A Blue Mountains day trip is longer than the coastal excursions, roughly 3 to 3.5 hours each way, but it’s one of those experiences that guests wish they’d done earlier in their trip, because it changes how you see the whole island.
Most visitors to Montego Bay spend their time along the coast. The beaches are beautiful, the Tryall Club is exceptional, the day trips to Dunn’s River Falls and Negril are well worth doing. But there’s a different Jamaica waiting in the interior of the island, one that fewer tourists ever see…
The Blue Mountains
The Blue Mountains run along the eastern spine of Jamaica, rising to a peak of 2,256 metres at Blue Mountain Peak, the highest point in Jamaica and the highest peak in the Caribbean outside of Hispaniola. The range is named for the blue haze that hangs over it in the early morning hours, a combination of mist and the particular light that comes off the peaks.
The mountains are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park, inscribed in 2015, dramatically beautiful, and home to one of the world’s most exceptional coffee-growing regions. They are also dramatically cooler than the coast, so bring a light layer if you’re heading to the upper elevations.
The Coffee
Blue Mountain Coffee is grown at elevations above 900 metres (around 3,000 feet) in the misty, mineral-rich soil of the range. It’s one of the most sought-after and expensive coffees in the world, and for good reason: it’s smooth, complex, and as rich in flavour as it is in history… considered on of the best coffee beans in the world, Japan buys approximately 80% of the annual harvest.
A visit to one of the working coffee estates, Craighton Estate and Clifton Mount are two of the finest, gives you the full picture: the growing, the processing, the cupping, and finally the cup itself, drunk at altitude with the mountains around you.
Hiking and Nature
For guests who want to hike, the Blue Mountains have trails ranging from gentle walks through coffee plantations to the demanding overnight trek to Blue Mountain Peak, timed to arrive for sunrise. The sunrise trek is one of Jamaica’s most celebrated experiences. On a clear morning, you can see Cuba from the summit.
Even a short walk through the upper vegetation zones of the mountains, past giant tree ferns and endemic bird species, is remarkable for anyone who has only experienced Jamaica’s coast.
Your Coconut Cottage driver can take your group for the day. The most practical approach is an early departure (6 AM) to make the most of the morning light and cooler temperatures in the upper elevations, with a coffee estate visit mid-morning and the drive back along the coast in the afternoon. Your chef can prepare a packed breakfast to eat on the road.
Blue Mountains Day Trip Itinerary
6:00 AM Depart Coconut Cottage with packed breakfast for the road.
9:00 AM Arrive in the Blue Mountains.
9:30 AM Coffee estate tour at Craighton or Clifton Mount.
11:30 AM Short hike through cloud forest, tree ferns, and plantation trails.
1:00 PM Lunch at a mountain restaurant. Ask your villa team for a recommendation.
2:30 PM Begin the descent back to the coast.
6:00 PM Back at Coconut Cottage in time for sunset.
It’s a long day, but a genuinely rewarding one. Ask your villa team to help plan the route based on what your group wants to prioritise.
Book your Coconut Cottage stay and let us help you plan the perfect Jamaica itinerary.
Want to learn more about Jamaica? Take a look at the history of Round Hill.