Negril Regions Guide - overview

Jamaica's western edge is a laid-back haven where there is little to do other than sit back, relax and enjoy the renowned gorgeous sunsets, in between beach bathing and partying. Centre of this hedonistic haven is Negril, dubbed the 'capital of casual', a sunny resort town that despite its popularity and proliferation of tourist accommodation has managed to retain the sleepy tropical charm that first seduced seekers of sun and solitude when it was 'discovered' in the 1960s.

It was the hippies and flower children who first found Negril, a part of Jamaica appreciated for being different from the over-developed package tour market of Montego Bay. Negril still attracts a young crowd, and the beachfront bars and cafes are abuzz each night with reggae music and wild partying. Along with the party people, however, Negril is favoured also by those just wanting to get away from it all. It sports its famous seven-mile (11km) stretch of pristine beach, encircling Bloody Bay, and five miles (8km) of cliffs, where locals and visitors alike dare each other to indulge in some extreme cliff-diving, sometimes from ropes. The coral reefs and caves along the coast make it a scuba diver's and snorkeller's dream come true, and for active visitors there is the chance to take part in just about any watersport imaginable. Adventure seekers can venture by kayak into the mysterious Great Morass (a protected area full of palm trees, exotic birds and crocodiles).