Dunns River falls for 50+ yr old

[DayDreamer2]

Can anyone give me advice on taking the Dunns River falls excursion. I'm 50+ yrs old and in pretty good shape. I've read positive and negative about climbing these falls. How hard is it to climb the falls? How safe is it to climb the falls? Is the falls a "must see". Thanks for your help!:confused:

[whitsmom]

We went about 11 years ago. We all had to hold hands making a long chain of people. You should be okay, but the water current at one area was so strong that it flipped my insole inside my water shoe :eek: . We had a good time and glad we had the experience, but I wouldn't want to do it again.

[39august]

I did it at 63 and I'm in good shape. I quit 3/4's of the way up. We, too, were directed to hold hands. But I saw folks going up on thier own and it looked easier to me. The falls are beautiful and I'm glad I did it. But it was hard going for me at 5'3" and 120 lbs.

[addictedinflorida]

I LOVE Dunns Rivers Falls and cant wait to do it again in March! :D I think you would be fine. Not only are there multiple guides along the way to make sure everyone is fine, but you will be holding hands with others climbing as well so most people will try to prevent you from falling if they feel you slipping, or at least help you up if you do fall. I climbed it back in 1998 and never slipped or fell. The water is rushing down, but I dont think its hard to climb at all. Its very exciting and very fun and I think as long as you are steady on their feet, you should be fine :)

[Fran Harp]

Can anyone give me advice on taking the Dunns River falls excursion. I'm 50+ yrs old and in pretty good shape. I've read positive and negative about climbing these falls. How hard is it to climb the falls? How safe is it to climb the falls? Is the falls a "must see". Thanks for your help!:confused:

 

DH did the falls at 56. It is not a difficult climb for people in good shape, but he said there were some who should not have been there. He went up in sneakers and recommended that rubber shoes would have been a better idea. He did end up helping some other people do the climb.

 

So, if you're in pretty good shape, go with good rubber shoes, prepared to get a bit wet, and you should be OK.

 

Fran in Toronto

[cruzr4vr]

:) I climbed the falls a few years ago when I was about 54. I consider myself in ok shape and carry a lot of muscle, and I am overweight. I had no problem, and would do it again. If you feel good about your strength, go ahead. Wear water shoes, as there are spots that could be slippy. I think it is something you've got to do once, not to be missed.

 

Len

[Pop Tart]

A couple of years ago we took the kids for a march break cruise and a bunch of people decided to try the falls. My husband and I opted out of it and walked along side using the stairs, but the kids went with a few others.

It didn't impress us or the kids. In fact, my daughter (teenage:rolleyes: ) said she didn't appreciate having a lot of people's rear-ends in her face all the time :eek: And quite a few people of all ages required help along the way. There was some strong water and a steep climb at one point.

IMHO, why go all the way to Jamaica to walk in water and climb slippery rocks?

[Riley0214]

I climbed the falls when I was in very good shape (and 18 years old, many years ago!) and I found it to be very slippery! I was wearing rubber soled water shoes and I was sliding all over the place. It was fun, but I will never have to do it again. I saw someone in front of me fall and hit their head pretty hard and that was scary.

[gedam]

My parents climbed it at 75 and 78 this year!!!!!

[DayDreamer2]

I thank you for your help. DH and I are so undecided. Does anyone have any other recomendations for Jamaica if we don't do Dunns River falls?

[ilovecraig929]

quick question about the falls:

if you start up it and decide not to finish can you climb out and walk down the stairs? does this present any type of problem? we'd like to try it (me, hubby, friend, and mother in law), but im not sure my MIL can hold out. so i was just wondering if it's possible to get out along the way if you change your mind. also do the stairs go all the way to the top? so you could climb it without getting wet at all?

[Pop Tart]

I think there may be a place to exit the walk, but I'm not sure. The stairs follow the falls but there are a couple of places where you cannot see the climbers very well. If I remember correctly, there is one platform where you can watch the climbers.

I was looking for an alternate excursion for next April, and came upon the Montego thread. There may be a hotel to go to - use there beach, have lunch etc. for a reasonable fee. If that's the case, then we'll probably be doing that next April - I'm not too comfortable wandering around Jamaica or getting too far from the ship.

