Biking Jamaica
Bike Riding Tours In Jamaica
by Simon Harris

Biking Jamaica is a great way to experience the island and bike riding tours are a wonderful way to explore Jamaica.

The slower pace allows you to really see what you’re looking, to talk to local people, and to really savor the experience of Jamaica.

Blue Mountain Bicycle Tours, Ltd., located at 121 Main Street, in Ocho Rios, is one of the most well known providers of these sorts of adventures. Their specialty is a day long bike tour that begins 5,600 feet up in the Blue Mountains, which are the highest mountains in the Caribbean.

Blue Mountain Bicycle Tours,Ltd., makes these tours available out of both Ocho Rios and Kingston, Jamaica, providing charter bus service from these points to the mountain for groups as large as 150, with the average group being made up of about 40 people. All necessary biking equipment is also provided, as are meals, and rates are reasonable -- $93US for adults and $65US for children under 12 years of age.(2007 rates!)

Real Jamaica introduces you to the people and cultures of Jamaica.

There are many who believe the glitz and glitter of the tourist industries and the accompanying commercialization of both the areas around the tourist centers and the culture of Jamaica overshadow the ‘real’ Jamaica, the people and culture that exist beyond the tourist centers, the true heart of Jamaica.

This has led to the creation of a variety of opportunities to visit the other side of Jamaica, to see people and life beyond the often stereotypical vision of Jamaica that most visitors see.

The Meet The People Program is one of these interesting, non-typical experiences. It is run by the Jamaican Tourist Board, and has more than 500 local participants. These local volunteers come from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds, and their interests and skills are listed in a database.

Tourists who sign up for the program provide the same types of information, and then locals and tourists are matched up. Amazingly, this is a free program and provides unparalleled social and cultural exchange. Aside from social engagements, such as family style meals in the local host’s home, the matched groups together explore their shared interests in Jamaica.

The bicycle tour is all down hill, which makes it appropriate for almost all age groups – age 7 is the youngest recommended for participation -- and means that you’ll be able to devote your most or your energy to enjoying the magnificent scenery.

And, magnificent it is! Bikers pass through stunning mountain vistas that include the remarkable coffee plantations that produce the Blue Mountain coffee beans that are becoming well known to coffee connoisseurs for their superior taste and quality, and enjoy wild life sights that are found nowhere else in the world outside of Jamaica. They’ll see waterfalls and have the opportunity to enjoy a refreshing swim in the cool, clear mountain water. You’ll want to remember to bring a swimsuit, towel and camera.

Manfred’s Jamaican Mountain Bike Tours, located in Saint Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica, offers a wonderful one-week get away tour. Participants enjoy quality lodging and excellent local cuisine on a 500 acre farming estate in Apple Valley. Each day features a bicycle tour to a different part of Jamaica, revealing parts of the country far beyond the usual tourist destinations. This experience of the real Jamaica – beyond the glitter and glitz of the tourism industries – is simply unparalleled.

In Negril, Rusty’s Xcellent Adventures offers a variety guided bicycle tours at different skill levels. Biking equipment and, if necessary, biking instructors, are available. For those who prefer independent exploration, there are numerous places throughout Jamaica that offer bicycle rentals, as well as rentals of scooters and the like.

Bicycle tours are an excellent way to explore Jamaica. In addition to enjoying the natural Jamaica, its ‘real’ people and culture, you’ll be doing so in away that has less of a negative environmental impact. Bicycle tours allow you to slow down and to savor your surroundings, collecting memories – and perhaps even a newfound cultural awareness and understanding -- that will last a lifetime.

[About the Author: This article provided courtesy of
http://www.bahamas-paradise.net]

Check out these great resources:
Blue Mountain Bicycle Tours
Manfred's Jamaican Mountain Bike Tours
Rusty's Xcellent Adventures.

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