In Trelawny Parish, two very different discoveries lead underground and onto the water: limestone caves with bat colonies and a trip down the Martha Brae on a bamboo raft. Falmouth’s architectural history adds another dimension. Natural formations, archaeological interest and a public building with a clearly established construction date give the region several distinct themes.
Limestone, caves and their history
In Trelawny’s limestone regions, caves are home to large bat colonies that produce cave phosphates. The caves are also of great archaeological interest. In this landscape, natural history and traces of human activity come together as different aspects of the same cave-related theme.
Windsor Great Cave reveals another side of this underground landscape. It is tunnel-shaped and has grottos and vaults adorned with stalactite formations. It is easy to explore for about one mile (1.6 kilometers). Beyond that, an underground stream prevents further progress except for experts. Its approximate length and this natural limit give the cave a specific sense of scale, without suggesting that it can be traversed without limit.
Falmouth Parish Church, also called St. Peter’s Anglican, tells another story of the town’s history: built in 1795, it is the oldest public building in Falmouth. While interest in the caves centers on geological formations and archaeological context, here the focus is on a single building. Its construction date provides a precise historical reference point for Falmouth.
Experience the Martha Brae on a bamboo raft
At Martha Brae Rafting Village, visitors take a leisurely ride down the Martha Brae River on bamboo rafts. This activity is quite different from the underground world of the limestone caves: here, the experience follows the river, while grottos, vaults and a stream define the space described there. If you plan a rafting trip, check the operator’s current arrangements before traveling.
Jamaica in a wider context
In the wider travel region, Cockpit Country provides a habitat for hundreds of plant and animal species, including species endemic to the area. In Jamaica, the Blue and John Crow Mountains area is also one of the island’s important natural and cultural regions: it provided refuge for the Maroons, formerly enslaved people, and preserves tangible cultural heritage connected with Maroon history, including the Nanny Town Heritage Route. The area is also part of one of the world’s most irreplaceable protected areas for the conservation of amphibians, birds and mammals.
Jamaica’s cultural and culinary themes extend beyond individual places. Reggae is a central part of Jamaican culture. Ackee and Saltfish is the national dish and a popular local breakfast. It is served with accompaniments that vary by season, including fried dumplings, callaloo, green bananas, avocado and plantains. The seasonal accompaniments are as much a part of the description as the dish itself.
Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee also connects a product with a precisely defined landscape: authentic coffee carrying this name is grown exclusively at elevations between 3,000 and 5,500 feet in the cloud forest of the Blue and John Crow Mountain range. The annual Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival celebrates coffee and offers visitors coffee-infused products to sample. If you would like to include the festival in your plans, check the event dates.
YS Falls is another example of Jamaica’s natural attractions and experiences. The waterfall has seven cascades. There, visitors can zipline 40 feet above the waterfalls, go tubing on the river, use rope swings into clear pools and swim in a large pool fed by a natural spring. Check current operating information before traveling. These examples broaden the picture of Trelawny Parish to include other themes of the wider destination of Jamaica, without conflating them with the local characteristics of the parish.
Discover more destinations: Falmouth, Duncans, Rio Bueno, Salt Marsh, Florence Hall Village, Portland Parish, Saint Mary Parish, Clarendon Parish.
Go to the main travel overview: Jamaica.
