Martha Brae Rafting: What a Bamboo Raft Trip Is Really Like

Martha Brae rafting is a slow float down a river near Falmouth on a bamboo raft, poled by a licensed captain while you sit on a raised bench with your feet up. The ride covers about three miles and takes roughly an hour, and the water stays calm the whole way. From Montego Bay it is about a 30 to 40 minute drive, so it fits comfortably into a half day.

We take guests out to the Martha Brae most weeks. It is one of the few tours where people come back quieter than they left, in a good way. Here is what the trip is actually like.

What happens on a Martha Brae raft trip?

You arrive at the village where the rafts launch, collect a life vest at the pier, and wait a few minutes for your captain. The rafts are long bamboo poles lashed together, around thirty feet, with a bench built up in the middle for two people. Your captain stands at the back and pushes off the riverbed with a pole. You do not paddle. You do not steer. You sit.

The river runs through bamboo that arches over the water in places, past small farms and quiet stretches of bush. Birds are constant. Most captains talk the whole way, and the good ones are part guide and part comedian, with stories about the river, the old Spanish treasure legends, and whoever they poled down last week. Some will let you take the pole for a few minutes if you ask.

There is a herb garden near the start you can walk through before boarding, and at the end you land at a spot with a bar, seating and a craft shop. Vendors also come alongside the raft partway down selling cold drinks and carvings, so carry small cash if you want anything.

How long does the whole thing take?

The raft ride itself is about an hour. Add the drive, parking, waiting for a captain and time at the end for a drink, and you should plan on three to four hours door to door from Montego Bay. From Ocho Rios it runs closer to five, since the drive is longer each way.

If you want to stretch the day, Martha Brae pairs well with a Montego Bay sightseeing stop or a shopping run on the way back. Tell your driver before you set off, not after, so the timing is built around it.

How far is it from Montego Bay and Ocho Rios?

Falmouth sits east of Montego Bay along the coast road, and the rafting site is a few minutes inland from the town. From the Montego Bay hotel strip you are looking at roughly 30 to 40 minutes, depending on traffic through Rose Hall and Greenwood. From Ocho Rios it is about an hour and a bit heading west. From Negril it is a long run, closer to two and a half hours each way, so we usually suggest Negril guests pick a rafting option nearer to them unless they want this specific river.

What should you wear and bring?

Wear something you do not mind getting damp. The raft stays dry under normal conditions, but the bench sits close to the water and your feet will likely get wet getting on and off. We tell guests to bring water shoes, a change of clothes and a towel, and to put phones in a waterproof pouch or case. A dropped phone in the Martha Brae is a gone phone.

Bring a hat and sunscreen. There is shade in patches where the bamboo closes over the river, but plenty of the ride sits in open sun. Cash in small notes is worth having for drinks, crafts and for your captain.

Is it worth doing if you have already climbed Dunn's River?

They are opposite kinds of days. Dunn's River is a climb, wet and physical and loud. The Martha Brae asks nothing of you. If your group has mixed ages, or someone with a bad knee, or you simply want one afternoon that is not an adrenaline sport, this is the one that works for everybody. Couples tend to like it most.

When is the best time of day to go?

Morning. It is cooler, the river is quieter and you will not wait long for a captain. Midday on the open stretches gets hot, and a late start can run you into the afternoon rush back along the coast road. We usually collect guests mid morning for this one.

How do you get to Martha Brae?

There is no practical public transport to the launch site, and a route taxi will leave you sorting out the last leg yourself. Most guests either book it as a private tour with a driver who waits, or fold it into a longer day out.

We run it as a private trip with your own driver, so the vehicle is yours for the day and you are not sharing a bus with forty people on somebody else's schedule. If you are arriving on the island the same week, we can also handle your private airport transfers so the whole trip runs with one set of drivers who already know you. When you are ready, book a tour and tell us where you are staying, and we will build the timing around it.