade, isn’t enough. So I wasn’t surprised to see Bob Marley and The Lion of Judah appear like a mirage on almost every wall. Let me share the excitement with you:

I even started to get good at the apparition thing myself – and proudly pointed out this mangrove.

After a good half an hour under the earth I was kind-of missing the beating rays of the sun and the tropical heat above. On our way back we rushed up and down and even had to crouch limbo style (well, it is a national dance of Jamaica after all!) to get back through the passages we had blindly followed our guide along…and as we surfaced once more into the light we were welcomed with this rather apt shrine to the sun from the caged exit:

Enquiries and directions, call:(+1) 876-979-7987 OR 876-979-7988 for more information.
Please take note: There are lots of tour touts at the entrance. Make sure you get an official guide from the office.

The journey there:

Make sure you get your tickets & tour guide from the official complex…or bargain extremely hard! The official grounds look like this:

oh my oh my oh my oh my oh…. ok i won’t bore you with more words. instead i will show you what i am talking about…. courtesy of (us at go-jamaica.com) and YouTube, I bring you Kool Running’s, Negril, Westmorlands, Jamaica, The Carrabean. Ahem – listen up…Get involved:

It’s a quarter to midnight right now and we left Kool Runnings at 3pm (it opens at 11, we were the for four hours – and didn’t see more than 2/3rds of it). Why am I writing you a mathematical style travel blog? Because I need to tell you that my adrenaline is running again after just watching these videos – 8 hours after I slid. Here’s another video just for fun:

Superfast rocket – ‘Not for the weak hearted’

As the lady who showed us around the complex said “you’d never guess that this place has these kind of attractions by looking at it from the outside” (more on that later, dear, lovely, soon hopefully to be inundated marketing person). From an English perspective and the joys of Rickmansworth waterslides, when you first set eyes on the washed-out (they have hurricanes here in Jamaica don’t you know) colours of the tubes at Kool Runnings, you might be forgiven for thinking that this is just another water tube experience. But oh no! I think it’s time for another video and a few pictures:

Underwater Journalism…

Holograms are displayed in the tubes. “We come in peace. And swimsuits…”

‘Green Grotto’ Hologram Ride Video

Did I mention the food? Jamaican Jerk (of course. Ps. it was tasty with a capital T) Eskevitch (of course, Ps. it was finger licking good!) Cheeseburger (this is an international tourist resort after all, so, of course. Ps. they even do ‘take-out’ for the journey home), fresh fruit smoothies (yum schlurp yum), and smiley smiley no problem staff…. but did I mention that all of this water and laughing and scrummyness is also helping to save the local marine life?

I have been to a few of Jamaica’s best tourist attractions so far and, despite my adrenalin, the most outstanding thing about this place seems to me that it is supporting the local tourist market… most of their visitors are domestic tourists including many local Jamaican schools (many have their end of year excursions here) and, again, as our friendly guide around Kool Running’s informed us – this is great for local kids and foreign tourist children alike… everyone gets to meet each other when they are at Kool Runnings, it’s a real mix of Jamaica and the rest of the world – all be it most of the time thrown upside down or inside out!

Let’s have another photograph or two to show you what I mean….

Kool Runnings opened in February and is currently working on making sure that local Jamaican communities on the island benefit from their success. So – for those of you interested in the Jamaican bobsled team called ‘Kool Runnings’ you should soon be able to visit these picturesque houses below and discover inside artifacts from this (unlikely) world famous Olympic and hollywood (even more unlikely) bobsled team. They will also be making space for local arty exhibitions from the Negril community.

And if water’s not your thing…don’t worry – there’s also go-karting (did I mention that we only saw and took pictures of 2/3rds of this place) and an old-fashioned carousel. There’s also a number of restaurants and a cricket-themed bar on a breezy varanda, for those that like a drink rather than swimming it. A drink or two that is (It’s tellingly called ‘not-out bar’).

Young or Old, Rain or Shine – Kool Runnings should not be missed if you are in the area. Sorry, but underwater video is not strictly allowed by guests at Kool Runnings. For this privilege you should apply for a job at The Gleaner Company Click here…

Opening Hours: Tuesday- Sunday, 11am – 7 pm.
Price: Kids US$14 – Adults US$28 (for group savings & special offers click here)
Official website: http://www.koolrunnings.com
How to get there: Kool Runnings Water Park is located on Norman Manley Boulevard in Negril, Jamaica. Just across the street from Beaches Sandy Bay Resort.

Click here for directions and map…

Text, photographs and videos by Oliver Wright

‘All terrain’ doesn’t just describe the type of four wheel drive quad bikes and ‘moon-buggies’ that this trip has on offer. A 2-3 hour adventure takes you and up to a dozen friends through the mud flats, field and jungle and way up into the hills, to terrain 2000 feet above sea level (other than the blue-mountains, this is pretty high for the island). Proving spectacular views down to the coast, you see it and ride it all. On the afternoon that we went a farmer was making a huge fire in the fields – and smoke billowed and blew, forming a blue-grey belt around the horizon of jungle.

The quad bikes are pretty easy to drive and have a suitably forgiving suspension as you bounce across rocks and down surprisingly steep hillocks. They are fast too – reaching speeds of around 60km per hour – so for petrol heads and adrenaline junkies alike, this is a trip that you will like. This wasn’t the first time that I heard the words “man, just wait until we tell the people that chose to go ‘horse riding’ instead!!! (Having said that – horse riding was to come, and like most things at Chukka, is full of surpassing surprises).

Visit the official Chukka Jamaica website, where you can also make advance bookings: Click here

Chukka resorts are all over the Carribean (Belize, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands). Checkout their global website

Oh, and in case you were wondering…you won’t ever go hungry at Chukka…

Text and photography by Oliver Wright