Dunn’s River Falls JAMAICA Catamaran Trip | TOP Attraction Jamaica
Are you planning to visit Dunn’s River Falls in JAMAICA? If yes, you should watch my Catamaran Trip by Scuba Caribe and read this blog. We visited Jamaica in March 2018, it was our first trip to this beautiful country. If you are wondering what to do in Jamaica, you are right Dunn’s River Falls are at the Top of the list of TOP Jamaica Attractions. I am happy to share with you my experience and all important tips to help you which trip to choose and how to maximise your experience.
Highlights
- Explore beautiful untouched nature.
- Climb waterfalls and feel the energy of cascading water.
- Explore & climb natural caves.
- Swing from a rope and jump.
- Jump into the lagoons.
- Enjoy a waterfall massage.
- Capture stunning photos and videos.
- Stunning White Sand Beach
General Information
Dunn’s River Falls Jamaica is an untouched natural attraction containing several terraced waterfalls and lagoons in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica. The waterfalls are 55 meters high and 180 meters long. It will take you about 1 – 1.5 hours to climb the waterfalls with short breaks for photos and videos. The entry to Dunn’s River Falls is from a White-sand Beach where Dunn’s River empties into the Caribbean Sea. However, you can enter Dunn’s River Falls even in the middle, right under the main waterfall.
Official Website: https://www.dunnsriverfalls.net
Dunn's River Falls Jamaica Opening Hours
Every day, 365 days a year, even during rain.
Regular hours of operation: 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.
Cruise ship day hours: 7:00 am to 4:00 pm
Dunn's River Falls Jamaica Entry Fee
Prices for Tourists (Non-Resident):
Cost per Adult – $25.00 USD
Cost per Child – $17.00 USD (age 4-12)
Payment method: Cash & Debit/Credit Cards are accepted.
How To Get To Dunn's River Falls Jamaica & Cost
The cheapest way is to take a taxi from your resort and pay an Entry Fee at the entrance to Dunn’s River Falls. In case you are sharing a taxi between 4 people this will be the cheapest option for tourists as you can also visit more attractions during the same trip, like The Blue Hole Jamaica, Dolphin Cove and others. The cost to rent a taxi for a few hours trip starts from 80 USD and the taxi driver is waiting for you and is your “tour guide”. This is like having a private tour. This is probably the best way how to enjoy Jamaica on a budget.
Opposite, the most expensive way is to book a tour by a tour operator at your resort. Those tours are the least comfortable as you will be collecting other members of your tour from their resorts and you must wait for the whole group at waiting points. The tours usually start at 70 USD per person. I do not recommend this kind of trip as you will pay much more for less.
My favourite was a catamaran trip from our resort. We were staying at ClubHotel Riu Ocho Rios. We booked our trip with Scuba Caribe which is my favourite Caribbean water sports operator. We did Scuba Diving Licence in Mexico with them and I trust them most. The normal price of the Catamaran Tour is 79 USD but we paid only 65 USD per person. Check our experience to find out more below.
Oficial Scuba Caribe Jamaica Website: https://www.scubacaribe.com/tours/jamaica/ocho-rios/
The official Dunn’s River Falls website also offers a huge range of packages for different tours and excursions which starts from 49 USD, you can check them here: https://www.dunnsriverfalls.net/tours-excursions/
Top Tips & Tricks For Dunn's River Falls Jamaica
- Bring your water shoes – you are not allowed to enter the river without water-shoes
- Avoid visiting Dunn’s River Falls when cruise ships arrive at Ocho Rios Harbour. Most of the cruise passengers are going to visit this famous attraction.
- Wear only swimwear and water shoes. No loose items like rings.
- Avoid any belongings which are not waterproof and you can lose them while jumping & swimming in pools. All items should be secured to your body – use a strip for your waterproof camera/phone.
- Don’t Trust that the videos and photos made by their cameraman are of good quality – we were told that we don’t have to make our own photos/videos as they will make it for us. We paid 30 USD for a DVD which contained photos and videos of the whole group – all photos and videos were of low quality, not even 1 nice shot!
- If you are going to buy a DVD with your photos/videos made a deal with other tour members to share 1 DVD between you as they all put the whole group on 1 DVD.
Can You Visit Dunn's River Falls Without Swimming / Climbing?
Yes, you can. You still need to pay the entry fee. If you don’t want to climb/swim you can walk up to the main waterfall and pool. It is about a 20-minute walk from the entry to the beach. In this case, you can be dressed as you want. You can walk around and take pictures. There are also stairs alongside of waterfalls and viewing platforms from which you can take lovely photos.
Our Dunn's River Falls Jamaica Experience Cost & Catamaran Package
As I mentioned before, we booked our Dunn’s River Falls Catamaran trip with Scuba Caribe which included a snorkelling stop at a coral reef and an open bar. The duration of this trip is 3.5 hours. We are always going on a boat trip during every holiday. This was the best option to combine a boat trip and an attraction in one trip. Great way to save time and money.
We were staying at ClubHotel Riu Ocho Rios where Scuba Caribe has a small kiosk for waterspouts and their staff are offering scuba diving and boat trips. We mentioned to them that we are thinking to go on a bus tour to Dunn’s River Falls and they offered us a discount to go with them. We paid only 65 USD per person instead of 79 USD. The price was almost the same as the bus trip but you could not compare those packages. The bus trip is only climbing the waterfalls and transfer, nothing else. Dunn’s River Falls Catamaran trip with Scuba Caribe includes:
- Boat / Catamaran Trip
- Party all time with DJ and MC
- Open Bar – no-alcoholic beverages on the way to the waterfalls and alcoholic beverages on the way back
- Snorkelling Stop at a coral reef
- Snorkeling Equipment
- Friendly Captain and his team
- Party in front of the resort beach
Snorkeling At Coral Reef
Our first stop was at the coral reef for a lovely snorkeling experience. The Scuba Caribe crew provided us with all the needed equipment and lifejackets. The water was crystal clear, with lots of fish and beautiful corals. We spend here about 30 minutes.
Climbing Dunn's River Falls
Once we arrived at Dunn’s River Falls Harbour we left all our belongings on the catamaran with the captain and crew. We were split into 2 groups and each group got a tour guide and cameraman. The water was really fresh but once we start to move I forget about it. It took us about 30 minutes to climb the whole waterfall. The best and biggest waterfall is in the middle. It looks stunning.
Once we got to the top we walked around the waterfalls and we made a lot of pictures from viewing platforms. The extra plus was a white-sand beach and the coast where Dunn’s River empties into the Caribbean Sea. There was almost nobody and the beach was really clean.
Jamaican Boat Party
Once we all were back on the catamaran the Jamaican boat party started. The crew was serving local spirits and beer. A live DJ and MC made a great party. Once we arrived infant of the resort beach we sail a little up and down enjoying a great atmosphere and party.
