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Negril Seven Mile Beach

Travel guide · Reggae, beaches and waterfalls

Travelling to Jamaica

The beaches of Negril, the waterfalls of Ocho Rios, Bob Marley’s reggae, coffee mountains and jerk chicken. We tell you when to go, what to see and what to eat.

Updated 18 October 2026 · How we make our guides

  • Best time: from December to May
  • Where to eat: a jerk centre or a roadside stall
Photo: VV Nincic from Toronto, Canada · CC BY 2.0

Jamaica in 30 seconds

  • The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Jamaica are from December to May. If you can, avoid from August to October (hurricane season, hurricane peak).
  • To eat like a local: a jerk centre or a roadside stall. Don’t leave without trying: Jerk chicken, Ackee and saltfish, Patty.

Jamaica in November

You can go, with a few caveats: hurricane season. Book with free cancellation, take out travel insurance that covers weather events and check the National Hurricane Center’s forecasts a few days before you go.

  • November

    Hurricane season

    Hurricanes can form from June to November; August, September and October are the riskiest months. There are almost always days of heavy rain and humid heat.

    What to do: Book with free cancellation, take out travel insurance that covers weather events and check the National Hurricane Center’s forecasts a few days before you go.

More destinations for November

When to travel to Jamaica

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Jamaica are from December to May. If you can, avoid from August to October (hurricane season, hurricane peak).

  1. Jan no warnings
  2. Feb no warnings
  3. Mar no warnings
  4. Apr no warnings
  5. May no warnings
  6. Jun with warnings
  7. Jul with warnings
  8. Aug with strong warnings
  9. Sep with strong warnings
  10. Oct with strong warnings
  11. Nov with warnings
  12. Dec no warnings

More destinations for those dates: where to travel in January · where to travel in February · where to travel in March · where to travel in April

  • from June to November

    Hurricane season

    Hurricanes can form from June to November; August, September and October are the riskiest months. There are almost always days of heavy rain and humid heat.

    What to do: Book with free cancellation, take out travel insurance that covers weather events and check the National Hurricane Center’s forecasts a few days before you go.

    Best time: December to April

  • from August to October

    Hurricane peak

    August to October is when the Caribbean gets the most hurricanes and tropical storms.

    What to do: Take out travel insurance and follow the warnings; the best time is December to April.

What to see in Jamaica

The cities and areas most worth your time, with their highlights. Open each one for all the places, where to stay and its day trips.

  • Montego Bay

    Montego Bay

    The gateway to the island, with beaches, the Hip Strip and plantation houses nearby.

    • Doctor’s Cave Beach
    • Hip Strip
    • Rose Hall
    • Luminous Lagoon
    Montego Bay guide
  • Negril

    Negril

    Seven miles of beach and cliffs for watching the sunset, the most laid-back side of Jamaica.

    • Seven Mile Beach
    • West End
    • Rick’s Cafe
    • Negril Lighthouse
    Negril guide
  • Ocho Rios

    Ocho Rios

    The town of Dunn’s River Falls, which you climb on foot through the water.

    • Dunn’s River Falls
    • Blue Hole
    • Mystic Mountain
    • Nine Mile
    Ocho Rios guide
  • Kingston

    Kingston

    The capital of reggae, with the Bob Marley Museum and the Blue Mountains right next door.

    • Bob Marley Museum
    • Devon House
    • National Gallery
    • Port Royal
    Kingston guide
  • Port Antonio

    Port Antonio

    Jamaica at its greenest and wildest: the Blue Lagoon, rivers, waterfalls and the birthplace of jerk.

    • Blue Lagoon
    • Frenchman’s Cove
    • Rafting on the Rio Grande
    • Reach Falls
    Port Antonio guide
  • Treasure Beach

    Treasure Beach

    Fishing villages on the south coast, far from the big resorts.

    • Quiet beaches
    • Pelican Bar
    • Black River
    • Lovers’ Leap
    Treasure Beach guide

Day trips and activities

What’s most worth booking from each city. We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

From Montego Bay

From Negril

From Ocho Rios

From Kingston

From Port Antonio

From Treasure Beach

Some links are affiliate links: if you book through them, Bagintravel may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

What to eat in Jamaica

To eat like a local: a jerk centre or a roadside stall, and order jerk chicken or ackee and saltfish. And don’t leave without trying:

  • Jerk chicken

    Chicken marinated in allspice and chilli, then smoked.

  • Ackee and saltfish

    The national breakfast.

