Jamaica Tourism Opens the Maroon Trails of the Blue and John Crow Mountains

Written By: Abhirup Gan

Abhirup Gan

I'm Abhirup Gan, a Mass Communication graduate and digital marketing professional. Driven by a passion for storytelling, I create insightful, research-led content that explores tourism trends, destination stories, and hospitality developments with depth and clarity. Through my writing, I hope to inspire readers to discover not only where to travel, but the stories, cultures, and experiences that make every journey meaningful.

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September 8, 2026 7:14 PM

Tourism in Jamaica continues to venture further into the Blue and John Crow Mountains, featuring a combination of cloud forests, Maroon history and unique flora and fauna in a unique tourism landscape on the island. This UNESCO World Heritage Site consists of approximately 100,000 acres of tropical montane rainforest that gives visitors an experience other than the already popular coastlines of Jamaica. While the journey to the top of Blue Mountain Peak constitutes one of Jamaica’s most popular mountain tours, the larger area presents itself as an interconnected set of historical paths and communities that present a different experience of eastern Jamaica.

Cunha Cunha Pass Follows an Historic Mountain Route

The Cunha Cunha Pass Trail crosses the John Crow Mountains and forms part of a wider network of historic trails associated with Jamaica’s Maroon communities. The route was used by Maroons to travel between St Thomas and Portland and remains an important element of the cultural landscape recognised within the Blue and John Crow Mountains World Heritage property. Jamaica’s Forestry Department has identified and mapped several cultural trails in the mountain area, including Cunha Cunha Pass, Nanny Falls, Morant Bay and Woman’s Town trails.

For hikers, these routes provide a different experience from the more established Blue Mountain Peak trek. The trails pass through dense forest and mountain terrain while connecting visitors with landscapes associated with the history of Jamaica’s Maroon communities.

The Cunha Cunha Pass itself is approximately eight kilometres and forms part of the Nanny Town Heritage Route, linking the natural environment with places associated with Maroon resistance and settlement.

Maroon Communities Bring Living Heritage Into Tourism

The mountains are also connected with communities including Moore Town and Charles Town, where Maroon cultural traditions remain an important part of Jamaica’s heritage tourism.

Moore Town lies within the buffer zone of the UNESCO property and is closely associated with the Maroon history of the eastern mountains. Visitors can encounter cultural traditions including music, storytelling, traditional knowledge and community-based experiences.

Maroon cultural heritage includes the Kromanti Play, a ceremonial tradition incorporating distinctive drumming and spiritual practices. The abeng, traditionally made from a cow horn, has also been used as a communication instrument within Maroon communities.

These experiences create opportunities for travellers to combine hiking with cultural visits rather than treating the mountains solely as a wilderness destination.

Jamaica’s official tourism platform actively promotes community-based mountain adventures, including experiences that combine hiking, rainforest landscapes and Maroon heritage.

Cloud Forests Create a Major Wildlife Attraction

The ecological character of the Blue and John Crow Mountains is another major tourism asset.

The protected landscape contains tropical montane rainforest, cloud forest and high-elevation habitats supporting a wide range of endemic plants and animals. The forest environment changes with altitude, creating habitats ranging from lush mountain rainforest to moss-covered upper elevations.

Birdwatching is particularly important. Jamaica has numerous endemic bird species, while the Blue and John Crow Mountains provide habitat for species found nowhere else on Earth.

The Jamaican swallowtail butterfly, also known as Papilio homerus, is another important wildlife attraction. It is recognised as the largest butterfly species in the Western Hemisphere and occurs in Jamaica’s mountain environments.

Hiking Connects Eastern Jamaica’s Natural and Cultural Landscapes

The mountains also create opportunities to build broader itineraries around eastern Jamaica.

Travellers can combine mountain hiking with visits to Maroon communities, coffee-growing areas, waterfalls and coastal attractions around Portland and St Thomas. The proximity of the mountain environment to destinations such as Port Antonio makes it possible to include rainforest trekking within a wider eastern Jamaica journey.

The official tourism platform promotes hiking throughout the Blue and John Crow Mountains and highlights the area’s trails, rainforest landscapes and endemic wildlife as part of Jamaica’s adventure tourism offer.

Jamaica’s Mountain Tourism Goes Beyond the Summit

The Blue and John Crow Mountains have a lot to offer as far as tourism experiences apart from being the home to Blue Mountain Peak hike for sunrise. Cunha Cunha Pass brings tourists into contact with history through walking trails in the John Crow Ridge area, whereas Moore Town and Charles Town link mountain tourism with real Maroon culture. On the other hand, there are cloud forests and endangered species that make up the nature tourism element. Overall, travelers in the eastern part of Jamaica get the rain forest hiking, biodiversity, and Maroon culture.