About Ocho Rios
From its humble beginnings as a small fishing village, Ocho Rios is now a popular tourist destination on Jamaica‘s northern coast, having greatly expanded in the past 20 years in an effort to draw more tourists from other cities on the island and other vacation spots throughout the Caribbean. For Spanish speaking readers who might expect to find eight rivers in Ocho Rios, they will be sadly disappointed. The town’s namesake misnomer most likely stems from English mispronunciation and interpretation dating back to the island’s colonial days. Despite its apparent lack of rivers, visitors will find Ocho Rios to well-endowed with some of nature’s other most awe-inspiring landscapes, notably complemented by a selection of picturesque waterfalls scattered throughout the area. Though not as well known as some of Jamaica’s other resort locales, Ocho Rios offers the same unmistakably Jamaican white sand beaches without less of the hustle and bustle of its more popular contemporaries. It could be argued Ocho Rios offers a more authentically Jamaican experience, less watered town by the tourist catered overkill that comes with higher travel traffic. To say Ocho Rios isn’t as well traveled by no means implies that it is underdeveloped. Graced by first class hotels of various sizes whose easy on the eye exteriors accent the shoreline, tourists are certain to find a place to stay that suits both their pleasure and pocketbook.Without the profile of a Montego Bay, one might worry that absent the beach there might be little do in Ocho Rios. While not overflowing with explicitly touristy locales, there are still plenty of attractions, shops and stop-ins the entire family might enjoy. Ranging from safari tours across the Jamaican countryside to famous Dunn’s River Falls to even a theme park (Rainforest Adventures at Mystic Mountain), Ocho Rios is rich both in scenic beauty and diversion.