  • Patty

    A spiced meat pastry.

  • Rice and peas

    Rice with red kidney beans and coconut.

  • Curry goat

    Curried goat.

  • Festival

    Sweet fried dough.

The typical dish of Jamaica, at home

Ackee and saltfish
Photo: gailf548 from New York State, USA · CC BY 2.0

Ackee and saltfish

Jamaica’s national dish: ackee (a fruit that, once cooked, looks like scrambled egg) sautéed with salt cod, onion, pepper and chilli. It’s eaten for breakfast with fried plantain and festival.

  • Serves 4
  • 40 min

Ingredients

  • 1 tin of ackee (from Caribbean shops)
  • 250 g desalted salt cod
  • 1 onion
  • 1 pepper
  • 1 tomato
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 Scotch bonnet or habanero chilli
  • Thyme, black pepper
  • Oil

How to make it at home

  1. Simmer the desalted salt cod for 10 minutes and flake it.
  2. Fry the onion, garlic, pepper, chopped chilli and thyme.
  3. Add the tomato and salt cod and sauté for a few minutes.
  4. Gently fold in the drained ackee, without breaking it up, and heat for 3 minutes.
  5. Finish with black pepper and serve with fried plantain.

The trick: Use tinned ackee: raw and unripe, it’s toxic.

The typical food of each city, with a recipe

Curious facts about Jamaica

What guidebooks don’t tell you and will help you understand the country better.

  • Reggae, ska and dancehall were born here.
  • Blue Mountain coffee is one of the most expensive in the world.
  • It was a Spanish colony until 1655; Ocho Rios comes from the Spanish name “Las Chorreras”.
  • Usain Bolt is Jamaican.
  • Ackee, the national fruit, is toxic if it isn’t ripe.
  • Port Antonio was a Hollywood stars’ getaway in the fifties.

Traditions of Jamaica

Customs and celebrations that will help you experience the country like a local.

  • July Reggae Sumfest

    The big reggae festival, in Montego Bay.

  • 1 August Emancipation Day

    The end of slavery.

  • April Carnival

    Parades in Kingston.

  • Christmas Junkanoo

    A masked dance.

What not to do in Jamaica

First-trip mistakes that are easy to avoid.

  • Don’t go to the neighbourhoods of Kingston, Montego Bay and other cities that official travel advice warns against.
  • Don’t walk around at night outside tourist areas.
  • Don’t buy or use drugs.
  • Don’t leave valuables on the beach.
  • Don’t get into unlicensed taxis (look for the red PP number plate).
  • Don’t underestimate the sun.

Before you go

Entry requirements depend on your passport and change: always check them with official sources before travelling.

Frequently asked questions about Jamaica

What people search for most before travelling to Jamaica.

What’s the best time to travel to Jamaica?

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Jamaica are from December to May. If you can, avoid from August to October (hurricane season, hurricane peak).

What to see in Jamaica in a week?

The essentials of Jamaica: Montego Bay, Negril, Ocho Rios, Kingston and Port Antonio. How many places fit into your days, and in what order, depends on your dates and how you get around: the Bagintravel app plans your trip day by day in a minute.

What to eat in Jamaica?

Jerk chicken, Ackee and saltfish, Patty, Rice and peas, Curry goat, Festival. To eat like a local: a jerk centre or a roadside stall.

What is the typical dish of Jamaica?

Ackee and saltfish. Jamaica’s national dish: ackee (a fruit that, once cooked, looks like scrambled egg) sautéed with salt cod, onion, pepper and chilli. It’s eaten for breakfast with fried plantain and festival.

What should you not do in Jamaica?

Don’t go to the neighbourhoods of Kingston, Montego Bay and other cities that official travel advice warns against. Don’t walk around at night outside tourist areas. Don’t buy or use drugs.

Is it worth travelling to Jamaica in November?

You can go, with a few caveats: hurricane season. Book with free cancellation, take out travel insurance that covers weather events and check the National Hurricane Center’s forecasts a few days before you go.

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Guide reviewed 18 October 2026. Seasonal data, places and areas: the same ones the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.

Photos: cover, VV Nincic from Toronto, Canada (CC BY 2.0). Montego Bay, Grahampurse (CC BY-SA 4.0). Negril, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). Ocho Rios, Standish77 at English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Kingston, Wolmadrian (Public domain). Port Antonio, Chaoleonard (CC BY-SA 3.0). Treasure Beach, Treasurebeachjamaica (CC BY-SA 4.0).