I recently visited Jamaica for a short holiday. And during my short trip I visited and enjoyed the YS Falls including its zipline canopy adventure.
This was my first trip outside of Canada since the pandemic, so I wanted to take it easy and made only a three-plus day trip to an all-inclusive resort in Montego Bay.
I started the day by an exciting visit to Plaza Premium's new lounge in Pearson Airport's Terminal three.
The YS Falls in Jamaica
While in Jamaica I undertook just two trips - one to the famous Luminous Lagoon and then a longer tour to the YS Falls.
Jamaica has a number of cascading waterfalls and the Dunn's Falls appears to be the most popular one. However, I chose the YS Fall s as it seemed to be less crowded. And I was also thinking about doing the zipline tour.
The Falls is in St. Elizabeth Parish in the southwestern part of Jamaica and is just over 50 kilometers from Montego Bay. It has seven waterfalls and some pools. While some of the falls are safer to swim others are not.
It was opened to the public in 1992.
Check My Video on the YS Falls Trip
Two-Hour Drive
We drove through the Montego Bay centre and its suburbs, with its shopping centers and small boutiques selling everything from fruits to clothing and footwear.
There were few eateries as well and then we reached the countryside. Lush, verdant countryside with papaya, bamboo and other plantations, breadfruit trees and more.
And, after about two hours of driving we finally reached the Falls.
After buying the tickets, I got into a bus that drove through even more lush greenery before bringing us to the so-called Trading Post which is both a gift shop and the place to get off and on on the bus.
As I started walking towards the falls, the first thing that hit me was the beautiful medium pitch roar of the waterfall.
And then there it was - the water descending through a series of rocks.
The Zipline or Canopy Tour at YS Falls
It is 49 US per person though there is a discount for larger groups. I also found out that there are guides whose services are free.
After climbing dozens of wooden steps, I came to the start of the tour. There were two guides with me. One went ahead of me on the line, saying he will be at the other end to quote, "catch me". The other one will ensure that I leave safely and will follow me to the other end.
I am scared of the combination of height and speed and so when I started whizzing down the line, that scary feeling rose in me. I closed my eyes and relaxed. A few seconds later, I opened the eyes and there I was - flying above a thick canopy.
One by one, I did all five of the trips.
The Tarzan Swing & More
After the end of the tour, I came down to the fall and the guide wanted me to try the Tarzan swing. There are two of them and the top one is for the deeper area. I am not a good swimmer so decided to choose the lower fall's swing.
And then the fun was over.
Some say the zipline isn't worth the 49 dollars but I enjoyed it. I wanted to stay for an hour but in the end, I had stayed for more than two hours. I decided to tip my guide because he not only helped me to do the zip line and the swing but also took some cool photos.
A Jerk Experience
A trip to Jamaica isn't complete without enjoying at least one trip to a restaurant specializing on jerk chicken and pork.
And after the tour, our driver took me to a good jerk joint. It was past three pm and I had a reservation at the resort's Mediterranean restaurant so I didn't want to eat a lot.
But the pimento-flavored smoke coming out of the building massaged my hunger buds and I caved in though I settled only for a quarter chicken.
Now, here in Canada, we usually get jerk chicken with rice and peas but that was missing in this place. Instead, the options were bread, breadfruit, plantain, festival or roasted sweet potato.
I opted for the festival.
It has a tinge of sweetness to it, certainly from the sugar and the milk powder but I liked it. The chicken was delicious though I couldn't get a chance to taste one of my favorite parts of the jerk chicken - the skin.
And that was it, it was time to get back to the resort.
