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Montego Bay

Montego Bay is where the newly remodeled Sangster International Airport is located. This will probably be your starting off point in Jamaica. However, cruise ships also dock in the harbor at Montego Bay as well.

About Montego Bay

Montego Bay is where the newly remodeled Sangster International Airport is located. This will probably be your starting off point in Jamaica. However, cruise ships also dock in the harbor at Montego Bay as well. Montego Bay was once referred to a "Lard Bay" as pig butter was the major export. Called "el golfo de buen tiempo" (the gulf of good weather) by Christopher Columbus, it was dubbed Bahia de Manteca (Lard Bay) by the Spanish, and later became a major shipping port for sugar and bananas. Montego Bay is a Jamaican City where a tourist industry has many hotels, restaurants and other tourist-related activities that coexist with everyday Jamaican-related happenings.

Places to See

Rocklands Bird Sanctuary

Located about 3 miles South of Montego Bay along the A1 highway, you turn at Reading and travel towards Anchovy. About 2 miles up the highway, you will see a sign saying "Rocklands Bird Sanctuary" where you turn left and continue for a little less than 1 mile to the parking area.

To organize a tour and excursion for bird watchers, contact:

Bamboo Rafting on the Great River

Rafting on Jamaica's Great River is a spectacular 2 hour trip from the historic village of Lethe, through Jamaica's beautiful mountainous interior including a stop at the Lethe Estate. An optional Plantation Tour can be added.

Rose Hall Great House

Located just a few miles East along the A1 highway, you will see the Rose Hall Great House prominently perched on the side of a hill overlooking the ocean. Plan a day trip to this grand estate, former home of Jamaica's white witch, Annie Palmer who was rumored to have practiced voodoo and had three husbands who all died under mysterious circumstances. Legend has it she was a beautiful seductress. The guided tour includes exploration of the house with its 18th-century decor and antiques. The tour ends with a visit to the dungeon that has recently been transformed into a tavern. Walk the meticulously kept gardens and see the palm trees beneath which Annie's three husbands are said to be buried.

Call (876) 953 2323 for more information.

Gloucester "Hip Strip"

Most people don't even know the name of this street is Gloucester Avenue as some marketing men started using the term "Hip Strip" and it stuck. The fact that there are three main public beaches (with minimal entrance fees) having facilities like; showers with changing rooms and water sports and snack concessions interspersed with a marine park, smaller hotels and restaurants keeping the area from being taken over by a private All Inclusive Hotel. Good place to shop for that special souvenir.

Chukka Blue Riding Stables

If you are staying in a Montego Bay hotel or arriving at the Cruise Ship Pier, an air-condition bus can deliver you in comfort to the Blue Hole Estate stables where your adventure begins. After a brief orientation, a Tour Guide will accompany you on the trail telling you stories and facts about what you are experiencing. Along the ride you will pass the ruins of a Great House before takes you through lush mountain foilage featuring a panoramic view of the coastline below. Descending through the estate, you pass through a Jamaican farming village and over the Maggotty River to the Maggotty Estate with impressive ruins of a Rum and Sugar factory. Further on you stop for refreshments served in a gazebo on a beautiful cove. Now you have the opportunity to ride your horse in the sea! Finish up with a shower and relax to await the transport back to your hotel. The office is located at the Blue Hole in Sandy Bay, Hanover.