Jamaica Caves

Jamaica caves provide entry into an amazing underground world. While there's no doubt that the above-ground landscape is pretty amazing, a trip below ground will be an interesting addition to an island vacation. Jamaican caves are found throughout the island, close to the beaches, near waterfalls, and in towns large and small. No matter where you're planning to visit, you'll be close to entrance to an amazing place that looks nothing like you'd find on the surface.

Whether you're visiting on spring break or any other time of year, you'll find several caves in Jamaica that are open to tour. The Caves of Nonesuch, near the Port Antonio hotels and resorts, were carved over vast reaches of time. Today's visitors can see the evidence of time through bizarre, colorful rock formations, vast chambers, and drawings left by the Arawak people. Above ground, nature's splendor is on display at the Athenry Garden.

Some of the caves in Jamaica carved out from rocky land of the north coast. Some of these, the Green Grotto Caves especially, are amazing sights to behold. With a short excursion from the Montego resorts and Runaway Bay hotels, you'll find yourself in a place waiting to be discovered. After donning a hardhat, visitors follow a guide on a 45-minute tour of a large limestone cave filled with stalactite and stalagmites.

Jamaica Map

Some caves in Jamaica are found underwater. When snorkeling off the waters of Lime Cay in Kingston Bay, you'll see rocky outcroppings, amazing animals, and nature at its wildest. One of the natural wonders of Montego Bay on the other side of the island, Widowmaker's Cave, is known for its black coral. It's a part of the Montego Bay Marine Park in Negril, as is Doctor's Cave Beach. At one point, swimmers had to squeeze through a cave to enjoy the blue Caribbean waters. After an earthquake changed the landscape, the beach became a wide-open ribbon of white sands. If you're not up for a dive, a glass-bottom boat tour is another way to discover what lies beneath the sea.

Not all of the Jamaica caves are what you'd expect. The caves in Negril Jamaica are some of the island's premier hotels. Just steps from the ribbon of white sand known as Seven Mile Beach, the hotel offers a mix of cottages and suites, as well as a deluxe villa. Guests of the Caves in Negril Jamaica still can explore nature; the hotel sits on two acres of honeycomb cliffs created over time by volcanic activity. Guests—the brave ones—are invited to start the morning with a jump from the cliff into the warm Caribbean waters. Even the mild at heart can find a place along the cliffs to soak in the sun and admire the scenery.

As expected for a top-notch island resort, the caves in Negril Jamaica offers a wide range of amenities, including gourmet dining, a rum-and-cigar bar, a sauna, spa, and a salt-water swimming pool. Like many of Jamaica's other resorts, the hotel arranges tours for their guests as one of the amenities. So if you're interested in exploring the world below ground, your hotel's concierge can suggest one of the Jamaica caves that is close to your accommodations.

Jamaica invented reggae, gave the world its fastest sprinters, and produces coffee that rivals the finest in Kenya. It is an island that moves at its own tempo — and that tempo is exactly right.