Martha Brae

Includes rafting on the Martha Brae River.

Take a journey along the beautiful Martha Brae river on a 22ft bamboo raft. The ride is guided by a skilled captain and takes about 90 minutes to cover 3 miles. Along the way you’ll see breathtaking views of lush greenery, floral and fauna, all very picturesque. The most rewarding part of this excursion is that you can take a dip in the refreshing river if you choose.

In addition, you’ll also be able to experience a small herb garden with interesting remedies such as; Basil, Thyme, Black Mint, and even Marijuana which can be used for medicinal purposes such as glaucoma.

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One of the most tranquil experiences in Trelawny Parish is taking a bamboo rafting trip down the Martha Brae River. Slow trips down a three mile stretch of the Martha Brae River depart all day. There are around 80 qualified rafting guides working at Martha Brae so there is always a guide ready and waiting for you whenever you are ready for your trip.

Trips begin at the village of Martha Brae and end three miles downstream at Martha’s Rest, the trips are generally run at a very relaxed pace and take about 1 hour to ninety minutes. On your way you’ll pass through dense jungle with trees bearing famous Jamaican fruits such as ackee, breadfruit and calabash. Most of the rafters are also skilled craftsmen and will offer to sell you carvings from their backpack as a souvenir of your trip.

Martha Brae village is a 6 acre horseshoe-shaped island. The village has been set up as the entrance to the Martha Brae rafting experience and features a bar, two gift shops, pool, gardens, picnic area and a herb garden named “Martha’s Herb Garden” which displays local Jamaican herbs and gives information about the healing properties. This is a relaxing environment and a great place to stop and unwind before your rafting trip. The trip ends at Martha’s Rest where the trucks are waiting to carry the bamboo rafts back up to Martha Brae. If you leave your car at Martha Brae then the truck drivers can give you a lift back to collect it.

The source of the Martha Brae River is at Windsor, deep in the Cockpit Country and the river enters the sea at Rock, a small community outside of Falmouth which is home to the boutique resort of Time ‘n’ Place. The name, Martha Brae, is a corruption of the Spanish name for the river, the Rio Mateberion. An alternative history of the name is that it comes from the legend of Martha Brae, a Taino witch who was tortured by Spanish settlers until she divulged the location of a stash of gold hidden in a cave along the path of the river. After divulging the location of the gold she changed the course of the river, killing the Spanish and blocking up the cave, where the gold is hidden to this day.