Rafting on the Martha Brae

We thought it was a nice experience but expected more of it. We had to wait a very long time. We thought this was worth it because we had seen everywhere that the tour would take about an hour and a half. Nothing could be further from the truth. We haven't been on the water for 40 minutes. So in the end waited longer than the actual tour lasted. Unfortunately the water was not as clear blue as we had seen in the pictures, they indicated that this was because we went there in the rainy season. So I would definitely recommend doing this in the summer. The other tour guides were exuberantly talking about the area, unfortunately ours was not. He was very friendly but did not tell anything about nature or history of this. It cost $38 per person. For us it wasn't quite worth it but I think if we had been in the summer and had another tourguide this would probably have been it. There are nice souvenirs for sale.

We used the Nexus Towers associated with Sunwing for this river rafting tour. The bus promised at 9:45 AM arrived 30 minutes late probably because it has to stop at each hotel where guests are registered. Apart from a return to the Hyatt where guests had been forgotten, the journey went well. We followed the river by road and reached the starting point upstream. There are buildings including two shops, toilets, a herb garden, and a bar where a soft drink is offered or beer for an amount. Our driver is very attentive and he carries us the lifebuoys and we get off at the queue-leu-leu. Everyone strides to embark on the raft with the rower. The descent is faster upstream where the river is narrower. The activity, even in cloudy days, is very pleasant and the descent takes a little hour. Our guide educates us about the flora including bananas, flowers, trees and birds and the dialogue with the guide is about his village of Martha Brae and his life in Jamaica. The landscape in the foliage and water is magical and some sun breaks as the river widens and its flow slows down. A Tarzan line stop can be a stop where some stop swimming and use a zip line, which did not happen that day. Some guides have a bag with carved coconuts and are offered for sale as supposedly personal works. The arrival is smooth at the final station where a photo of the couple is offered as well as drinks for sale. The driver picks us up and returns us to the hotel. A beautiful relaxing and enchanting activity that everyone will enjoy.

+1

The trip on the raft was relaxing and enjoyable. The raft captain was skilled and charming. However, the long wait to start spoiled the outing, as we stood around in the hot sun with biting mosquitoes while the passengers from cruise ships were given precedence over us. The five or ten minutes our driver said we would have to wait stretched to well over and hour, for me, my husband and a family with 3 young kids. The lady in the office was unfriendly and impolite. Not recommended for seniors like us or young children if you have to wait longer than 10/15 minutes.

This was a lovely ride down the river and our raft captain, Trevor, was delightful. However, the literature stated that it included a visit to Miss Martha's herb garden, which wasn't offered to us. Also, the price of $65 for 2 adults seemed expensive for this attraction. Although we enjoyed it, I wouldn't put it high on your list of "must do's".

Don't expect an hour-long drive, enjoy in a beautiful environment, that's all you have to do, highly recommended.