Complete Guide to the Blue Hole and Liberty Tours

[rsharp83]

What an awesome place. Well off the beaten path and still not that well known. The tour operators that come here are not affiliated with cruise lines (as far as I can tell) and therefore the ships don’t have the Blue Hole on their choices for excursions. I also suspect that this place would not meet some of the safety standards that the cruise lines might demand. But no matter, that just means fewer people and a more exclusive adventure for those who do research and find such hidden gems.

 

First off, what exactly is the Blue Hole? It is essentially a spring fed river with a waterfall and several pools. The guides take you through these areas along a crude path that runs through the river. Path is a generous term here. There really is no “path” rather it is a general outline of where you should traverse obstacles and not fall into a hole in the stream or get clobbered on a rock. Good water shoes are an absolute MUST. It’s one of those things that if you really thought about it you might decide not to do it but since everyone else is foraging up river you just go along with it and do it. The entire excursion pretty much operates on that premise. There are things that could hurt and injure you at every turn here but amazingly I saw no one sustain any kind of serious injury. But it could happen, and if you are the timid sort then this trip won’t be good for you. Wear your swim gear! The bathroom is small; you will waste a lot of time if you all need to put on suits. Also you will leave the bus dressed as if you are going to exit and jump directly into a pool of water. Because essentially, that is exactly what you are about to do.

 

The access to this area is somewhat restricted for people that have mobility issues. There is a steep hill from the parking area with some concrete stairs. However the stairs don’t run all the way from the parking lot. It’s fairly steep but would not be too much of an issue for most people. There is a viewing area here where people who don’t want to do the tour can stay. You get a great view of the waterfall area and the rope swing. Every few minutes a couple of the guides will run by and vault off the ledge and into the pool bellow. A 30+ foot jump. (Tourists don’t do this jump – only the guides). You will have something to watch the entire time you are here, but you will not be able to see everything your group does unless you go up river with them.

 

Up river you come to a beautiful area that has a little waterfall to sit in and some areas to jump into the pools. Everyone takes turns and the guides help you access different things. The view up river from here is spectacular.

 

From there you start making your way down towards the big waterfall doing various jumps in different pool areas. The footing can be tricky and you will fall down, stumble, etc. What is amazing is that you have such tremendous grip on the rocks. The water is flowing at a very fast rate so no moss or slickness builds up on the rocks. Get out of the current and the rocks get slippery.

 

When you get to the big waterfall they take your shoes away. You walk down the waterfall (which looks really steep from the viewing area but is not quite as steep once you are on it) barefoot and guides help you down the rock to the point where you want to jump off and into the pool. Some of us jumped pretty high up and some jumped pretty low. It is an amazing process to watch, the guides run around on this rock like mountain goats, almost like they defy basic physics. They are all just kids but they really know how to get people down the waterfall safely. It is a total rush.

 

Unfortunately we really needed our shoes back for the remaining part of the river and we didn’t have them. They need to work out a better system to get the shoes back to everyone so that the last part of the trip is easier. Those rocks hurt tender feet!

 

One word of caution about who comes on this trip. If your spectators are nervous about watching the rest of you do some of these activities – don’t bring them! One person in our group was an absolute wreck watching the rest of her family do all these things. She was so concerned for their safety and so worried they would get hurt that it really made for a miserable experience for her. She should have just gone to the beach and not come with us.

 

After the waterfall you have a rope swing and then you crawl up some tree branches and a make shift ladder through a tunnel of sorts to get back to the original main pathway. You can also do a high jump from this point; I’d say it’s a 20 foot jump or more. If you hit wrong it will really hurt. I did it and even though I have done many high jumps and dives, the impact still bruised my heal. If you don’t know how to properly hit the water don’t do this jump.

 

There is also a cave behind the waterfall but the crowd was pretty big so we didn’t do that part. Maybe next time!

 

We booked this trip through Liberty Tours and they were great to work with from beginning to end. I booked over a year in advance via email and phone call. They provided complete written instructions and gave us a call the night before we sailed to ensure we knew where to go and what to do. We had a very nice, clean bus that accommodated all 20 of our party comfortably. We had a driver and a guide with us. We stopped for some Red Stripe at a little store right near the distribution center. We stopped for some Juci Patties that were really tasty and hit the spot. Our guide explained a lot of things about the area and was entertaining and informative. After the Blue Hole we went to Scotchies for jerk chicken that was very good, if a bit disorganized.

 

It’s a long trip from Falmouth to the Blue Hole so be ready for that. The road to the Hole is very treacherous but these guys travel it almost every day so you just have to trust them. The scenery is amazing and some guy will try to sell you marijuana brownies. It was a great trip and a real adventure. If you like that sort of thing then I would highly recommend it. We had people ranging in age from 19 to mid-sixties that did this trip and you don’t have to be in top physical condition to do it either.

 

Be sure to tip your guides. Those kids were amazing and they worked very hard to make sure we all got where we needed to go. Just an incredible day in Jamaica’s hidden gem, The Blue Hole!

