Walking in Negril: No Problem, Mon

Seven Mile Beach, Negril

There are many ways to get around Negril: private taxis, route taxis, hotel buses, bicycles, and on foot. Few visitors to Negril are aware that you can actually walk from one end of town to another. If you walk at a leisurely pace, you can get from the Lighthouse on the West End all the way to Beaches on the far end of the beach in about 3 hours.

From Beaches, you can continue along a 100 meter path and come out on the other side to another public beach. From there, there is another Beaches, and then Hedonism. The Seven Mile Beach ends there. If you walk it, you might realize that the beach is not actually seven miles, despite the name. It is about four miles from Norman Manley Public Beach to the end of Hedonism. From point to point, all of Negril is about 7 miles long: Four miles of beach; One mile from the beach to the edge of downtown; and Three miles up to the Lighthouse.

One nice walk in Negril is from the Canoe Bar at the beginning of the West End up to the Lighthouse at the far end of the West End. This would take about 90 minutes if you didn’t stop along the way. But, stops along the way are the best part. You can have a delicious lunch at the Canoe Bar or Easy Rock Café before heading on your journey, and will have plenty of time to get to Rick’s Café to see the sunset.

View from the Lighthouse

If you walk during the summer months, it is best to wait until about 4pm to start your journey as it can be too hot otherwise. In the winter, however, you can do this walk almost any time of the day.

One excellent place to stop along the way is Xtabi, a restaurant and hotel with an amazing view of the cliffs. If you are feeling brave, you can jump off of Xtabi’s cliffs or swim out to one of their caves. If you want to keep your hiking gear dry, you can explore the caves without getting into the water. If you eat here, the conch burger is quite tasty! Xtabi is a great place to stop and cool off, as the rest of the walk is mostly shaded, especially after the sun begins to go behind the trees (about 3pm).

Just next to Xtabi is Three Dives, which also has an amazing view of the cliffs, and delicious jerk conch and chicken if you are hungry. If not, you can relax with a Red Stripe or my favorite, Dragon Stout, on their benches that overlook the sea.

From Three Dives, it is about a 30 minute walk up to Rick’s Café, where you can walk in and watch all of the cliff jumpers and take in the beautiful view. You also can swim here in the transparent water to cool off before heading up to the Lighthouse, which does not have swimming.

The Lighthouse is about a twenty minute walk from Rick’s Café. This is my favorite part of the walk. Once you get past Rick’s Café, there are very few vendors, lots of vegetation, and many different views of the sea. It is also cooler as there is plenty of shade and often a nice sea breeze.

The view at the Lighthouse is spectacular, and there usually is a cool breeze blowing. The snorkeling at the Lighthouse is fantastic as well. You just have to have the guts to walk down the steep wooden ladder, across the rocks and into the sea. You can stay at the Lighthouse to watch the sunset, or go back to any of the many bars and restaurants you saw along the way to relax and witness the sun dropping into the sea.

If you are up for it, you can walk back…. downhill. Or, you can catch a ride in the many route taxis that run up and down One Love Drive.

One caveat: There is no sidewalk along One Love Drive. For this reason, it is best to do this walk during the day. At night, it can be quite alarming, with cars speeding past you.