? for those who have climbed Dunns River Falls

[Chelsm]

I climbed the falls a few years ago and I am going back next week. I cant rememeber if you HAVE to wear the slip on slipper type water shoes or if you can wear the velcro Teva type if you want. Can anyone help me with this?

[CruisinRoxy]

You don not HAVE to wear any kind of shoe if you do not want to. However, we did this in July and in my humble opinion, a full water shoe would be the best. The rocks can be VERY slippery, especially if you cannot see them beneath the water - which is frequently. The water runs quickly, so obviously, rocks underneath cannot be seen. There were several times when I slipped off a rock and was grateful for the support a full water shoe gave. They're inexpensive at Walmart or Kmart or someplace like that. Just my opinion;)

[Host Caroline]

I wear canvas sneakers that tie (as opposed to "slip on" style)... good grip and they dry out and I can wear 'em again.. .climbed x 3 but never with water shoes.

[Nebr.cruiser]

I wore Tevas and got along fine. Probably the slip-on type are more stable on your foot, though. I just don't like wearing them.

[Chelsm]

Thats weird, I could have sworn that last time I was there, anyone who didnt have a typical water shoe on was forced to rent them from the counter. Maybe they just needed to make money that day or maybe I am remembering incorrectly. Thanks for the answers!

[workn2cruise]

I wore Tevas when we climbed the falls, if I ever did it again, I'd want the full water shoe to keep small pebbles out of my shoes.

[alittlenauti]

I had shoes to wear climbing the falls and was very glad of them too, i do remember them offering shoes for hire/sale at a kiosk for those who wanted them but im pretty sure it was optional.

[Starbright7966]

I was there on the 7th of this month. Our guide did not even have shoes on. But they made my dad rent shoes, he had the velcro type. He was a little mad at first but by the end he was happy he rented the shoes. I guess it depends on who you deal with on that day. The day we went they wanted us in full shoes. I guess you can wear yours and if they say anything then you could rent them.

Renting shoes sounds a little gross to some people, myself included, but those were really nice shoes. All rubber they fit great and after you return them they go into a huge bucket full of blue cleaner. So it was pretty clean. They also sell those shoes for $15.

[workinmom3]

Last week our guide was also barefooted!!! I can't imagine. We purchased water shoes from Walmart for $4.84 a piece. They worked perfectly.

[jennat]

We were there on Sept 13th. There was a group of 22 of us with every type of shoe (tennis, water, teva) They were all fine. The rocks got in the tevas and water shoes equally (the little ones in the deeper section) DOn't forget to take tip money off the bus for the guides. It was awesome, have fun!

[IsItTimeYet]

Just did this last week..you HAVE to wear shoes. Our guide told us, no open toed or tennis shoes, only water shoes. For those people that didn't have water shoes, they made them stop and rent ($5) or buy ($15) some on the way down!

[jennat]

It must depend on your guides because we had a group of 22 and we had every type of shoe imaginable. I had on Tevas and no one said a thing to us. Also, it is a national park, not privately owned, I"m not sure (but what do I know) that they can tell you that. I think (and once again, what do I know) that they were just pushing the shoes on you.

[Nemo2005]

ISITTIMEYET - Can you advise from what source you booked your tour? Maybe that makes a difference?

[IsItTimeYet]

I booked the Dunns River Falls & Dophin Cove directly through Carnival...I had to book thru the cruiseline if I wanted to do the dolphins!! :rolleyes:

[Beth_55]

There was a guy in our group who had some type of sandals on. They never said anything to him that I know of . We had a blast. First group up on Monday. I had the guides hand so I probably had it the easiest. Also they don't know which tour group you are with so that should not make a difference. I would advise water shoes tho .

[MamaParrotHead]

some of us had water shoes, the other half had Tevas. I had water shoes and next time I'd probably do Tevas...the rocks get through both kinds, but the insoles on the water shoes were almost as hard to deal with as the slippery rocks. I can't COUNT how many insoles I saw that had been ripped out and snagged along branches and such on the banks of the falls. Plus, my feet got considerably swollen on the trip, so even though they fit fine when I bought them, I'd have LOVED to been able to adjust them. I had some HELLACIOUS blisters on the backs of my feet from the damn shoes rubbing.

[gypsyrose]

I live in my Tevas and I guess if they try to tell me I can't wear them then I won't be climbing the falls. Tevas were built for this.

[attagirl]

We climbed the falls on our honeymoon 13 years ago and we were barefooted. Curious as to why it has gotten so bad that you have to wear water shoes now. Is it really necessary or is it another way to make money??

[Nebr.cruiser]

Boy, you must have tough feet! I don't know if it's gotten worse, but two years ago when we were there the rocks were very slippery in places and I appreciated the grip of my tevas. Some places were mossy, others just steep and rocky. Besides that, I'd never be able to step on all those rocks barefooted--ouch! I do have tender feet, though, have never been able to go barefoot much.

[Caltexan]

When I climbed the falls 2 years ago, I wore hard soled water shoes. They were comfortable and did not slip on the rocks. They also did a good job of keeping the small rocks out, no blisters, no problems.