Montego Bay & Northwest Coast

Overview

Home to the nation’s largest airport and a busy Caribbean cruise terminal, Montego Bay is many people’s first view of Jamaica before they get whisked off to the surrounding beaches, golf courses and all-inclusive resorts. So it's ironic that, barring MoBay's excellent dining scene, most of the area’s attractions are found outside Jamaica's second city. The north coast is replete with plantation-era history, from its well-preserved plantation houses to the historic core of Falmouth. Inland, adventure beckons, from hiking and spelunking in Cockpit Country – a roadless wilderness of hidden caves and eerily silent hills that is disorientating, even to hardened locals – to rafting and zip-lining through the jungle. Filling in the gaps is a dense network of small towns and tiny villages that pulsate with the rawness and romance of everyday Jamaican life.