[nomoreknothead]

We are going in nov. and frankly I'm scared! I'm scared of slipping & falling. I would also like to know can you just climb a little ways and get off and finish up or go back down and play at the beach. We did book and excursion to the falls but I'm still scared. DH climbed the falls about 20 years ago and had no problem - He was 20 years younger too!! He wants me to climb them once. I'm 38, in fair shape but overweight:(

[MAHA]

2 years ago, my husband (51 at the time and in average shape) and our 3 sons (23, 19 and 13) climbed the falls. They all agreed it was fun and a once in a lifetime experience. I opted to walk the stairs back up as I had had knee surgery 4 years earlier and was afraid of stepping on uneven surfaces. My family said I made the right choice after they climbed. The water is quite cool and that was in August. There are many places to exit the water along the falls and step out onto the steps that lead back up to the top. If you are in good to average shape without knee or hip problems, you should be fine.

[Loucat]

We were at the Falls this year. I did not go up because after watching how MANY people were trying to climb (all with different guides from various tour agencies), folks were falling on each other. I consider myself to be in good shape, but I did not want to take the risk of having so many people around me and they are all trying not to slip. It is too bad they could not limit the amount of people (there were at least 7 or more groups holding hands) at one time. In terms of other things to do, we did not like the port and did not feel safe outside of the port area. I would not get off the ship if I went there again. Just MY opinion. Others may love it.

[BobBeaSea]

Climbing the falls can be tough...I did it years ago. We've been back to the falls since, just to walk down to and back up from the beach beside them, they really are pretty. If you are in decent shape, have a good sense of balance, wearing the correct footwear and don't mind getting soaked you should be OK. The unknown here is who is in your little group, it is possible to be taken down by others. There is an escape area about 2/3 of the way up. In all honesty, climbing them was no big deal...seeing them was far better.

[bouhunter]

It's worth doing and anyone in their 50's in half decent shape should be fine. The current is very strong in places and if someone falls, they're falling on ROCK, to there is some risk.

 

We did it with our 7 year old last winter and she was fine. The guides are good and keep an eye on everyone. They also scrub the rocks regularly, so there really aren't many slippery spots if everyone pays attention and walks where they should.

 

If you visit a big waterfall in the US, it's surrounded by fences, signs, etc etc saying "keep back"!!!! When you go to Jamaica, they say "yah mon', come on and climb the falls!" :D :D

[truffles2]

I wore my Reboks and had no problems. I was the last one--which is kind of like being on the end of the skating line--the person at the front doesn't get an awful lot of movement, the one at the end really gets it!:eek:

[jeh4554]

We did the falls a few years ago when my DH was 51 and I was 48. We did not get hurt but thought it was very risky. We saw several people fall and a friend of ours scraped her shin pretty badly. We decided that if we ever did Ochos Rios again we would stay on the ship. It is an area plagued with poverty, lots of of begging, and drug dealing. I did not feel safe there at all.

[bouhunter]

I did not feel safe there at all.

 

Check the Jamaica forum here, there are few, if any, posts about anyone being mugged, robbed or harmed in Jamaica.:rolleyes:

 

And of course it can happen right here in the good old USA.

[jeff1948]

it's great..go ahead; i was 56 and my wife was 53 when we did it; we are in great shape, but still.....it is so much fun!

[glndr]

I'm 40 and was dragged up by a 70yr old man. He was in a lot better shape than me. When his wife quit halfway through he told me he was getting me up to the top. And he did. I was dragging my 12 yr old daughter.

[efan82]

My dh and I did it 2 years ago. It was fun and beautiful! There is a path up on the side - stairs part of the way - a platform or 2 and this goes all the way to the top. You can enjoy the falls without climbing if you don't want to. I think it is the "don't miss" of Jamaica. (That and Margaritaville.)

[takeavacation]

We are going in nov. and frankly I'm scared! I'm scared of slipping & falling. I would also like to know can you just climb a little ways and get off and finish up or go back down and play at the beach. We did book and excursion to the falls but I'm still scared. DH climbed the falls about 20 years ago and had no problem - He was 20 years younger too!! He wants me to climb them once. I'm 38, in fair shape but overweight:(

 

I did the climb 2 weeks ago - and I too was scared -- but, I say GO FOR IT! There are people to help you all along the way - and the people you are climbing with will help pull you up. Do take water shoes that fit properly. The rocks aren't slippery if you have on shoes! I did want to quite at the 1/2 way point because the next section seemed overwhelmingly steep -- but, my friend wouldn't let me and I made it!! It's an amazing experience -- so GO FOR IT!! Good luck!:p

[Maguzi123]

I am in my 50's, a woman and NOT in good shape. I did it and only had a bit of trouble at one spot. I found out there are two level of difficulty. I believe the climb on the left is the easier one but I wound up on the right but still made it. I remember getting everyone cheering when I got up on particular area. OK, it was because I was holding up the line but it felt great to succeed. Good luck. Joyce:D