Huck Finn

I chose to avoid Dunn's River Falls simply because I didn't want to feel like a cow in the mist of herd. Prior to leaving, I saw several posts about Carolyn Barrett and her company, Barrett Travel. The enterprise is run by Carolyn and her husband, Errol. I emailed Carolyn with a bunch of questions, and she got back to me within 24 hours. Long story short: we went to Y.S. Falls. The falls are located on a private plantation that is about an hour and twenty minute ride from the dock (BTW, Dunn's River Falls is closer to a two hour drive from what I understand). Errol was our chauffer and guide. The falls were beautiful, but best of all, there were only the SIX of us on the tour! Once we arrived at the falls, four guides were assigned to our group and they led us to an area with a rope swing which dropped us into a pool at the base of one of the falls. We were never rushed and had a great time with our friends. We then went down to a pavilion that featured a fresh water pool filled with lava pebbles. The grounds were completely manicured and the hills on either side were full of tropical trees and flowers. The place was truly a tropical paradise; words cannot adequately describe its beauty. Beer and soft drinks were available at the pavilion for a nominal price (soft drinks $1, beer $2).

After we finished the falls, the second part of our excursion began. About 50 feet from the pavilion is the Black River. We were provided with large inner tubes with a plastic "bottom" and a kayak paddle. The river features some mini-rapids and a canopy of trees which provide cover most of the way down. We tubed for about 30-45 minutes and were picked up a ways downstream. When we finished tubing, we were transported back to the pavilion to change clothes. We sat around the pool for awhile and then Errol shepherded us down to the plantation entrance where there is an outside restaurant with a little bar and a gift shop. There we had lunch which was included in the package. The menu included burgers and fries, but we all got the jerk chicken ... don't get the burger, the chicken was out of this world (according to six standard palates).

Everyone one of us loved this excursion and Barrett Travel deserves all the good press that I have seen on this board. The entire package (transportation to and from the pier, entrance to the plantation, the falls guides, the tubing trip (with two guides), and lunch was $75 per person for our size group. We were not hassled at the gift shop, and the prices there were reasonable ($7 for a heavyweight cotton t-shirt). In fact on the way back to the ship, Errol stopped and bought us fresh cold coconuts from a vendor on the side of the road. I hate coconut, but this stuff was incredible. Errol is a walking encyclopedia when it come to the island's plant life. I'd do this excursion again in a heartbeat.

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