Montego Bay

Montego Bay, Jamaica is a tropical island with beautiful sandy beaches. Because of this beauty, the warmth of the people, the wonderful food, the historical and cultural aspects, and so many activities to enjoy, this is a very popular resort city for people of all ages. Located about half a mile from Montego Bay is the famous Montego Fort, which is constructed on a small bluff that at one time overlooked both River Bay and Meager Bay, both that have now been filled in to make way for highway.

Fort Montego was built along the coast, as a means of protecting the island from invasion of the Spanish and French, along with pirates. Remember, at that time, this was a major shipping port and therefore, the people could not chance the port being unprotected. Unfortunately, by 1752, the Fort was in disrepair and to make things worse, an accident by which the guns exploded killing the gunner during a celebration of the British’s capture of Havana took place. To improve the Fort, major renovations were performed in 1779.

The good news is that Montego Bay was never invaded and pirates never proved to be a major threat. Typically, the only time the cannons were fired was in celebration of the King’s birthday or a visit from the Governor. Today, Montego Bay is the second city in Jamaica, meaning when it comes time for roads to be fixed, infrastructure to be repaired, or other things done, they usually take second place to Kingston, the capital city.

Even so, Montego Bay is the tourism capital of Jamaica with proud people and tremendous natural beauty. Although there are some people that will try to push you into buying things, sometimes even drugs, a simple and polite "no thank you" is all that is needed to get them to leave you alone. For this reason, the island is very safe. As you walk around, you will hear people say "Irie", which is the same as "great"! Therefore, to fit in, your response would be, "Irie, yea mon – no problem".

When in Montego Bay, you will have a huge selection of things to do. For example, you could take a day tour, taking you into the city’s interior where you will discover unique villages and plantations. Then the Caliche Rainforest is an excellent place to visit followed by a whitewater rafting trip down the Canyon. There are fly and tackle fishing tours, horseback riding on the beach, mountain biking, swimming, and water sports on the beautiful beach, and more. Additionally, Montego Bay offers a number of festivals to include the Reggae Sumfest, the world’s most impressive Reggae Festival!


Last Updated: 10/19/2006 3:14:00 PM

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