I cant believe I underestimated the Beauty of Dunn's River Waterfall
Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
I have been trying to write this blog post so many times. It remained me of how many times I've decided to visit Dunn's River Waterfall and I just kept pushing it further down my list of places to visit here on the island.
I love the off the beaten path destinations. I love the element of surprise beyond the trees, mosquitoes and rivers. Dunn’s River is a tourisy destination. Because of its popularity, I've have ventured past it on many occasions.
Based on my research, I've made a bold statement that Turtle River Fall and Gardens is a better location. Both destinations are unique in their own way. I had to reconstruct that statement when my brother and I visited Dunn’s River Waterfall for the first time.
A decided to go see what the world was so crazy about. We took a taxi to downtown Kingston at a cost of JMD 100.00 per person and walk to Coronation Market on Darling Street where we took a coaster bus heading to May Pen at a cost of JMD 100.oo per person.
one of the few amazing view I saw
We stopped at the Spanish Town Hospital. The Minibus to Ocho Rios was parked at the Texaco Gas Station across from the hospital. We waited about 10 minutes for passengers to arrive then off the St.Ann via the Flat Bridge Route.
The bus drove through Moneague, Walkers Wood, Colegate, Breadnut Hill, Fern Gully onto Millford Road for JMD 350.00.
We asked for a stop before reaching the stoplight across from Turtle River Park just before turning on Main Street.
We took a taxi going to Discover Bay to Dunn’s River costing JMD 100.00 per person. The other options in getting to Dunns River were taking a Mini-boss going to Browns Town or you could walk. I can assure you it's not a long walk especially if you have company.
Dunn’s River Waterfall is located on Main Street which is a four-minute walk from Dolphin Cove. We passed Turtle River Falls and Gardens, Little Dunns River and Mystic Mountains before reaching the famous Dunns River Waterfall.
When we got to Dunn's River, it was a few minutes past 9:00 am and the property opens at 8:30 am and closes at 4:00 p.m.
We left our homes before 6:00 am with the intention to arrive exactly when the attraction opens but our timing was a bit off because we stopped to get Patty, Coco Bread, Juices and a Fish Burger because no re-entry is allowed.
We knew it would be packed with tourist and we wanted to capture the fall in its naked form.
Upon reaching the entrance, I had a pretty good feeling. I love traveling and reaching my destinations early. I get to see the beauty of the location before it gets lost in visitors.
The property was well kept. We saw men gardening and cleaning the grounds. We passed a huge parking space and a few amazing views before reaching the cashier. We passed a craft vendor. Her first sale was the purchase of a hat that I bought and she was very appreciative.
When we finally got to the cashier, we presented our ID to receive the local price of JMD 1, 000.00 per adult and child JMD 500.00 4-12Yrs. Non-residents Adults USD 25.00 and child USD 17.00 4 to 12Yrs.
We continue to fall taking pictures along the way. We passed craft vendors, tour guides, picnic areas, shops with refreshments on sale, a mini water park that was under construction, police post, changing rooms, lockers for rental, lifeguards, bathrooms that had cleaners at the door waiting to clean every time a visitor exit and finally the beach.
We could hear the beautiful sound of the river while heading to the beach which was the starting point in climbing the fall.
We climbed the fall with our bag packs because the locker fee was a bit pricey. Not going to lie, Dunn’s River Waterfall is a world-class destination.
Half way through our journey to the top of the fall
We had food, medication, portable charger, swimwear, water shoe and extra clothing just in case we messed up the ones we were wearing.
I had a lot of fun climbing the fall with my brother. He was the perfect travel partner for this trip. He was very understanding and he loved photography as much as I do. I always create amazing memories with my brother. Hence I would go anywhere in the world with him. We took pictures from the bottom of the fall all the way to the top
There were so many beautiful spots on the river that I couldn't capture in a couple of hours. Also, visitors were starting to arrive in numbers so we had to move quickly up the fall to capture as much of the naked fall as possible.
It was beautiful seeing the fall without the crowd. Lots of mini pools. This destination is a photographer’s heaven. So many spots to capture on camera. That's how exceptionally beautiful the scenery was.
Imagine us taking turns holding each other backpacks and posing in the river with a cascade as one of the many beautiful backdrops, holding our phones as tight as possible so it doesn't fall in the water. Pretty epic right?
While claiming the fall a tourist asked us to take a photo of her. She wanted our company but we were so caught up in photography she just continued her hike alone.
After reaching the top of the fall, we went to the beach and relax for a few minutes. I am a firm believer of capturing memories on camera so we took pictures at the beach as well.
We talked about so many things that day. We had plenty of laughs while swimming and enjoying nature’s gift. The water was warm and shallow which made it perfect.
We went back to the river to enjoy the many pools we saw while climbing the fall. The water was cold so we didn't stay in one spot too long. We explored the property almost in its entirety but we needed a few more visits to do so.
Never again will I underestimate a destination whether it's a tourist destination or an off the beaten path. Continue scrolling for more beautiful pictures. Have fun!
What was your experience like at Dunn’s River Waterfall? I would love to hear all about it!