Exploring Kingston in two and a half hours

The tour guide is an exciting role for the person who will effectively be an ambassador for Kingston and Jamaica when the world gets a respite from the COVID-19 pandemic and Jolly Trotters can finally kick off its two-and-a-half-hour Kingston City Guided Tours of the Jamaican capital.

Starting from its office right next to Emancipation Park, the tour will head to downtown Kingston via Tom Redcam Ave, along Marescaux Road and then East Street. A stop is mad at Victoria Pier, where tourists can get a chance to learn about the many places of historical and cultural significance. Tourists will be allowed to disembark at the pier and catch a distance glimpse of Port Royal across the seas or take a picture of the oversized statue of former Minister of Finance Noel ‘Crab’ Nethersole which dominates the entrance to the Bank of Jamaica.

On the way back, the tour bus will drive along South Camp Road, passing the Sabina Park, the Convent of Mercy Alpa Academy, the Holy Trinity Cathedral, as well as Up Park Camp, the headquarters of the Jamaica Defence Force, where the country’s rich military is well-documented. Travelling along Arthur Wint Drive pass the Bustamante Hospital for Children which was named in honour of one our founding fathers and national hero. It is the only such specialised hospital in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Entertainment and sports fans will really get a chance to indulge themselves as the journey will take them to the statue of reggae superstar Bob Marley and Independence Park, which houses the National Stadium as well as statues of legendary athletes such as Usain Bolt. Then the journey continues to the University of Technology Jamaica and The University of the West Indies before detouring through Mona Gardens and continuing along Hope Road.

With the Bob Marley Museum, Medallion Hall, King’s House and Jamaica House in close proximity, a lot of lessons about Jamaica’s history will be available and that is before the tour bus reaches Devon House, where it will make a pit stop. There, visitors can purchase souvenirs, catch a cooked meal or sample such delights as patty and a wide range of Devon House ice creams.

The return leg will take the tourists past the museum dedicated to the memory of reggae great and Peter Tosh ,before taking them into the heart of the country’s financial district and within easy reach of the Jolly Trotters Café, where it all started.