on December 16, 2011 at 6:02 am
I had mentioned in an earlier post that I was on a soft adventure tour with some other travel bloggers and we wanted to make the most of our time on the island. So, at 9:30 a.m. on our first day, we took off for Ocho Rios and
Mystic Mountain. Mystic Mountain is a really cool place if you want a lot of exciting fun. For me, it was the “Skylift Explorer” and the “
Rainforest Bobsled (really cool)—a 10 minute run down the mountain. Remember the bobsled team in the Winter Olympics of 1998 that called themselves “Jamaica Bobsled”? I think everyone does……so ya gotta do this one if for no other reason than to support the spirit of the Olympics!!
The starting place for the Mystic Mountain Jamaica Bobsled Run
First, you take the skylift for a 15 minute ride up the mountain. From the skylift, you have some amazing views of the forest and Ochos Rios in the distance.
The skylift up to the top of Mystic Mountain for the bobsled run
Look to the left and you will get a fantastic view of Ocho Rios as you go over the tree tops.
A view of Ocho Rios from the skylift
The tram takes you right over the tops of the trees.
The skylift ride through the trees on the way to the Jamaica Bobsled run
At the top, there is a visitor center where you can look at the history of Jamaica’s involvment in the Olympic Games. Below are some travel bloggers: @thePlanetD @GoNomad @Travelwithykids and in the background is Wayne Lowers our trusty cinematographer
Visitor Center at the top of Mystic Mountain
In the Visitor Center you have a chance to read specifically about Jamaica’s entry into the Olympic bobsled event and how ingenious they were in getting prepared to enter the games.
An overview of the Jamaica Bobsled in the vistitor center
Once on top at the bobsled run, we go through the safety instructiions (important).
Written instructions for the Mystic Mountain bobsled run
I tried to remember if I had any bad karma hanging over me before I got into that bobsled for the run down the mountain.
Steve Barrymore ready for the Mystic Mountain Jamaica Bobsled run
I turned my life over to Jamaica bobsled and away we went!! 10 minutes of twists, turns, ups, and downs at speeds reaching almost 40 mph per hour! Yikes!
You control the speed with an accelerater handle and brake. Go as slow or as fast as you want. Once you start down the run and gain confidence, you will really want to push the speed. After the run, there is a cable that pulls you and your sled back to top for another run if you like. Or, if your nerves are shot by this time, you can simply just visit the gift shop.
As your trip advisor I would say, “don’t leave Jamaica until you have done the bobsled ride!!”
If you want to see a really cool video of the ride, Rob at stophavingaboringlife.com does a great job of narrating his own run down the mountain. You can see his video here. I think you will find his travels very interesting.
After the bobsled, I was ready for that food that made Jamaica famous-Yep, Jerk! That’s my next post, “Scotchies” Jamaican jerk.
Follow me on Twitter: @stevebarrymore
