Fish Dunn Falls, Portland
An off the beaten path ADVENTURE to Fish Dunn Falls
Portland is a parish that absolutely has my heart. There is no ifs, no ands, or buts about it; Portland, Jamaica is one of my absolutely favourite places to explore on the island. It feels like every time I visit I’m greeted with more reasons this place is special and one such reason is Fish Dunn Falls. Fish Dunn Falls is a series of beautiful cascading waterfalls nestled in the quaint community of Silver Hills, Portland. Located approximately 2 hours from the Kington & St. Andrew cityscape, Fish Dunn Falls can be accessed easiest by taking the road just beyond Holywell that leads to Portland.
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Getting There
The scenic drive is a fairly straightforward one, albeit the roads are not all the best. Starting from Papine square, head onto Gordon Town road for around a 10-15 minute drive until you reach a left turn off. There will signs at this turn directing you to popular landmarks like Cafe Blue which is also located in that direction. After taking the left turn, you continue straight along the path, along all the bends and turns. The path is fairly winding one so don’t forget to honk your horns when going around corners. As mentioned before, you’ll pass landmarks such as Cafe Blue, Strawberry Hill, EITS cafe and Red Light District along the way. Continue driving until you reach Newcastle Military base. No you’re not there yet but you can use this opportunity to stop and take in the breathtaking view of the city, stretch your legs and even snap some pics if you like. Newcastle represents the border between St. Andrew and Portland, so once you exit on the other side, you’ve landed in Portland. Yay!
After passing through Newcastle, you continue driving the winding roads towards Hollywell. Despite appearances, this is a straight road with no actual turns. And if you feel a little unsure, Google maps is actually pretty good in their directions there. The drive to Hollywell Park lasts approximately an hour. Once at Hollywell, rather than driving into the property, continue along the road and head further into Portland towards Fish Dunn Falls. Again the roads are not the best but they are drivable. Along the way, you’ll pass the Blue Mountain bicycle tours and the Cascade community and waterfalls. You continue driving until you see a sign saying Ministry of Education: Avocat Primary & Junior High. You take a left turn here and continue to the end of the road where the falls is located.
The other route to get to Fish Dunn Falls is to drive through Manor Park head towards Stony Hill, drive through Junction to Buff Bay and then towards Silver Hill.
The Fish Dunn Falls
The falls in previous years was free, but now it is operated by a lady name Donna and her son, Paul who offer guided tours around the falls and act as lifeguard to visitors for $500 JMD per person for entry. They’ve also done little fixtures about the place like adding change rooms and bathrooms, and offering an area to relax and sit. Parking is along the roadside at the entrance to the property.
Unlike many Jamaican waterfalls, there isn’t much of a hike to get to the falls because Fish Dunn falls is very close to the main road. Once the gate is unlocked, its just a short little walk to the waterfall. The sound of rushing water flowing will alert your ears to your closeness to the falls. At Fish Dunn, I was introduced to 2 pools and waterfalls, although I was told there was another a bit further up that required more of a trek. The first waterfall and pool is the deeper of the two. This is the one that can be seen from the road side. And the second, waterfall is a bit further up. This one requires walking up some fashioned steps to get to and is smaller and shallower than the first. Naturally, I started with the further of the 2 and then headed back to the waterfall closer to the exit.
Fish Dunn Falls, Silver Hill, Portland
Surrounded by lush, green vegetation and the tranquil breeze of the hills, I felt relaxed and serenaded even before I entered into the water. The upper waterfall is actually fairly small and its accompanying pool rather shallow. It’s around 3 to 4ft deep and I found I could actually stand in most of the water. Fortunately, it wasn’t too cold so it was the perfect place to take a dip, swim and cool down from the day’s sun.
After spending time splashing in the upper falls, my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to head down to the lower falls near the entrance. This waterfall was significantly more powerful than the last. Letting itself be known as a force of nature, the waterfall came by in a formidable and dynamic flow. I was told it becomes even more assertive and forceful whenever the rain falls. The accompanying viridescent pool is quite deep and very cold. In fact, I wasn’t able to touch the floor for most of this fall. It also has a bit of an undercurrent so I would advise not to go too far out. There are some large rocks that surround the waterfall, so if you aren’t tempted to swim, you can still choose to sit on the rocks and dip your toes in. And like I said, it is very cold, so you may opt to not fully submerse yourself into the water but rather just wet your feet.
Fish Dunn Falls
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What to bring
Water shoes
Swimsuit
Sunscreen
Water, snacks, refreshments (there’s no restaurant on site)
Money to pay your guide (+ tip if you’d like)
Insect repellant
Wrap Up
Fish Dunn Falls is an off the beaten path waterfall located in the serene hills of Silver Hill, Portland. The scenic drive through the mountains to take a restorative and relaxing splash at the falls is the perfect day trip to escape the bustle of everyday life. Just the therapeutic dose of nature that the doctor ordered.