Black River Travel Guide

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You can book a tour from someone in Black River or drive there yourself. Which ever you choose don't miss going to the YS Falls. It is a lovely place to relax, do some swimming, or look at the birds.
This is one of the few places in Jamaica that you can visit with out being hassled. The property is privately owned and not allowed here.
You park your car at the car park or get off the tour bus and then get on a tractor pulled jitney and taken back to a grassy area where there is a picnic area and a tree house. This is a good area to sit and observe the birdlife. The falls are surrounded by towering trees, ginger, and orchids.

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Be sure to take one of the 2 hour river tours. You will pass by the mangroves where you will catch a glimpse of a saltwater crocodile. You may also see jacanas, egrets, and osprey's. As you go down the river you will be told of the history of the area and they will probably feed one of their favorite crocs. Be sure to keep your hands inside the boat!

Bamboo Avenue is a 2 1/2 mile strip of highway south of Black River.It was developed late in the 17th century by local landowners who planted the bamboo on both sides of the road to provide them with shade during their travels. Due to storms, lack of rainfall, and theft it is not looking so good now.
I hope it comes back because it makes a nice scenic drive. Along the way you can stop and purchase a coconut to drink from the vendors on the side of the road.

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We finally arrived in Black River and Joni and I went to buy ice creams. While we were away Vesa and Riitta had talked with some locals who had offered them a ride in a boat and we decided to take one. As we were paying Vesa said that surely they wouldn't charge for a disable lady and a child and the lady said that she wouldn't charge for them. Apart from us there was an elderly Norwegian couple in the boat and they were really nice. We really enjoyed the ride very much as we managed to see herons, cranes and some birds we didn't know, some snakes in the river and alligators. They were quite lazy and quite tame I think. Two of them were called Charlie and Josephine. We saw the mangrove bog and many interesting plants. In the background there were the mountains and made such a beautiful scenery. It was very peaceful there, too. We were served mango juice, which was very good. We drove through the Bamboo Avenue, which is two and half miles/6 km long. There the tall bamboos form a natural canopy. Very pretty and picturesque. We stopped to take many photos there. We headed further southeast and visited quickly Appleton Valley Park, which wasn't much to see, though it was advertized as rainforest. We drove to the Lover's Leap, where there is a lighthouse, which gives a great view over the sea. However the fee there was so high that we decided not to go there after all. Drive there was worth it, because we saw some lovely countryside. As it was getting late we returned back to the hotel and the darkness set before we were there. It's not nice to drive in the dark in a place you don't know and especially because we had to drive in the left side of the road.

Parottee Ponds. Located southeast of Black River along the coast, these large salt ponds are one of the best places in Jamaica to see waterfowl and shorebirds like plovers, sandpipers, pelicans, terns, and frigatebirds.