A Daring Adventure at Dolphin Cove Ocho Rios
Why Dolphin Cove Is One of Ocho Rios’s Top Attractions
Happy Hump Day!!!! I hope this post finds you in an amazing mood as you gear up for the weekend! The work week is halfway through and I couldn’t be happier! Finally, I get to let my inner gypsy roam free and release my nomadic spirit.
I love to travel! It’s an exciting, exhilarating and peaceful way to learn more about life, the world and yourself. It’s such a gift to be able to travel and explore lands both near and far. There truly is no better way to grow, to learn, to discover and to enrich the soul.
However, traveling can rack a pretty huge price tag. And debt does not look cute on anyone. So when I see an opportunity to have a great experience for less, I have to take advantage. Yes please and thank you!!! Yes! I admit it! I looooove a good deal. A teacher I had even nicknamed me ‘I love a bargain’ after witnessing my shopping prowess on a school trip. True story! Seriously who doesn’t love a spectacular deal?!! Therefore, while browsing the website Brawta Living for a good deal, I stumbled across something I couldn’t resist. A discount for Dolphin Cove Ocho Rios!!! I nearly jumped out of my seat with excitement! Jumping Jellybeans this was a score.
Dolphin Cove has been on my travel bucket list for a while now but I couldn’t find the time to go there. But now with this deal aligning with my desire, things were finally seeming rosy in my travel calendar. And an adventure is always an amazing experience when shared with some wonderful people. So this trip saw me taking my aunt, my sisters and my boyfriend along with me on a activity-filled daytrip to the northern part of my island. Hoo-Ha!!!
The journey to Dolphin Cove
Our journey north got off to a late start with us beginning our travel at around 9:30/10 am rather than the 8 am start originally planned. Depending on the route you take from Kingston the drive to Dolphin Cove is between 1-3 hours, with the fastest route being via the North-to-South Highway toll road.
We arrived at Dolphin Cove around 11:30 am that day, quickly parked and made our way to check in. Just so you know parking is along the side of the road as there is no designated parking lot that we saw. It’s a popular tourist strip so for the most part, nothing happened as it related to the car. Just remember not to leave any valuables in the car.
The Check in process took a little bit of time. Between finding our reservation and receipt and having us all sign waivers and getting our wrist bands, I think it took around 15 minutes or so to get everything sorted for our day filled with adventure.
Unfortunately, the package we picked did not include swimming with the Dolphins. However, we were still able to watch the show at the sidelines and really enjoyed seeing the dolphins splish splash around and interact with the other patrons.
What we did at Dolphin Cove
So wait you went to a place called Dolphin Cove and didn’t swim with the dolphins?!!! What in tarnations? So what did you do? Wasn’t that just a waste of money?!
Actually, the name is quite misleading because there is so much more to Dolphin Cove than it may seem. Dolphin Cove doesn’t just have dolphins. There’s also sharks, sting rays and a whole other heap of stuff that we still could do. The place really had a lot more to offer than I expected. It was pretty unbelievable!!!
After watching the Dolphin encounter, we moved on to the miniature petting zoo and bird aviary. There, we interacted with the bunnies, birds and even an iguana. The guide at that part of the grounds gave us some really good tidbits and fun facts about the animals, especially the birds. There were so many species that it was absolutely beautiful to see. We even got to feed the birds!!! Which honestly, having a bird or a few birds eat out of your hands tickled. Plus once the birds get a little used to you, they tend to just land on you as they please so that was also pretty cool.
Oooooh Ahhh So What did you do next?
Once we left the aviary and petting zoo, we rejoined group activities and headed to the shark and stingray show. Here we had the opportunity to swim with both. We did neither! Despite the sharks being ‘friendly’ (nurse sharks) and the stingrays having their stingers out. No one from my little travel squad wanted to jump in on any of the encounters. The bunch of scaredy cats we were!! We again sat on the sidelines and enjoyed the experience behind the wooden barrier.
Just a little note: Interacting with the stingray is included with the admission and you can even take pictures holding them. So if that’s what you’re into then…… do you boo boo, do you.
Once we were finished with the shark and sting ray shows; we shimmied on down to the beach. We lounged around, swam in the relaxing sea (though it’s very rocky and I didn’t like that. It could really cut your feet if you aren’t careful or wearing water shoes!), and we even learnt how to do some canoeing along the way!
Finally, we ended our day by having lunch at the in-house restaurant; which carried a standard tourist menu of burgers, fries mixed in with Jamaican must haves of jerk chicken and curried goat (not fully sure of this, don’t quite remember. Eek!); with an assortment of beverage choices.
And then we packed up, cleaned up and headed home on our merry way.
Whew what an adventure right?!! Despite all of this, we did miss out on few things though. We didn’t do the glass-bottom boat or the short speed boat ride to Dunns River Falls. Oh darn!
Overall, Dolphin Cove Ocho Rios is truly like no other place we have ever visited. Although there were minor issues such as a rocky beach and poor parking arrangements, it really is a bucket list adventure for everyone to have at least once. There are a variety of activities to keep the entire family entertained!!! This is an experience we will cherish for years.
So how about you? Have you visited Dolphin Cove Ocho Rios? How was your experience? I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below!
For more information, visit: https://www.dolphincoveja.com/
Love,
Nella