One of our absolute favourite drives in Jamaica (and with the sea and mountains there are so many to choose from) is the drive through Fern Gully. For those of you that don’t know, Fern Gully is a three-mile-long road near Ocho Rios. Before the north-south highway, a drive to Ochi from Kingston would always involve going through Fern Gully. Now it’s not necessary, but this stretch of road is not just about getting from one place to the other, it’s about an experience.

For one, once you hit it, if your windows are open, you can actually feel the air temperature drop. It has the name it does because it used to be a river bed before the 1907 earthquake, and because it is full of…you guessed it…ferns! Over 500 species, in fact. They form a stunning canopy overhead, which leads to a cooler temperature and all that greenery muffles sound too. The road through Fern Gully is also very winding, which forces you (hopefully) to slow down a bit. So imagine it – you enter Fern Gully, it darkens, it quiets, it cools, and you have to take your time, which in turn encourages you to look around and enjoy the breathtaking beauty. What better drive is there than that?

We usually just drive through without stopping, but if you want to linger, there are vendors selling items at the roadside, as well as entertainers on stilts. You can also take guided tours if you want an in-depth exploration of this beautiful stretch of Jamaica.