According to clothesbliss, Jamaica is an island in the Caribbean (North America), located south of Cuba and west of the island of Hispaniola. Jamaica has been independent from the United Kingdom since 1962. The capital of Jamaica is Kingston. Some major cities in Jamaica are: Black River, Mandeville, May Pen, Montego Bay, Morant Bay, Port Antonio, Portmore and Port Maria.
Jamaica is the land of beach, rum, sugar cane, rasta, reggae, Bob Marley and Marijuana. You will find several luxury resorts and hotels along the coast. These are home to the tourists who often come for the reggae culture and the vast white beaches where you can enjoy deep-sea fishing, jet skiing, parasailing, snorkeling, water skiing, windsurfing, sailing, canoeing and diving. More inland you will find various National Parks, tropical rainforests, waterfalls, caves and mountains. You will come across 3000 different tree and plant species in Jamaica and 250 different bird species, many of which are exotic. When you go diving you can encounter barracudas, surgeonfish, angelfish, gruntfish, wrasses, parrotfish, rays, pike, tuna, hammerhead sharks, tiger sharks and spiny dogfish. See thedressexplorer for Jamaica comprehensive round trip.
Where is Jamaica located?
Travel information of Jamaica
Official name: Jamaica
Continent: North America
Area: 10,991 km²
Capital city: Kingston
Country code: JM, JAM
Population: 2,808,570 inhabitants (2020)
Form of government: Parliamentary monarchy
Highest point: 2,256 m (Blue Mountain Peak)
Distance (Amsterdam – Kingston): 5,792 km
Flight time: approximately 11 hours and 30 minutes
Travel advice
Current status: Attention, safety risks.
Current color code: Yellow.
Corona
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), there may be (temporary) measures in place in Jamaica that you as a tourist may have to deal with. For the most up-to-date corona travel advice, please refer to our special coronavirus travel advice page. For the number of current corona infections, number of deaths and various corona-related graphs of Jamaica, please visit Countryaah.
Travel offer
On our travel offer page you will find an overview of reliable travel organizations that offer complete trips and holidays to Jamaica. In addition, you will find an overview of separate travel components (car rental, hotels and airline tickets) with which you can compose your ideal trip yourself.
Travel guides and maps
Are you looking for a travel guide, map, walking map, cycling map, book or DVD about Jamaica?
Excursions, activities and day trips
With the help of Countryaah you can reserve an excursion, activity, tour, entrance ticket and/or day trip for your stay in Jamaica at a discount. This way you are assured of a place, in some cases you can skip the queue and you can already plan your travel program.
Weather and climate
Jamaica has a tropical climate. The temperatures are between 25 and 35 degrees all year round.
The current weather (weather forecast) and a weather forecast for Jamaica can be found on our extensive weather page.
Detailed information about the climate of Jamaica can be found at Climate info.
Best time
January, February, March, April and December are the best months to travel to Jamaica. In these months you avoid the rainy and hurricane season.
Language
English is the official language in Jamaica. In addition, a lot of Jamaican (Patois) is spoken.
Would you like to translate from or into English for free? Use the Google translator for this.
Travel documents
You must have a passport that is valid for at least 6 months upon departure from Jamaica.
A visa is not necessary if you stay in Jamaica for less than 90 days.
You must pay a departure tax of approximately 20 euros per person upon departure from Jamaica.
Business travelers must apply for a visa.
Embassies and consulates
Below is an overview of relevant diplomatic representations, including addresses and contact details.
Netherlands Embassy in Cuba (also for Jamaica): netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Dutch consulate in Jamaica: netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Jamaican Embassy in Belgium (also for the Netherlands): rijksoverheid.nl.
Jamaican Consulate in the Netherlands: consuljamaica.nl.
For urgent assistance, you can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24/7 on +31247247247.
Vaccination (inoculation)
It is advisable to get one or more vaccinations before visiting Jamaica.
For extensive vaccination advice and to make a vaccination appointment at home, please visit Thuisvaccinatie.nl. You can also see here whether your health insurance reimburses the vaccination(s).
Malaria
Malaria occurs in Jamaica (with the exception of Kingston). Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by malaria mosquitoes. This infectious disease can lead to death if not treated in time and/or incorrectly.
For prevention and control of malaria, please visit our malaria page.
Money and Currency
In Jamaica, people pay with the Jamaican dollar (JMD).
The current position of this currency (currency, currency) can be found on our exchange rate page.
An overview of all ATMs in Jamaica can be found on our ATMs page.
