The History of Dunn's River Falls

The falls named the town, sat out a war for the island, and ended up public property. Here is how, with dates.

A waterfall that named its town

When Spanish settlers described this stretch of the St Ann coast, they called it Las Chorreras — “the waterfalls”. The name was given for the cascade now called Dunn's River Falls, which was the most conspicuous thing on the shoreline long before anyone charged to climb it.

The falls, in other words, are older than the town that grew up beside them, and they supplied its name.

The Battle of Las Chorreras, 1657 and 1658

Britain seized Jamaica from Spain in May 1655. Spain did not accept the loss. In 1657 and 1658 Spanish forces sailing from Cuba attempted to retake the island, and the fighting concentrated in and around Ocho Rios in what became known as the Battle of Las Chorreras.

The attempts failed, and Jamaica stayed in British hands. The waterfall sat through all of it, a few minutes west of the fighting.

How “Las Chorreras” became “Ocho Rios”

The modern name is a mistake that stuck. English speakers misheard and mispronounced Chorreras until it settled into Ocho Rios — Spanish for “eight rivers”.

There are not eight rivers here. The town is named for a sound, not a count, and the original word meant the thing you have come to climb.

The Belmont property, and the 1972 purchase

The land holding the falls was part of the 276-acre Belmont property. The Government of Jamaica acquired it in 1972, expressly to provide for the future development of recreational and park facilities.

That purchase is what turned a well-known waterfall into a managed public attraction with a gate, a beach and a car park.

The Urban Development Corporation, founded 1968

The Urban Development Corporation was created by the Jamaican government in 1968, through a special Act of Parliament, to make sure development happened where national priorities needed it.

The Belmont property was entrusted to the UDC to be held on behalf of the people of Jamaica. The falls have been public property, rather than a private concession, ever since.

St Ann Development Company, and who runs the park today

Day-to-day management sits with the St Ann Development Company, a regional subsidiary of the UDC. The same corporate family runs a portfolio of Jamaican attractions and beaches, including Turtle River Park and Ocho Rios Bay Beach nearby.

It is why admission has two published rates — one for visitors and a lower one for Jamaicans with local identification. A public asset is priced as one.

Cocktail, 1988, and the falls on film

In 1988 the falls appeared in the Hollywood film Cocktail. For a generation of visitors that scene was the first time they saw the terraces, and the cascade has been shorthand for Jamaica in travel imagery ever since.

Film did for Dunn's River what no tourist board campaign managed: it made the shape of the place recognisable before anyone arrived.

Jamaica's most visited attraction

The park now draws in the region of a million visitors a year, which makes it the most visited attraction in Jamaica. A large share of that arrives by cruise ship, in concentrated bursts, which is exactly why the gates open at 7 rather than 8:30 when ships are alongside.

Understanding that pattern is the difference between a crowded climb and a quiet one, and it is covered on the best time to visit.

A timeline of Dunn's River Falls

For the geology behind the terraces, see The World Famous Dunn's River Falls & Park; for hours and admission, Plan Your Visit. Every guided departure is compared on Dunn's River Falls Tours.