Ocho Rios — the name is an English corruption of Las Chorreras, Spanish for "the waterfalls" — is Jamaica's principal cruise-ship port, on the north coast between Montego Bay and Port Antonio. The town itself is small and commercial, but the surrounding area offers some of the island's most visited natural attractions.
The most famous is Dunn's River Falls, a wide terraced waterfall that descends from the mountains directly to the beach. Visitors are led up in chains by guides, making it a memorable if crowded experience. Beyond the falls, the area has botanical gardens, a karst cave system at Green Grotto, and the bamboo-canopied Fern Gully road. The White River, a short distance east, offers bamboo rafting.
Ocho Rios functions largely as a day-stop for cruise passengers, but it has hotels and is a workable base for the north coast, with easy access to Firefly (Noël Coward's former home) and the James Bond beach at Oracabessa.