Countrystyle Community Tours: Jamaica tours outside your resort
Legions of families take all-inclusive vacations in this sunny country, enjoying on-property fun and many programs and activities.
But what if you'd like to see something of the country too?
Jamaica tours: thinking out of the box
Outings can make some of the best memories on a vacation. No matter where you stay, if you want to explore outside your property walls and tour Jamaica, Countrystyle can arrange a customized guided outing for you.
"Where the beach ends, our countrylife begins," says Diana McIntyre Pike, founder of Countrystyle.
Different regions, different Jamaica tours
If you're near Negril or Montego Bay, your Jamaica Tour might be to visit heritage sites at the seaside town Savanna-la-mar, have a welcome drink at a bakery, a lunch in a local home, and visit Roaring River and underground caves en route. Or head to YS Falls, and visit a small town to learn about "bammy" bread, before you climb the waterfalls.
From Ocho Rios, you might take a Blue Mountain eco-adventure in the rainforest, and visit organic farmers too.
Jamaica tours can be arranged from any resort...
From Beaches Negril, for example, you might visit YS Falls and underground caves, or heritage seaside towns, or mangrove swamps with crocodiles. Franklyn D. Resort and Beaches Boscobel, meanwhile, are close to Ocho Rios so a day-trip to the mountains might be your choice.
Wherever you go, you're accompanied by a guide; Countrystyle also works with communities to help them provide "the best Jamaican hospitality."
Escorted outings typically feature a delicious lunch and a chance to meet local people. Prices start at $50/adult, excluding transportation; kids 12 and under free.
For more information, visit Countrystyle online for descriptions of sample tours, price updates, etc.
Countrystyle Community Tours is a forerunner in "community tourism", an approach which helps visitors discover culture, heritage, food, and music at the local level; Countrystyle is associated with the Sustainable Communities Foundation, and with the Countrystyle Institute for Sustainable Tourism, which trains communities in hospitality and in "offering vacation programmes for visitors interested in learning Jamaican culture, heritage etc."
photo (c) Teresa Plowright
