Things To Do In Kingston Jamaica

If the Jamaica you’ve bought and paid for is the endless golden sand beaches, turquoise waters, bottomless rum punches and perpetually smiling people, ask them to drop you off at the Donald Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St. James. The idyllic western end of island is the tropical paradise you’ve seen in every TV ad about Jamaica come to life and cocooned in the luxury of an all-inclusive resort, you will not get a dollar short of your money’s worth.

But if a little adventure has ever tickled at the toeholds of your soul, you might consider seeing Jamaica from the perspective of Kingston, the island’s capital city. When you land at the Norman Manley airport in Kingston, it’s quite unlikely that you’ll be met by anyone grinning in a floral shirt, answering ‘Yeah mon’ to everything you say. But the first stop on your island adventure is only a 15-minute drive away if you’ve landed in the island at a decent hour.

Ask anyone for directions to Port Royal – you’ll be heading to Gloria’s for some delicious escoveitched fish, fried festival and an ice cold Red Stripe beer. Once known as the ‘wickedest and most sinful city in the world’ teeming with wealthy privateers and swashbuckling pirates, the now sleepy, unassuming fishing village still holds many secrets. A drink of rum might be enough to loosen the tongue of a native in any of the bars in the village, and encourage them to spill the secrets of the city’s sinful legacy. But a generous tip in some local currency could inspire a local to map out a tour to some of the city’s half-sunken treasures for you.

If hiking is on your list of things to do in Jamaica, you should head next to the Blue Mountains.  Should the roughly six miles of rugged mountain trail prove too daunting, however, take a lazy afternoon drive up through Irish Town to Café Blue, and have a cup of the world-renowned brew from the rich beans grown right in the valley. A short drive further will take you to EITS Café, a European-inspired lunch stop with a breathtaking view of the Blue Mountains and the city not too far away.

Your day’s journey could end there…but if you’d like to tackle the trail, get back on the road and point your requisite SUV towards a cabin in the Mountains. Lejartre’s Retreat is the first pick if you need a rustic villa to accommodate your larger group of friends – otherwise Rafjam’s quaint little BnB is a more intimate option, especially for a more frugal foreigner. Special tip – get tucked in early when you arrive at your lodging for the night, and get some rest ahead of your hike, which starts at 2am. You’ll start your trek by flashlight under the expert guidance of a local guide (ask for Ipal – he’s the best), and end your journey at the peak in just enough time to catch the golden sunrise.

After your hike, indulge and recuperate with a nature-made massage at one of the nearby waterfalls or a soothing swim in any of the cool rivers running nearby. You might even want to enjoy some zen yoga in the hills before heading back into the city for a little Dancehall and some ‘yaadstyle’ diversions.

When you’re back on the flats, learn some of the latest moves at the Vybance dance studio, and then head out for a night on the town with your newfound local ‘bredren’. Be prepared to unleash your new moves at a ‘street dance’ like Uptown Mondays, or get yourself a ticket to the nearest Soca-Dancehall cooler fete. If Kingston’s party scene is what really gets your blood pumping, however, save that trip for April and come jump in Jamaica Carnival – which can easily work out to be a week of exciting lead-up fetes. These culminate in an explosion of colour, vibes, rum and fun on the day of Road March as Kingston’s roads become awash with revelry and rum-fueled reckless abandon.

No trip to Kingston is complete without a stop at the Bob Marley Museum on Hope Road in Kingston. Learn about the life of a legend and get your hands on authentic Marley merchandise. If you’re lucky, you could run into one of the Marleys on your trip, especially if you visit in early February, when the celebrations around Bob Marley’s birthday take place. Be sure to link ‘Viva’ for a sip of spirulina – a potent drink laced with one of nature’s best superfoods touted to have many remarkable effects on drinkers.

The true Marley fan will take it a step further and visit the hometown Marley made a lot of music about – Trench Town. Snugly hidden in the heart of the inner city, it helps to have a local friend who can help you navigate the lesser-known roads. That same local friend should be able to guide you to Dub Club in the hills just outside Papine. Enjoy real ‘Rastaman’ vibrations up in the hills, listen to live music and enjoy homegrown Jamaican marijuana in all its forms – tea, candy, pastries, you name it. Or…you could just ‘easy back’ and enjoy a calabash of vegan goodness while you rock to the beat of Kingston’s finest underground artistes.

The city’s art scene can also be a vibrant addition to your time in Kingston. From the downtown Kingston Waterfront, you can start your literal art walk on Fleet Street, where every wall is adorned with art in the form of social commentary, all painted by artists from all over the world. From there, a trip to the National Gallery will deliver the nation’s most stellar collections of fine art  – from the intuitive daubs of Mallica ‘Kapo’ Reynolds to bold sculptures from Edna Manley. A stone’s throw away is Kingston’s bustling Coronation Market, a mecca for fresh produce and sing-song peddlers, and a scene right out of many paintings of Jamaican culture.

All things being equal, the Kingston you experience is completely dependent on the time of year that you visit, and what you do with that time. No matter how many times you visit, the experience can be completely different every single time. But whatever you do, take Kingston on your own terms, and enjoy the freedom to make it your own.