Montego Bay

Currency

US dollars are accepted everywhere tourists go, but the rate offered is consistently poor. Pay in Jamaican dollars where you can, and exchange at a cambio rather than a hotel.

ATMs & cards

Use NCB and Scotiabank machines, ideally inside a branch or a guarded plaza. Jamaican ATMs charge a fixed fee and cap withdrawals. Always choose to be charged in Jamaican dollars.

Withdraw inside a branch or a guarded plaza during the day, and always choose Jamaican dollars over the machine’s conversion.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

Resort areas and the Hip Strip are patrolled and fine. Montego Bay has serious crime in certain districts well away from tourist areas — do not wander into them, avoid walking at night, and use licensed taxis only.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

• Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present

Worth having

• Hepatitis A
• Typhoid
• Tetanus up to date

Getting treated

Private hospitals in Montego Bay and Kingston handle most things and expect payment up front; public facilities are stretched. Serious cases are often transferred to Florida, so evacuation cover matters.

Do not drink the tap water outside the resorts. Dengue is present.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Jerk chicken and pork from a roadside drum is the real thing — Scotchies is the well-known one and lives up to it. Try escoveitch fish and a Red Stripe.

Getting around

• Resort transfer — the standard route from the airport
• Route taxi — shared cars on fixed routes, very cheap, red licence plates
• Charter taxi — agree the fare first; only use JUTA-licensed vehicles
• Rental car — possible, but driving is on the left and rural roads are rough
• Airport: Sangster International is 10-15 minutes from the Hip Strip

Must-see

Things to do

• Swim at Doctor’s Cave Beach
• Raft the Martha Brae river
• Tour Rose Hall Great House
• Climb Dunn’s River Falls
• Snorkel the Montego Bay Marine Park
• Hear live reggae on the Hip Strip

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

Caribbean English — local usage

• HelloGood morning / Good afternoon
• Everything is fineEverything irie
• No problemNo problem, man
• Thank youGive thanks
• The bill, pleaseThe bill, please
• FriendBredren / Sistren
• LaterSoon come
• GoodbyeWalk good

Religion

Protestant

Overwhelmingly Christian, with Rastafari as a distinct and much smaller movement that visitors often misread as mainstream.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Greet with good morning or good afternoon before anything else; skipping it is rude
• Dress modestly away from resorts; Jamaica is more conservative than the beach suggests
• Tip 10-15% where no service charge applies
• Accept that "soon come" is not a time commitment

Don't

• Do not assume cannabis is fully legal — small amounts are decriminalised, not legal, for visitors
• Do not photograph people without asking; payment is often expected
• Do not display expensive items or wander off the tourist routes alone
• Do not attempt a Jamaican accent; it lands badly