Went to Konoko Falls, Green Grotto Caves, Scotchie's from Falmouth

WHO WE ARE: We are two adults in our mid-40s (male and female), with a 7-year-old child. We typically make our own arrangements for tours off the ship. We arrived to Jamaica on 11/6/17 on the NCL Escape.

TOUR OPERATOR CHOICE: I quickly learned that I wasn't going to get a cheap private tour from Falmouth. Why? Because there's basically nothing there, and you're over an hour away from Ocho Rios, where most of the interesting stuff is located. Based upon Cruise Critic recommendations, I contacted three providers: Noel Smith, Ricardo from Liberty Tours, and Courtney Taylor. All three had good reputations here. I decided to go with Courtney Taylor, as his pricing seemed to be slightly better (and I didn't have to negotiate), and he seemed the most willing to do what I wanted. After negotiating, though, all three had pretty similar pricing, so keep that in mind. While all three were willing to take me to the destinations of my choice, Courtney's attitude was simply, "Tell me where you want to go and I'll take you there", which was most appealing. I did have to give a $42 deposit to Courtney, which I found to be reasonable. However, as there was some potential bad weather forecasted for that day, I waited until the night before to put down the deposit, which was no problem.

ACTIVITY CHOICES: I had two things I wanted to do for sure. Konoko Falls is a smaller, less-crowded version of Dunns River Falls, and I had been there in March 2006 and enjoyed it. I wanted to go back with my family, who had not seen it yet. I also wanted to try some jerk chicken at the famous Scotchie's. Both were in Ocho Rios. I also wanted to do a third activity if there was time, but hadn't decided upon it yet. I ended up settling on Green Grotto Caves, which I decided upon while we were on our way to Konoko Falls.

MEET UP WITH COURTNEY: We planned to meet with Courtney at 10am. The ship arrived at 9am, and all-aboard time was 5:30pm. Unfortunately, between running a bit late and experiencing some confusion finding Courtney, we didn't get there until about 10:45. Courtney was there, waiting along with a young woman named Kim, who was to be our tour guide while Courtney drove. It seemed that Kim was fairly new at this, and Courtney was training her, but she had a very friendly personality, and did a great job. She even brought along some pictures of things we would not see in person in Jamaica, but she wanted to tell us about. She also introduced us to various idioms in "Jamaican language", which we enjoyed, and our son found very amusing.

THE DRIVE TO OCHO RIOS: Kim told us a lot about what we were passing on the way to Ocho Rios, which as I mentioned took about an hour or so. Courtney was a good driver -- aggressive when necessary, but not crazy or dangerous. We first went to Konoko Falls, which I will describe below.

KONOKO FALLS: I can't say enough good thing about Konoko Falls. If you like the idea of climbing a waterfall in Jamaica, but hate the idea of the intense crowds and hand-holding with a line of strangers at Dunns River Falls, then Konoko Falls is for you. It's also easier and kid-friendly, while still being moderately challenging enough to where it still feels like you accomplished something when you're at the top. Konoko Falls has been around for awhile, but changed names about 2 years ago. It was called Coyaba Gardens and Falls when I was there in 2006. It features a small "zoo" of mainly reptiles and birds, as well as a small garden of some interesting plants. However, the main attraction is a waterfall over limestone rocks which you can climb. There is almost nobody there at Konoko Falls, even on days with lots of ships in port. It will feel like you have the place to yourself. Contrast this with the ZOO that is Dunns River Falls. Basically the place is poorly marketed, and even the private tour guides will not recommend it if you ask to go to a waterfall. (However, they all know where it is, and will take you there.) This is also a much better choice for kids than Dunns River Falls. A certified lifeguard will help you up the falls, and will take personal interest in helping your child if necessary. Our 7-year-old, who is not a great athlete by any means, did it with no problem, and really enjoyed it. We were the only ones climbing when we went, though we saw another party starting at the bottom just as we were reaching the top. Any average adult can climb this with little-to-no difficulty, yet it still feels like an accomplishment at the top. When walking down to the falls, it will look scary and treacherous, but it is not at all. The limestone is not slippery for the most part (except for a few little parts where there is algae growth on it), and there is nothing too steep or difficult. I do suggest you wear water shoes to do it. There is also a very nice viewpoint where you can see all of Ocho Rios at the top. If there's any downside to Konoko Falls, it's that the costs can add up. It's $20 for adults and $10 for kids to get in. Then you are assigned a guide, who you are expected to tip. Then you will be given a lifeguard at the falls, who you are also expected to tip. This is part of the cost there, so you need to work that in, and decide if it's worth it. I loved the peacefulness and lack of crowds at Konoko Falls, and being able to climb normally (rather than this hand-holding routine at Dunns River) was a huge plus. As I said, I did this almost 12 years ago and remembered it well enough to want to bring my family to it on this trip.

SCOTCHIE'S: Scotchie's lived up to the hype. I was fearful that it would be a tourist trap, but it was anything but that. The prices were all in Jamaican dollars, and the food was shockingly cheap! A quarter jerk chicken was $500 -- Jamaican dollars, that is -- which works out to a whopping 4 bucks US. The side dishes were mostly less than a dollar when converted to US. The clientele was a mixture of tourists and locals, but the pricing was what you'd expect at a locals place, as they don't even have US dollar equivalents posted on the menu (though you can pay in USD). The chicken was very good, and while not outright spicy unless you put on the additional hot sauce they provide, it leaves your lips tingling/burning a bit after eating it, which resolves after about 15 minutes (it wasn't too bad though).

