Green Grotto Caves

Runaway Bay Caves - Cave Hall Caves - Discovery Bay Caves - Dry Harbour Caves - Hopewell Caves - Rum Caves - Dairy Caves


Useful Information

Location: Discovery Bay, St Ann.
On the main north coast road, 3.2 km west of Discovery Bay, 4 km east of Runaway Bay.
Open: All year daily 9-16.
[2010]
Fee: Jamaican Residents: Adults J$ 500, Children (4-12) J$ 200.
Non-Residents: Adults US$ 20, Children (4-12) US$ 10. (or J$ equivalent)
Fee includes rental of helmet and a drink. [2003]
Classification: SpeleologyKarst cave
Light: LightIncandescent Electric Light System
Dimension: L=1,525 m, VR=36 m, D=45 min.
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography: Edward Long (1774): The History of Jamaica, or general survey of the ancient and modern state of that Island, recently reprinted (2003)
Alan G. Fincham, Grenville Draper, Ross Macphee, Donald McFarlane, Stewart Peck, Ronald Read, Trevor Shaw, Geoffrey Wadge (1977): Jamaica Underground: The Caves, Sinkholes and Underground Rivers of the Island,
University Press of the West Indies, ISBN: 9766400369 Paperback, 465 pages, reprint 1998, pp 322-324 surveys.
Worldamazon.com (paperback) Worldamazon.com (hardcover).
Address: Green Grotto Caves, Discovery Bay, St. Ann, Jamaica, W.I., Tel: 876-973-2841, Tel: 876-973-3217, Fax: 876-973-9297. E-mail: contact
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1757 Edward Long, an English lawyer visited the cave and described it in his book.

Description

Green Grotto Caves are famous for its many speleothems which give the impression of a complex labyrinth as the visitor descends down through the cave to the Green Lake. Here, 36 m below surface the visitor goes on a boat ride. In the depth of the lake many stalagmites can be seen, proof that at one time the water table was much lower than it is today.

The cave is rich in history and the first inhabitants were the Arawak Indians (Tainos) who found shelter here. Excavations have produced many fragments of pottery and stone tools. Later when Jamaica was a British colony the caves were used as a hideout by the Spaniards who were being driven out of the country.

Later the caves were used by the escaping slaves who used to hide in the caves, hence the name Runaway Caves.

During the period between the two world wars they were used by smugglers running arms to Cuba. In the latter years of the Second World War, the Government of Jamaica used the entrance of the cave as a storeroom for barrels of rum. In the 1960's Green Grotto Caves was owned by the Kirkner family. Today, they are owned by the Urban Development Corporation and operated by the St Ann Development Company. The planned attractions being developed include a nature park and reserve.

The James Bond movie, Live and Let Die was filmed here.


Text by Tony Oldham (2003). With kind permission.