Discover Jamaica

4,240 square miles Highest point: Blue Mountain Peak, 7,402 feet

To explore wild Jamaica, you can start on the very outskirts of Kingston, where the dramatic Blue Mountains — famous for their coffee — form a towering backdrop. A hike to the higher elevations offers majestic views across the valleys as you ascend to cloud forest. To scale Blue Mountain Peak itself, you traditionally camp near the trailhead and set off in the wee hours, to catch the sunrise at the summit — some say that in the clearest weather you can even see Cuba to the north. Heading east from Kingston, Jamaica is dominated by its hills, whether rolling gently or plunging abruptly. The island’s most biologically diverse region is also one of its least known: the five hundred square miles of the Cockpit Country, south of Montego Bay. Imagine a landscape dotted with thousands of limestone sinkholes — the “cockpits” — thickly forested and home to rare species. For centuries, this was the stronghold of Jamaica’s Maroons, and a guided trek is one of the island’s biggest outdoor adventures.

The oasis of Secret Falls above Jamaica’s north coast.

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Rafting on White River, near Ocho Rios on Jamaica’s north coast.

Photo by LBSimms Photography/Shutterstock.com