Forres Park - Tours
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Bicyle and BirdwatchingOur mountain paths are ideal for serious mountain bikers and birdwatchers and we can plan tours for both groups. Arrangements can often be made with expert ?Birders? (experienced Members of the Bird watching club) to provide guiding services, to introduce birdlovers to the glory of our birds. (At least 33 endemic & migrant species). Tours are worked out with your specific interests in mind and prices vary according to your particular requests. CINCHONA GARDENSTo quote Lonely Planet, ? Cinchona is one of the most spectacularly situated Botanical Gardens in the World?. It may sometimes be approached in a 4wd vehicle but is more safely reached by abandoning the vehicle on the main road and taking a steep hike, at a leisurely pace. One hour should allow for ?breath taking? and ?photo opportunity stops?, before reaching the goal. * We recommend a tour leaving Forres Park at around 9.00am; * Being transported to the point of abandonment by about 10am; * Climbing into the clouds through amazing vistas and changing flora. * On arrival, take a breath and a look through the mist; glimpse the Yallahs and Clyde valleys below and the continuing Blue Mountain range to the North. Picnic at 12 Noon then stroll for an hour between the temperate and semi tropical flowers and trees that remain (many were destroyed in 1988 in Hurricane Gilbert). If you look keenly, you will find a vantage point to peer at faraway Kingston on the South Coast before wending your way back to your 4wd vehicle three quarter of an hour down the road. This should take you back to Forres Park by four in the afternoon. Coffee FarmLet our Millie take you up our steep paths and show you where Blue Mountain Coffee is grown. You will wonder how they ever manage to pick the beans, and stay upright on the steep slopes. After circling one or two farm paths and being instructed on the uncertainties of farming, come down and see how the country folk process the famous coffee at home and share a cup with them! FlamsteadDrive or take our tour to Flamstead lookout, and make absolutely sure that the island is not being invaded from the South. Recently subdivided into residential lots, Flamstead was historically used for just that purpose. A search of the subdivision will find the ruins of Lord Nelson?s house and you will be able to see at least 6 of our parishes from the property plus the beautiful Chatsworth Coffee Farm topped by Lord Derby?s Peak. On your return journey you will pass ?Nymbani?, country cottage of the late Norman Manley, an architect of Jamaican independence and one of our National Heroes. Below and on your right is ?Bellevue?, now University of the West Indies Property, but once a country retreat of the colonial elite. If you take a sharp right turn a little further down by a little yellow house you will be following the governors to Governor?s Bench. This lies quite a way down a 4wd drivable track followed by a hair raising walk. We do not suggest that you walk all the way as the hillside is rapidly eroding and man is making it worse. However a short trek will take you to a point where successive hills and mountains disappear in the distance to your North, and valleys and mountains gradually fall to the sea South of you. It is one of the most spectacular, but, scary views that I have ever seen and is definitely not for the fainthearted. On the way home to Forres Park you will see a sign ? Paraiso?. This is the Home of Paul and Jill Byles, avid organizers of our Natural History Society. The couple has a beautiful garden perched on another mountaintop and we can arrange a visit for you when it is convenient for them. The entire trip, (with photo stops), should take half a day and we suggest you leave Forres park at 2.00pm .You may choose to visit Paraiso and Governors Bench enroute to Flamstead, and catch a snack and the sunset there. Then return to Forres Park as the city below lights up, and darkness falls in the mountains. High Mountain and WaterfallTake mountain transport (a 4wd vehicle) to Abbey Green Coffee Plantation, the highest point at which coffee is grown in the island. Pass waterfalls and look out for rare bird species found only at these altitudes 5,000+ feet. Take the Peak path as far as Portland Gap, relax in the cooler climate and enjoy the peace, tranquility and beauty. Picnic here or perhaps by the river on your way back to Forres Park. You may take an icy dip in one of our cascading river holes partway down. It?s all up to you. Recommended half day to full day trip, leaving Forres Park by latest 9.00 am., returning by 4.00pm |
Mavis Bank Coffee FactoryJust around the corner from Forres Park is one of the oldest surviving blue mountain coffee processing plants. The production of the world?s finest coffee requires beans grown in a micro climate, peculiar to these mountains and careful processing to enhance its unique flavour. The Mavis bank factory will introduce you to the intricacies of the process, and just in case you wish to stay and farm, we will try to arrange a plantation for you. Unfortunately, the factory is temporarily closed, but should reopen for tours shortly. On FarmsHiking trails are waiting to be explored on Forres Park property, but some paths are very steep and we do not recommend that you attempt these if you are not physically fit. A good example is the challenging track to the top of our Green Hill. The climb is exciting and beautiful, but not for everyone, and we do recommend that you don?t go alone. The Supreme SummitMany persons visit Mavis Bank to conquer our highest mountain. The cheapest, but most difficult way is by walking the 16 miles from Mavis Bank village, to the Peak, then walking the 16 miles back again. Most tourists choose the easier method. They arrange for 4wd transport up to Abbey Green Farm or Whitfield Hall. We can arrange guided tours for our guests, complete with transport to within 6 miles of the Peak, along with the necessary snacks, knapsacks, and flashlights for the journey .A hearty brunch and warm bath on your return home to Forres Park are included in the price of the tour. The actual trip may take approximately 9 hours but you may need another 9 hours to recover fully. Tower Hill LookoutA visit to Tower Hill Lookout is well worth the drive or walk. An hours walk from Forres Park above the coffee factory takes you to a vantage point where you can see the country villages you just left, and others stretched out in the valleys below you. On your way back you may stop for a beer or soda at Millie?s cousin?s bar or you may continue, preferably with a guide to find other hidden villages just around the corner. * *A Jamaican expression which implies nearby but perhaps means faraway Traditional Wet sugar processiBecause of the important place of sugar in Jamaica?s history, Jamaicans traditionally grew and processed King Sugar, even in our remote hills. They often stopped short of refining it fully but produced a delicious ?sweety? like mix called Wet Sugar. The process is still done today with equipment and methods handed down through the centuries; though the donkeys which provide the ?Horse Power? are of course from the modern generation. A demonstration and a taste can sometimes be arranged with adequate warning, especially if a group can be mustered to share the price. |
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