Take the Black River heritage tour

When most people think of Jamaica, they imagine pristine white sand beaches and dazzling blue ocean views. 

As a premier vacation destination, the north coast is often headlined as Jamaica’s most attractive tourist feature with five-star all-inclusive resorts running up and down the coastline – but this is only a small part of what Jamaica has to offer.

Black River is the capital of St. Elizabeth Parish and is located along the southwest coastline. The town sits at the mouth of the Black River: one of the longest traversable rivers in Jamaica measuring 33 miles in length.

Today, Black River Safari’s are a popular tourist attraction as visitors come to catch a glimpse of feral Jamaican wetland which boasts more than 100 species of bird and is a thriving habitat for crocodiles. Many years ago, however, the river played a vital role during an economic boom that lasted for more than a century.

As Jamaica’s premier commercial centre throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, Black River has since become a sleepy coastal town where fisherman, farmers and merchants live among the ghosts of its prominent past. Many factors contributed to the slowdown of the town’s economy.

Most significant was the closure of its port in 1968. The sharp decline in commercial activity following an extended period of growth has left its mark on the town. Its past, chequered by slavery and fortified by modernization, is laid out like a storybook in the town’s composition which features an eclectic mix of Victorian storefronts, a medieval church and rustic market place all within the town centre.   

Renowned for its early commercial success, Black River was designated a Protected National Heritage District by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust in 1999. Among the most notable historic features the Waterloo guesthouse, the St. Elizabeth Parish Church and the Fisherman’s Inn.

The Waterloo guesthouse is a symbol of the town’s early modernization. Built in 1819, the guest house was the first site in the northern hemisphere to have electricity. Today, the guesthouse remains a welcome refuge for weary travellers.

Through the town toward the Black River Bridge a plaque decries the murder of more than 200 African slaves. The Zong Massacre is a chilling story of mass murder and the town bears the plaque as a scar and a tribute to its ancestors. 

The town is now quiet except for the placid goings-on of its residents and the resonant whispers of times gone by.     

Parish planners recognize the emergence of a new brand of tourist: bored by cookie-cutter resorts the new traveller has an appetite for an authentic cultural experience. Black River Heritage Tour (coming soon) exposes visitors to a town caught between two worlds and offers a first-hand view of contemporary life in rural Jamaica.

For more information, contact the St. Elizabeth Parish Development Committee (SEPDC) at +1-876-634-4142 or email [email protected].