Climbing Dunn's River Falls
Majestic and Beautiful, Dunn’s River Falls is one of Jamaica’s premier attractions.
What you see here is a group of tourists climbing the nearly 1000 foot incline of the falls.
We are part of the group who made the climb during our Jamaican Vacation. And, even though the rain didn’t cooperate, it was a magical experience — in part because it’s an accomplishment to make the difficult and slippery climb.
We started our Dunn’s River Falls trip aboard a catamaran at Sandals Grand in Ocho Rios, which is also home to the Cool Runnings attraction, named for the historical Jamaican Bobsled that inspired the movie by the same name.
I’m not sure what I expected from the trip, but my imagination never dreamed of walking THROUGH the waterfall. I guess I imagined a large waterfall, maybe a small version of Niagara Falls. When they spoke of climbing the falls, I imagined a path leading up to this majestic waterfall. I never imagined we would link hands in a human chain and snake our way up the MIDDLE of the falls — climbing on rocks and through little lagoons.
At a VERY generous 40 something, I was the oldest person in our group. Despite a few falls and some good catches by the folks behind me I MADE IT TO THE TOP!!! Of course, I was really sore the next day — especially my feet which had stone bruises. But, I’m glad I did it if only to prove I still can.
Part of our day included a stop for snorkeling before getting to the falls. They anchored the “cat” along a reef and we had a great swim. I’ve snorkeled lots of places in the Caribbean — Grand Caymans, Florida Keys, Aruba, St, Thomas … — and this is one of the best snorkeling spots. Lots of fish swim near the reef, which is shallow enough you get to see them up-close. The reef itself is spectacular for the variety of coral it contains. Don’t touch the coral, as it damages structures that take a long time to replace and you get a very nasty cut.
On the trip back aboard the “cat”, we had lunch and it started to rain in buckets. During the trip, you almost couldn’t see the water in front of the boat, which pitched in every direction. Our group mainly stayed below, but a few hardy folk braved the rain and spray. After all, we were already wet, so what damage could a little rain and saltwater do?
A few deck hands stayed on deck with us — maybe to ensure we didn’t fall overboard. We danced and even the worst dancers didn’t stand out as we all struggled to stay on our feet. Copious amount of alcohol — much of it shots straight into our mouths — didn’t help matters any. By the time we docked, everyone was soaked and a little unsteady. So we stopped at the nearest shelter, which just happened to be a bar. Several friends on the trip never made it to dinner.
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