Jamaica Vacation

Blue Mountains

blue mountains jamaica

Shrouded almost perpetually by mists that give the highest mountains in Jamaica their bluish color, the Blue Mountain range sprawls across the eastern portion of the island for a length of 28 miles and an average width of about 12 miles. They rise steeply in an area so compact that it is possible to drive from the coastal plains to an elevation of over 7,000 feet in less than an hour.

The 194,000 acre Blue Mountain and John Crow Mountain National Park was established in 1992 to preserve some of the remaining forests and to protect Jamaica's largest watershed. The park comprises about 6% of Jamaica’s total land mass. These diverse mountain forests have more than 800 species of endemic plants, the world’s second largest butterfly, Papilo homerus, 200 species of resident and migrant birds and is one of the largest migratory bird habitats in the Caribbean. There are also more than 500 species of flowering plants of which almost one half are native to Jamaica. Of these, the most interesting is perhaps the Jamaican bamboo, Chusquea abietifolia, that flowers only once every 33 years. The next flowering will take place in 2017.

From Kingston, two approaches via Irish Town and Guava Ridge converge at the town of Section where the road continues down to Bull Bay on the North Coast. This is the only road that traverses the Blue Mountains and is the main access to the region. All other roads follow the river valleys from the main road around the island to penetrate the lower slopes of the Blue Mountains including the Port Antonio - Bowden road that follows the Rio Grande between the Blue Mountains and the John Crow Mountains.

The traditional Blue Mountain trek is a 7 mile hike to the peak with an increase in altitude of 3000 ft. Jamaicans prefer to reach the peak at sunrise so the 3-4 hour hike is usually undertaken in darkness. The unfolding dawn is very beautiful and on clear mornings, expansive views capture both the north and south coasts. It is well worth the effort although the garbage and graffiti on the little cabins at the top are a disappointment. On leaving the cleared mountaintop, the return trip reveals the botanical richness of the mountain. The trail passes through an elfin forest of stunted soapwood and rodwood trees, their low canopy resulting from extreme climatic conditions. Gradually, the cloud forest takes over with its dense, shaded undergrowth of mosses, lichens, ferns, lianas and lesser trees and gives way to primeval tree ferns, bamboos and shrubs that peter out at the forest line above Whitfield Hall.

It is safer to hike in the Blue Mountains during the dry period from December to April because its numerous, rapidly flowing rivers create floods and landslides during heavy rains. It is also the time when the rest of the Jamaica is most comfortable.

The Blue Mountains can be approached from various points along the coastal main road, but the most popular route is from the capital city of Kingston. Buses travel between the major towns and mini-buses connect towns to villages. From Kingston, most buses to the Blue Mountains depart from Papine.