[johnnyjay]

Wow! What a thorough review! This makes me look forward to my visit there in a few weeks. It sounds very similar to the climb along the rocks through the Dunn River Falls.

[NightOne]

Nice write up. If only there were some videos ... oh wait ... I have some :)

 

Road to the Blue Hole

Direct Link:

 

Blue Hole 3-17-2015

Direct Link:

[rsharp83]

One of our guys had a GoPro but I haven't seen the video yet.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[michigyrl]

Thanks so much for your review! I was leery about Jamaica and what to do when we're there next May. After reading your review and checking out Tripadvisor I think this is the perfect plan for us as we'll be traveling with 4--20year olds!

 

I sent an email to Liberty yesterday asking for pricing and they promptly responded back. I was bit disappointed as I had inquired about their Blue Hole + Tubing tour, but they said we wouldn't have enough time for the tubing part. We will be in the Montego Bay port from 9 - 6. Is it a long drive to Blue Hole?

 

Regardless, this sounds amazing! Thanks again!

[divot33]

Thanks so much for your review! I was leery about Jamaica and what to do when we're there next May. After reading your review and checking out Tripadvisor I think this is the perfect plan for us as we'll be traveling with 4--20year olds!

 

I sent an email to Liberty yesterday asking for pricing and they promptly responded back. I was bit disappointed as I had inquired about their Blue Hole + Tubing tour, but they said we wouldn't have enough time for the tubing part. We will be in the Montego Bay port from 9 - 6. Is it a long drive to Blue Hole?

 

Regardless, this sounds amazing! Thanks again!

 

Mo Bay is about 2 hours from Blue Hole - map.

 

Blue Hole takes about an hour at minimum. I'm not sure where the tubing is, or how long it takes, but it does seem like a stretch to try to do both. You also may want to calculate in a lunch stop. If you really are set on doing both, check with other drivers. Some seemed more willing to push the times than others.

 

We had one driver tell us what we wanted to do (BH, Sun Valley Plantation, and lunch from Falmouth) was too much. We went with a different driver and had plenty of time.

 

Great post, @rsharp83! Thigs really do go quickly. You're jumping off a ledge before you even realize that you are ready to jump! The guides are very good, though. Ours knew when to give us more encouragement to do a jump and when to back off when we didn't want to do something - our entire group skipped the cave.

 

Ouch - bruised heel! We didn't find the last jump as injury inducing, fortunately. None of us had ever jumped off of anything higher than probably 4' before our trip to BH. 4 out of 5 did the highest jump and when we left, were sorry that we didn't try it a second time.

[CaroleSS]

Thanks so much for your review! I was leery about Jamaica and what to do when we're there next May. After reading your review and checking out Tripadvisor I think this is the perfect plan for us as we'll be traveling with 4--20year olds!

 

I sent an email to Liberty yesterday asking for pricing and they promptly responded back. I was bit disappointed as I had inquired about their Blue Hole + Tubing tour, but they said we wouldn't have enough time for the tubing part. We will be in the Montego Bay port from 9 - 6. Is it a long drive to Blue Hole?

 

Regardless, this sounds amazing! Thanks again!

 

Ok, so I'm worried now. We will be in Falmouth from 8-5 and wanted to do both the Blue Hole and rafting. Has anyone done both or is it too much for one day?

[rsharp83]

We spent all day doing just Blue Hole with lunch stop. Depends on how many groups are at Blue Hole.

[divot33]

Ok, so I'm worried now. We will be in Falmouth from 8-5 and wanted to do both the Blue Hole and rafting. Has anyone done both or is it too much for one day?

 

Falmouth is 30 minutes closer to Blue Hole than Mo Bay. So, round trip, that buys you an extra hour.

 

I'm sure I've seen a lot of posts where people did both BH and rafting, take a look around on the boards.

 

This OP did both, but I don't know where they docked or how long.

 

Also, check with some drivers. They will let you know what is possible and what isn't. They do these trips all the time and are the real experts.

[NightOne]

Ok, so I'm worried now. We will be in Falmouth from 8-5 and wanted to do both the Blue Hole and rafting. Has anyone done both or is it too much for one day?

 

 

You can do both. I did Dunn River Falls (which is the same time or more as rafting), Blue Hole, and other things in Jamaica from Falmouth with ports hours around the same as yours.

[CaroleSS]

Thank you for your reassurance.

 

I did look around and can see that many others have done both, but got a bit concerned for a moment. I am arranging this tour with my family and really, really want it to go well!

[Cruznjuly]

Great review, thanks!

Little worried about that last jump now! [emoji45]

Yikes!!

At least we now know there's an alternative!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sundayb]

What an awesome place. Well off the beaten path and still not that well known. The tour operators that come here are not affiliated with cruise lines (as far as I can tell) and therefore the ships don’t have the Blue Hole on their choices for excursions. I also suspect that this place would not meet some of the safety standards that the cruise lines might demand. But no matter, that just means fewer people and a more exclusive adventure for those who do research and find such hidden gems.

