Rio Grande Rafting
Port Antonio

This river ride was the first in Jamaica and is still the most famous. Wear your swimsuit if you’d like to take a dip in the river. As you head down the river, be prepared for entrepreneurs to offer you everything from Red Stripe (“One for you and one for your captain”), overpriced Pepsi's, carved bamboo cups, flowers, bird feeders made from coconut husks, bamboo whistles and more.

The ride is especially recommended in late afternoon (rafts stop about 3 pm) when you’ll enjoy the sounds of frogs and crickets, sometimes incredibly loud, from the shoreline. In the late afternoon the banks come alive with the activity of the rural residents who use this waterway for everything from clothes washing to bathing or fishing.

On a recent trip we watched two young boys spear fishing along one stretch, a woman doing the weekend washing on rocks around another bend, and a young boy catching fish by hand under the muddy banks.

Raftsmen expect a tip at the completion of the journey; US $5-10 is appropriate.