One of the ports of call for our Royal Caribbean cruise during the week of November 28-4 was Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Probably the most famous site in the region is Dunn’s River Falls and we decided to explore it on our own instead of one of the cruise tours. Once we disembarked from the cruise ship, taxis and buses were readily available at the pier. Taxis to Dunn’s River Falls are $22 US for a round trip. Taxis allowed 1-3 people per vehicle. We were also told at the pier that the small shuttle buses also go to the Falls at $5.50 US per person. These were also based on return trips.
The only problem with the shuttle buses was that we had to wait until the bus was filled before leaving for the falls, so since we were the first to get on the bus, we had to wait about 15 minutes for it to fill up. The driver then asks him when he would like to be picked up at the falls for the return trip. Our driver suggested 2 hours to see the falls, so we agreed on this duration.
Once at the falls, a woman boarded the shuttle to sell tickets to enter the site at $10 per adult, which was the same rate at the park ticket booth. Once inside Dunn’s facility, special rubber shoes and lockers were rented. We had a small backpack so we didn’t need to pay for a locker. We also brought our snorkeling boots so we don’t have to rent those rubber shoes on site either. The cruise shop was also selling these rubber shoes in advance. Shoes of some sort are recommended as the rocks of the falls can be slippery and some of the bottoms of the water pools are a bit rocky. If you have some old sneakers that you don’t mind getting wet, they will also work for you to climb the falls. Our diving boots turned out to be enough. The entrance to the site is at the top of the falls, so we took some stairs that were adjacent to the falls to the bottom where the beach and entrance to the rise were.
There are official guides dressed in blue polo shirts and shorts who will take groups to the falls. Normally, they will ask you to bring all the cameras so that they can take photos of you while you go up. Of course, they expect to receive good tips for their services. Additionally, the groups were told to hold hands forming a human chain towards the falls. This was supposed to make things safer, but as we saw, this method of climbing the falls is not a guarantee against falls. We saw a woman get loose and fall down the rocks during one of the steeper sections. She wasn’t badly hurt, but we figured she had some good bruises. There are various points along the falls where she can go down the falls and back up the stairs to climb the rest of the way.
Not everyone attempted to climb the falls as many were happy to walk dry down the side of the stairs. We decided not to go with any of the groups that tend to hike up the left side of the falls. We made our way on our own mostly on the right hand side. With a few breaks for photos, we made it to the falls in about 30 minutes. Surely going with a group would have taken longer. The water is a bit cold and if you have a wetsuit it is highly recommended that you wear it for the climb. It is also recommended that cameras used up there above the falls be waterproof as they are likely to get wet. We left our digital camera on the boat and grabbed one of those $25 underwater cameras.
After climbing the falls, we headed back to the relatively small but uncrowded beach where the ocean water was warmer until it was time to leave. The outlet at the top of the falls was strategically located at the end of a market, so we had to go through some locals trying to sell us their souvenirs. These locals working within the Dunn site were rushed but not as aggressive as those in the town of Ocho Rios. The shuttle bus arrived at the site car park at the agreed time. The total amount we spent including park admission and transportation was $31 for the two of us. Taking a cruise organized tour would have cost more than double this amount. Therefore, it is quite possible to tour Dunn’s River Falls on your own instead of taking the more expensive tours. We were glad we saw Dunn’s River Falls, but we thought it wasn’t nearly as impressive as the photos in the travel brochures show.