Price level
The prices in Jamaica are a lot lower than in the Netherlands. The price difference with the Netherlands is -20% on average. Some examples are: restaurants (53% cheaper), food (1% more expensive), imported beer in catering (39% cheaper), cigarettes (27% cheaper) and public transport (72% cheaper). Please note that the price difference in tourist areas, especially during high season, may vary.
Tipping
In Jamaica it is customary to tip. If no service costs have been calculated yet, people give a tip of approximately 10-15%.
Time difference
During our summer time it is 7 hours earlier in Jamaica.
During our winter time it is 6 hours earlier in Jamaica.
Jamaica has no difference between winter time and summer time.
The local time, date and time zone for Jamaica can be found on our time difference page.
Traffic and route
In Jamaica you must drive on the left.
You do not need an international driver’s license to drive and/or rent a motor vehicle in Jamaica.
With the Google route planner you can compile a route description from, to or within Jamaica.
Electricity In Jamaica you may need an adapter plug and/or converter
in some cases. More information about common plugs and sockets in Jamaica can be found on our electricity page.
Emergency services
If you need help from the police, fire brigade and/or ambulance in an emergency, you can use the emergency numbers below.
– Police: 119
– Fire: 110
– Ambulance: 110
Tap water
Tap water is safe to drink.
News and newspapers
The latest news regarding Jamaica can be found on Google news.
An overview of the newspapers from Jamaica can be found on Abyznewslinks.
Internet
Websites from Jamaica end in.jm.
Jamaica official websites: cabinet.gov.jm and visitjamaica.com.
Telephone
The country code (international access code) to call someone in Jamaica is 001876 or +1876.
Do you want to call the Netherlands from Jamaica? Then use the Dutch country code 01131.
(If you use a country code, you must omit the first 0 of the number to be called.)
Telephone numbers can be found in the Telephone Directory of Jamaica.
Company details can be found in the Yellow Pages of Jamaica.
Photos and videos
On Flickr you will find a nice collection of photos of Jamaica.
On Youtube you will find a nice collection of videos from Jamaica.
Holidays
An overview of all public holidays in Jamaica can be found on Beleven.org.
Reviews and travel experiences
On Zoover and TripAdvisor you will find reviews from travelers about accommodations (eg hotels and holiday homes), restaurants and destinations in Jamaica, supplemented with photos, videos and points of interest.
Travelogues
Are you looking for a travelogue about Jamaica?
Here you will find travel reports and experiences of travelers who have previously visited Jamaica. It is also possible to keep a free diary of your trip for family and/or friends.
Nature and world heritage
An overview of the protected nature areas (including national parks, reserves and wildlife parks) in Jamaica can be found on Protected Planet.
An overview of the world heritage sites in Jamaica can be found on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Customs rules
Do you want to know how much you are allowed to import and export when traveling to Jamaica? On the IATA website you will find an overview with the maximum quantities of cigarettes, alcohol, money and perfume, among other things. If you stick to these quantities, you don’t have to declare anything to customs. You will also find the laws and regulations regarding the entry of pets on this website.
Relevant legislation
Below you will find relevant legislation and regulations that you may encounter during your visit to Jamaica.
– Alcohol: Buy from the age of 16, drink at all ages.
– Alcohol and traffic: The maximum permitted alcohol content is 0.35.
– Tobacco: Buying and/or smoking from the age of 18.
– Smoking ban: In public places.
– Homosexuality: Not allowed for men (imprisonment more than 10 years), allowed for women.
– Clothing: Wearing camouflage clothing is prohibited.
Did you know that…
…Jamaica served as the private island of Christopher Columbus from 1494 to 1509?
…The artist Bob Marley and the sprinter Usain Bolt were born in Jamaica?
…Jamaica is visited by more than 1 million tourists every year?
…Jamaica is regularly hit by hurricanes?
…Jamaica was the first tropical country to participate in the Winter Olympics?
Our verdict on Jamaica as a travel destination
Jamaica is ideal as a tropical travel destination. The island is characterized by pearly white beaches on a clear blue sea. More inland you will find breathtaking waterfalls and dense rainforests. Sun worshipers can enjoy themselves on the beach with a cocktail. For example, the active traveler can go hiking, rafting and/or snorkeling. The people of Jamaica live a relaxed, friendly and love to dance and music. This lively music scene is partly due to the traces left by world artist Bob Marley. All this in combination with the constant tropical temperatures and the direct connection from the Netherlands make it a true holiday paradise. The only downside is the fairly high crime rates in the major cities of Kingston and Montego Bay.