GREEN GROTTO CAVES: I had considered Green Grotto Caves, but wasn't sure about doing it because I had seen a lot of other caves recently, and this one seemed a bit pricey (same as Konoko Falls -- $20 for adults, $10 for kids). However, after hearing from Kim that these caves were used by slaves to escape, I decided I wanted to see it. We did this last, as we were headed back to Falmouth. This is one of the few attractions which isn't in Ocho Rios, and is located pretty much right in between Falmouth and Ocho Rios. I was actually very happy with my choice to go here. Like Konoko Falls, this is not well marketed, and was very empty. A tour guide brings you into the caves, and our group was our family and 3 other guys. That's it. It felt almost like a private tour. The caves themselves were interesting, especially with the additional angle of the slave escape routes. The tour guide was a very nice and personable guy, and took special care to give a lot of attention to our son, who was the only child in the group. He even sent our son off on a "scary adventure" to follow the path off to the side which the slaves took to escape, only to have to chase after him when our son took it seriously and kept going! He also gave our son a Jamaican dollar (worth less than 1 cent US, and in coin form) to toss into a 45-foot-deep well in the cave. Our son didn't want to part with the coin, so he gave my son a second coin to toss in! The most interesting feature of the cave is a fairly large "lake" at the bottom of it. They used to allow swimming there, but do not anymore, due to the impact it was having on the cave. The lake is extremely clear and reflective, to where it's not clear if you're looking at a reflection of the ceiling, or underwater. Ask the tour guide to shine the flashlight into the water with the lights off, and you'll be in for a treat. The entire tour lasted about 45 minutes. There is some stair climbing, but it is not too strenuous, and can easily be done by any average adult or child. There are a few spots where you have to duck or squeeze through, but not all that often, and it was no problem for me, despite being very tall.

OVERALL: Jamaica was our most expensive port stop, but it was well worth the money, and we enjoyed it the most. I highly recommend Courtney Taylor. I suggest getting a hold of him on Facebook, but you can also google "Courtney Taylor Jamaica" and find his website. Ask for the "Courtney Taylor Luxury Private Tour" option, but he also offers group excursions for cheaper, if that's your thing. Konoko Falls and Green Grotto Caves are great choices for activities, especially if you hate crowds. The ship didn't offer either activity in their tours, but if they did, it would have been an impesronal, slow, group tour, and would have cost about the same as what I paid here. I highly recommend the private tour option, as the group options aren't particularly cheap either, and the private option is far better.

thank you, that's a great review. This will be our third time in Falmouth, but it's so darn far away from everything....

Thanks for the tour review.

There is a Scotchies on the highway, near to Falmouth enroute to Montego Bay. We passed it very recently. Perhaps it is a new brach? Thought I would mention it.

Thanks for a very informative review. I have been very uncertain as to what to do in Jamaica in March. We port in Ocho Rios..do you know if these companies you mention will originate tours from the Ocho Rios port? Are you willing to share what your total cost was for the day? We will be a group of 4 adults and wouldn’t want to share with anyone else. Under $100 pp would be my target.

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Thanks for the tour review.

There is a Scotchies on the highway, near to Falmouth enroute to Montego Bay. We passed it very recently. Perhaps it is a new brach? Thought I would mention it.

Scotchies in Montego Bay has been there for quite awhile now. We use to go there often when we visit Jamaica for their annual Jazz Fest.

Thanks for a very informative review. I have been very uncertain as to what to do in Jamaica in March. We port in Ocho Rios..do you know if these companies you mention will originate tours from the Ocho Rios port? Are you willing to share what your total cost was for the day? We will be a group of 4 adults and wouldn’t want to share with anyone else. Under $100 pp would be my target.

 

 

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Yes, they will do it from Ocho Rios, and for cheaper. Part of my higher cost was due to the drive from Falmouth. Courtney is based in Ocho Rios, as are the others (I think).

You will get it for less than $400 total with 4 people, yes. You probably have a bit more negotiating power, too, since you're not coming from Falmouth.

Green Grotto Caves are a bit of a drive from Ocho Rios (convenient if you're going between Falmouth and Ocho Rios anyway, but otherwise not), so keep that in mind. But you should still be able to do the whole thing cheaper than I did.

Great info thanks, I may substitute something else for the Green Grotto that is closer.

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Great review, thank you.

We are going on the same itinerary on Dec 9

Do you have advice on finding Courtnay when we disembark? Did the ship arrive at 9 as advertised or is there a time change?

What time were you back in port? or recommend being back

Yes, you need to walk completely out of the "shops" area, and then once you're out of that, you turn to the right and keep walking until you see a parking lot. Courtney will be under a white tent.

If there's any confusion, ask anyone working around there where the "independent tours" are.

Make sure you have cash for tipping 2 different people at Konoko Falls, which is a bit annoying, but is basically part of the cost. You will enjoy how empty it is.