Environmentally conscious travellers will love this natural nirvana of rainforest and flowing waters.
Set high in the Dolphin Head Mountains, Mayfield Falls combine cascading water and intensely verdant jungle with beautiful gardens and tropical birds flying overhead.
This is a wonderful place to come to escape from the crowds and the bustle of urban life. Designed to enable people to get back in touch with nature, this eco-tourism destination has gone from strength to strength.
Secure a guide and head for the beauty and release of the gardens. Multi-coloured jungle flowers, butterflies and fruit add splashes of colour to the greenery above and all around, which includes some 50 different species of fern.
Enjoy the gentle sway as you cross the rope bridge, and then follow the trail down to the 21 widely spaced cascades on the nameless creek feeding into the Cabarita River. Here you can appreciate many sensations, from taking a dip in the pools, to paddling in mineral springs, to savouring the natural Jacuzzi created by the falling water. Strong swimmers can even dive through the caves.
Bring along a picnic to enjoy in one of the huts provided, or try a local speciality in the café on site. You can also take in demonstrations of Jamaican cooking techniques and favoured herbs, or learn traditional local dances. If that all sounds a bit too much like hard work, jump in a hammock, lie back and breathe in the relaxed ambience of the rainforest.
Mayfield Falls are located in Glenbrook, Westmoreland, which is in the Dolphin Head Mountains. The site is open daily, and you can rent water shoes and a locker for your belongings on site. Your guide will take photographs for you, which will be available to purchase on a CD. The falls are located 16 kilometres from Moskito Cove, one hour from Negril and 90 minutes from Montego Bay.
