Turtle River Falls & Gardens
The Turtle River Falls and Gardens is a 15-acre tropical garden conveniently located in the resort town of Ocho Rios. On the property, the Turtle River pours into 14 cascading waterfalls. Several varieties of indigenous and endangered plants grow naturally in the gardens. Exotic birds are housed in a walk-in-aviary and a beautiful Japanese Koi Pond helps to complete this tropical hideaway.
Ocho Rios might be best known for its stretches of white sand beaches and the tourist-filled attractions of Dolphin Cove and Dunn’s River Falls, but today we’re headed somewhere new, to an attraction I’ve never heard of before, despite having visited Jamaica for the past 15 years. Driving past the familiar stretch of minibuses and street vendors, we take a right turn away from the North coast, and when we arrive at our destination about five minutes later, it feels miles away from the bustle of Ocho Rios.
With a lot of relatives in tow, we’re a mixed group today aged from 3 years, to 63. When we first step out of our bus into the empty parking lot, we all feel a bit confused. Apart from the security guard who let us through the gate, there’s no one in sight, so after sorting out what belongings we feel we need to take with us, we head to the large building before us. Here, we’re greeted by staff who give us all wristbands quickly, and we pay US$10 each. Standing awkwardly in the reception area, we meet our guide for the day who gives us a brief overview of what we’re going to be doing, gives us the opportunity to use the restroom, and introduces us to his colleague who will also be going around the falls with us as a photographer.