Fern Gully

Fern Gully is the first stretch of the road inland from Ocho Rios, running up a limestone gorge that was a riverbed until an earthquake diverted the water in the eighteenth century. The road was laid in the bed, and the damp shaded walls that resulted turned out to suit ferns: something in the order of three hundred species grow here, from tree ferns several metres high down to filmy ferns on the rock, and the canopy closes overhead for about five kilometres so the drive runs through green half-light. It has thinned in places from hurricane damage, road widening and vehicle exhaust, and replanting programmes have run more than once.

What you actually see

• The fern canopy - closing over the road for five kilometres.
• Tree ferns - several metres high along the gorge walls.
• The old riverbed - the gorge the road was laid into.
• The carving stalls - woodwork sold at pull-offs along the route.

When to go

December to April is drier for driving. Morning light through the canopy is the best. It is a drive rather than a walk, so it fits into any trip inland from Ocho Rios. Traffic is heavy at both ends of the day.

Honest expectations

It is a working main road with fast traffic, narrow verges and few safe places to stop, so walking it is not advisable. The fern cover is thinner than it was and continues to suffer from exhaust and storm damage. Vendors at the pull-offs are persistent. It takes ten minutes to drive and is not a destination in itself.

Nearby

Ocho Rios is at the northern end; Dunn's River Falls is nearby.