As your bamboo raft slips away from the riverbank, the world falls into a soft hush, broken only by the gentle murmur of water over submerged stones and the delicate wing-whir of hummingbirds darting between blossoms overhead.
Originally designed to move sugar and bananas, bamboo rafting became a recreational pastime in the early 1950s when Hollywood actor Errol Flynn, who'd made Port Antonio his home, began scenic floats down the Rio Grande purely for enjoyment. Flynn's celebrity excursions — complete with picnics and rum punches — attracted international attention, transforming a utilitarian craft into a premier tourist draw.
Indigenous Influences & Taino Legends
While there's limited evidence that the pre-Columbian Taino built large bamboo rafts, bamboo itself was integral to Taino life — for canoes, tools, and structures — and the Maroons later adopted these materials for river crossings. Today's rafting tours often invoke the legend of "Miss Martha Brae," a Taino woman who, according to folklore, was forced by Spanish settlers to reveal hidden gold and then used her powers to change the river's course and drown her captors.
Jamaica's Premier Rivers
Great River (Hanover)
Famed for its canopy-tunnel passages and proximity to Montego Bay.
Martha Brae (Trelawny)
Three miles of calm, emerald water, easily accessible and rich in lore.
Rio Grande (Portland)
A longer, more secluded 10 km journey through a verdant valley.