Bamboo pole-propelled raft journey down the Rio Grande river — a 2-hour float through the lush Portland countryside started by Errol Flynn as a personal pastime in the 1940s. The most quintessentially Jamaican leisure experience.
Why It’s Worth Your Time
Rio Grande Rafting in Portland parish is the quintessential Jamaican leisure experience — a 2-3 hour float down the Rio Grande on a traditional 30-foot bamboo raft, pole-propelled by a local raftsman through the lush Portland countryside of the John Crow Mountains. Errol Flynn, who lived in Port Antonio in the 1940s and 1950s, started the tradition as a personal pastime and eventually organized it into a commercial operation for visiting Hollywood celebrities. The journey is gentle and beautiful — river swimming holes, bamboo groves, and small riverside villages punctuate the float. The raftsmen are charming and the pacing is relaxed. One of the few Jamaica experiences that feels unchanged from its origins.
What Stands Out
- Errol Flynn started this tradition in the 1940s — notably historic
- 2–3 hour bamboo raft float through Portland countryside
- River swimming holes along the route
- Knowledgeable and charming raftsmen
- Portland parish setting — the most lush and undeveloped part of Jamaica