On my trip aboard the MSC Seaside, the first country that we stopped in was Jamaica. We had a pre-scheduled excursion to go to Dunn's River Falls, which is a popular waterfall and attraction for tourists to go to in the Ocho Rios area. Going into the trip, I have seen pictures from people I knew in front of the falls detailing how wonderful the falls were. Finally, I was able to see it for myself.
I chose to do the climb up the 180 feet high and 600 feet long waterfall. After meeting with our guide, we went down to the beach where the base of the waterfall was. What I witnessed scared me a little bit.
The first part of the climb was the trickiest, as that was where the waterfall was the most vertical. Our guide had us all hold hands as we traversed through the first leg of the climb, in order to maintain our balance. Thankfully, our guide showed us the best line up the waterfall, even though it still felt like the climb was risky. In addition, the rocks did not feel slippery at all to step on. I was wearing water shoes throughout the climb, and it helped immensely with my grip on the rocks, but I do not think performing the climb in your bare feet was that much worse. The only thing you would have to worry about is getting any cuts or bruises from the rocks.
After the first part of the climb, the river flattened out a bit, and I was able to appreciate the nature around me. Lush vegetation surrounded the river, and the mini waterfalls provided a necessary respite from the occasionally arduous nature of the climb. The creation of the pools from the waterfalls were amazing for swimming.
Overall, the climb felt harrowing at first, but once I climbed the first part of the waterfall, the rest of the climb was not so bad. On a couple of occasions, I thought where I would be stepping into would be shallow, but I misjudged the depth and stumbled forward a bit. Luckily, I was okay. This climb is definitely doable for most able-bodied people. In addition, it should also please most adventure seekers.
After my day at Dunn's River Falls, I did some shopping in Ocho Rios and bought some souvenirs at the somehow fittingly named 'Hemp Heaven'. To put it simply, I spent a memorable day in Jamaica.
More pictures and a brief video to follow:
No comments:
Post a Comment