Bamboo Rafting on the Rio Grande River in Portland, Jamaica to Visit Ms Belinda’s for Lunch
If you ever visit Port Antonio in Portland, Jamaica and you are looking for a great excursion that includes exceptional Jamaican food, visit Ms. Belindas on the Rio Grande River.
A couple of days in Portland, I had made plans to go bamboo rafting by the Blue Lagoon, but our hotel in Portland - Geejam, recommended we go rafting on the Rio Grande River and visit Belinda’s for lunch. The visit would involve a 30-minute drive from our hotel to our starting point in Berrydale, Portland.
Once at Berrydale, you will see rafts along with their captains lined along the river waiting to take you on your excursion. Rafting was originally used by farmers in the area as an easy form of transportation to transport bananas down the river. The famous actor Errol Flynn, who once lived in Portland, saw rafting as a recreational activity he used for his own leisure. It has since been used as a popular tourist attraction.
The rafts come with comfortable padded seats large enough for two persons to sit back and enjoy the journey. Along the scenic way we stopped and took pictures and took a dip in the river. The ride I must say was very relaxing, being surrounded by nature and hearing the soothing sound of the river was a great feeling.
It took about 1 hour and 30 minutes to get to Belindas. Once we arrived we were greeted by the pleasant Ms Belinda. She had on the fire, some curried goat, fried chicken, cray fish, steam fish and rice and peas. My plate was over flowing with food. There is a seating area for you to sit and enjoy your meal. It was so delicious and well worth the journey. After lunch, we stayed for about an hour, swimming in the shallow river water, playing card games and just relaxing.
Meet Ms Belinda!
After taking a few pics, and speaking with Ms Belinda for a bit, it was time to finish our journey. We slowly rafted along the river path, taking pics and just enjoying the scenery. It took another hour to for us to arrive at the finishing point. It was a day well spent.
Recommendations
If you can pack a cooler with your favorite drinks, beer and water. It's essential to have water as the time can be very hot and most parts of the journey does not have any shade.
Carry an umbrella or hat and make sure you wear sunblock.
Don’t forget your camera and ask your captain to show you the scenic spots.
Carry Cash, this is the only method of payment for rafting and to purchase lunch from Ms Belinda.
Getting there:
Drive from Kingston or Ocho Rios: 2 hours
Tours cost $7,000 JMD* (for locals 2 persons).
You can find Belinda’s on Instagram @belindasriversiderestaurant876
You can find the rafting through google - (Rio-Grande River, 4GVQ+JR3, Port Antonio, Jamaica)
*at the date of this post