Rio Grande Rafting

Rio Grande rafting is Port Antonio's signature activity — a long, leisurely journey down a clear river through dense tropical forest on a bamboo raft poled by a local guide. The trip takes two to three hours and covers around 14 kilometres from the launch point at Berridale to the mouth of the river at Rafter's Village.

The river is calm and beautiful, the forest overhead is thick, and the guides are accomplished both at navigating the raft and at telling stories. Swimming is possible at several points along the way. This is nothing like the organised adventure tourism of Montego Bay; it is a genuinely relaxed experience. Trips can be arranged through guesthouses and hotels in Port Antonio.

things to do sight
A story
Bamboo raft trips on the Rio Grande were popularised by Errol Flynn, who had a cattle ranch near Port Antonio in the 1950s and used to race his friends down the river for sport. He charged admission to the races, and the commercial rafting operation evolved directly from his hobby. The image of Flynn poling down the river with Elizabeth Taylor remains one of the defining images of mid-century Jamaica.