A visit to Dunn’s River Falls Jamaica, part 1

Dunn’s River Falls is situated in Saint Ann Parish. It is near to Ocho Rios. Dunn’s River Falls is a very popular tourist attraction, maybe because it is very close to the cruise terminal in Ocho Rios. Dunn’s River Falls is a Jamaican national treasure.

History

The Arawak named the place “Xayamaca, which means land of rivers and springs. Then the Spaniards came and they called the area “Las Chorreras” which means the waterfalls. In 1657 there was a battle between The Spanish and the English infantry for the ownership of the island. This battle took place at “Las Chorreras”. The English won the battle.
Later on the name “Las Chorreras” was changed to “Ocho Rios”, this means “eight rivers”. This name may let you think that there are eight rivers in the area, but this is not true, there are only four namely; the Cave River, Roaring River, Turtle River, and Dunn's River.
At the bottom of the fall you can see a plaque placed by the Jamaican Historical Society which commemorates the event.

Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunn%27s_River_Falls

The waterfalls

Dunn’s River Falls has a height of about 180 feet (300 m) and a length of about 600 feet (180m).
The water falls down along a series of rock steps. Dunn’s River Falls consists of a series of waterfalls of approximately equal size. The cascades are steep enough to be classified as waterfalls, but fortunately they are not too steep to climb.

In the middle of the vertical sections of the fall, there are several small lagoons.

The material of the rock layer is limestone; this gives Dunn's River Falls it's character.

The falls are surrounded by a lot of green vegetation, which keep the area cool and shaded from the sun.

The falls are supplied by spring water with calcium carbonate. It is continuously regenerates itself from deposits of travertine rock, because of this, Dunn’s River Falls is a living and growing phenomenon.

The falling water, the limestone cascades, the green vegetation create a picturesque scene. But the picturesque scene doesn’t end here...