Plan Your Trip
What to Bring on a Jamaica Excursion Day: A Packing List From Our Drivers
What to bring on a Jamaica excursion day, from the drivers who load the van every morning: water shoes, a dry bag, small bills, and a change of clothes.
Bring water shoes, a small dry bag or waterproof phone pouch, a towel, a change of clothes, and small US bills. That short list covers most of what people tell us they wish they had packed. Everything else is comfort, and you can usually buy it on the road.
We load the van most mornings and we see the same small problems over and over. Someone climbs Dunn's River Falls in flip flops. Someone leaves a phone on a rock at Blue Hole. Someone has only a hundred dollar bill and no way to tip the guide who just walked them up a waterfall. None of it ruins a day, but all of it is avoidable.
Do I really need water shoes in Jamaica?
For anything with water in it, yes. The rocks at Dunn's River Falls are slick and the water pushes against you the whole climb. Flip flops come off. Sneakers soak through and get heavy. Water shoes with a real grip are the difference between enjoying the climb and gripping the guide's hand the whole way.
The same goes for Blue Hole, YS Falls, river tubing and Martha Brae rafting, where you step in and out of the raft on wet stone. Dunn's River rents shoes on site, but the line moves slowly and the sizing is hit or miss. Bring your own if you can. They pack flat.
How do I keep my phone dry?
Get a waterproof pouch with a neck strap before you travel. They cost a few dollars at home and a lot more at the attraction gate. At Dunn's River the park expects your hands free on the climb, so a pouch around your neck is the practical answer, and it is the only sane way to film the climb without risking the phone in a deep pool.
If you are doing a clear kayak photoshoot, a catamaran cruise, or the Pelican Bar boat ride, a small dry bag for the whole group is even better. One bag for phones, keys and a card, zipped shut, and nobody has to think about it again.
How much cash should I carry, and in what bills?
Carry small US bills. Ones, fives and tens. Vendors, guides and beach bars often cannot break a fifty or a hundred, and you do not want your tip decision made for you by the change in someone's pocket.
Guides at the falls and the river usually get five to ten US dollars per person, more if they carried your bag or took your photos the whole way. Lockers at Dunn's River run about ten US dollars with a few dollars back when you hand in the key. Craft market vendors will take Jamaican dollars happily, and you will often get a better price paying in JMD. Cards work at the big attractions. They do not work at the jerk stop that is worth stopping for.
What should I wear on excursion day?
Swimwear underneath, quick-drying clothes on top. Cotton stays wet for hours in this humidity and you will feel it in an air-conditioned van on the drive back. Add a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen you actually reapply. The sun here is stronger than most people expect, and it is strongest on the water, where the glare comes off the surface at you as well as down from above.
Bring a change of clothes and a towel in a separate bag. Most of our guests underestimate how wet they get. Ziplining, tubing, rafting, ATV, all of it ends with you damp or dusty, and dry clothes for the ride home is the single easiest upgrade to your day.
What can I leave in the van?
Your bigger bag, your dry clothes, your towel, water. Our drivers stay with the vehicle, so you are not hauling everything through the gate. Take what you need for the activity itself, leave the rest with us, and pick it up when you come out.
What we ask you not to do is leave a passport or a large amount of cash anywhere you are not standing. Keep documents in the hotel safe and bring only the day's money with you.
What do people forget most often?
Bug spray, if you are heading inland or out at dusk. Luminous Lagoon runs at night and the mosquitoes know it. A snack, if you are on a long run like Appleton Estate or Bob Marley's 9 Mile, where the drive is a real part of the day. Motion sickness tablets, if the winding interior roads bother you. And a valid driver's license if you booked ATV, because they will ask and there is no way around it.
Tell us what you have booked and we will tell you exactly what that day needs. Our drivers do these runs every week and they know which stops have lockers, which have shade, and which ones you will want a second towel for.
Ready to plan the day? You can book a tour with us, or set up your private airport transfers first and sort out excursions once you land.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need water shoes for every excursion in Jamaica?
Not every one, but for anything involving a river, waterfall or rocky entry, they make a real difference. Dunn's River Falls, Blue Hole, YS Falls, river tubing and bamboo rafting all involve slippery stone. For a beach day at Doctor's Cave or Seven Mile Beach, sandals are fine.
How much cash should I bring on an excursion day?
Carry small US bills, ones through tens, for tips, lockers, snacks and craft market purchases. Guides typically receive five to ten US dollars per person. Cards are accepted at the major attractions, but the smaller roadside stops are cash only, and change for large bills is often hard to find.
Can I leave my things in the van during the excursion?
Yes. Our drivers stay with the vehicle, so you can leave your towel, dry clothes and larger bag with us and take only what you need inside. We do ask that you keep your passport in the hotel safe and carry only the day's cash rather than everything you travelled with.
What happens if it rains on my excursion day?
Most excursions run anyway, since showers here usually pass in under an hour. Waterfalls, rafting and cave tours are barely affected. If the weather looks serious we will talk to you the morning of and move things around where the operator allows it.