 

First off, what exactly is the Blue Hole? It is essentially a spring fed river with a waterfall and several pools. The guides take you through these areas along a crude path that runs through the river. Path is a generous term here. There really is no “path” rather it is a general outline of where you should traverse obstacles and not fall into a hole in the stream or get clobbered on a rock. Good water shoes are an absolute MUST. It’s one of those things that if you really thought about it you might decide not to do it but since everyone else is foraging up river you just go along with it and do it. The entire excursion pretty much operates on that premise. There are things that could hurt and injure you at every turn here but amazingly I saw no one sustain any kind of serious injury. But it could happen, and if you are the timid sort then this trip won’t be good for you. Wear your swim gear! The bathroom is small; you will waste a lot of time if you all need to put on suits. Also you will leave the bus dressed as if you are going to exit and jump directly into a pool of water. Because essentially, that is exactly what you are about to do.

 

The access to this area is somewhat restricted for people that have mobility issues. There is a steep hill from the parking area with some concrete stairs. However the stairs don’t run all the way from the parking lot. It’s fairly steep but would not be too much of an issue for most people. There is a viewing area here where people who don’t want to do the tour can stay. You get a great view of the waterfall area and the rope swing. Every few minutes a couple of the guides will run by and vault off the ledge and into the pool bellow. A 30+ foot jump. (Tourists don’t do this jump – only the guides). You will have something to watch the entire time you are here, but you will not be able to see everything your group does unless you go up river with them.

 

Up river you come to a beautiful area that has a little waterfall to sit in and some areas to jump into the pools. Everyone takes turns and the guides help you access different things. The view up river from here is spectacular.

 

From there you start making your way down towards the big waterfall doing various jumps in different pool areas. The footing can be tricky and you will fall down, stumble, etc. What is amazing is that you have such tremendous grip on the rocks. The water is flowing at a very fast rate so no moss or slickness builds up on the rocks. Get out of the current and the rocks get slippery.

 

When you get to the big waterfall they take your shoes away. You walk down the waterfall (which looks really steep from the viewing area but is not quite as steep once you are on it) barefoot and guides help you down the rock to the point where you want to jump off and into the pool. Some of us jumped pretty high up and some jumped pretty low. It is an amazing process to watch, the guides run around on this rock like mountain goats, almost like they defy basic physics. They are all just kids but they really know how to get people down the waterfall safely. It is a total rush.

 

Unfortunately we really needed our shoes back for the remaining part of the river and we didn’t have them. They need to work out a better system to get the shoes back to everyone so that the last part of the trip is easier. Those rocks hurt tender feet!

 

One word of caution about who comes on this trip. If your spectators are nervous about watching the rest of you do some of these activities – don’t bring them! One person in our group was an absolute wreck watching the rest of her family do all these things. She was so concerned for their safety and so worried they would get hurt that it really made for a miserable experience for her. She should have just gone to the beach and not come with us.

 

After the waterfall you have a rope swing and then you crawl up some tree branches and a make shift ladder through a tunnel of sorts to get back to the original main pathway. You can also do a high jump from this point; I’d say it’s a 20 foot jump or more. If you hit wrong it will really hurt. I did it and even though I have done many high jumps and dives, the impact still bruised my heal. If you don’t know how to properly hit the water don’t do this jump.

 

There is also a cave behind the waterfall but the crowd was pretty big so we didn’t do that part. Maybe next time!

 

We booked this trip through Liberty Tours and they were great to work with from beginning to end. I booked over a year in advance via email and phone call. They provided complete written instructions and gave us a call the night before we sailed to ensure we knew where to go and what to do. We had a very nice, clean bus that accommodated all 20 of our party comfortably. We had a driver and a guide with us. We stopped for some Red Stripe at a little store right near the distribution center. We stopped for some Juci Patties that were really tasty and hit the spot. Our guide explained a lot of things about the area and was entertaining and informative. After the Blue Hole we went to Scotchies for jerk chicken that was very good, if a bit disorganized.

 

It’s a long trip from Falmouth to the Blue Hole so be ready for that. The road to the Hole is very treacherous but these guys travel it almost every day so you just have to trust them. The scenery is amazing and some guy will try to sell you marijuana brownies. It was a great trip and a real adventure. If you like that sort of thing then I would highly recommend it. We had people ranging in age from 19 to mid-sixties that did this trip and you don’t have to be in top physical condition to do it either.

 

Be sure to tip your guides. Those kids were amazing and they worked very hard to make sure we all got where we needed to go. Just an incredible day in Jamaica’s hidden gem, The Blue Hole!

 

Glad to hear you had a great tour to the Blue Hole! We also have used Liberty Tours Jamaica and have sent my good friends with them this past year and they also LOVED it.

Now its our turn again! We are going this August and can't wait!

The Blue Hole is truly a hidden GEM! I have done Dunn's before and this blows it away. We felt very safe and secure with our driver. I had a few questions and emailed Liberty, and they were answered the same day. That is great customer service. One reason they keep us coming back.

I highly recommend Liberty Tours Jamaica as well.