Excursions outside the resort in Ocho Rios

[LauraH]

Hello everyone!
My husband and I honeymooned at CTI last May and are returning this December for his birthday. We stayed low key on our honeymoon and enjoyed the great excursions offered at CTI, but really just wanted to have an easy going laid back honeymoon...and it was PERFECT!

When we return this December, I want to surprise my husband with an excursion or 2 off the resort. I DEFINITELY want to do ziplining and maybe the Bob Marley tour. Anyone have experience with this? I'd like to have it planned before we get there rather than plan it with the person at the resort-I fear prices would be much higher doing it that way (maybe I'm wrong?) but I don't know who to go through for transportation, reservations, etc.
Any help you can offer is appreciated! Thanks!

[Wally]

We did the Chukka zipline tour (9 lines) and the Zion Bus trip up to Nine Mile in March 2009. We arranged then through the resort after we got there and the prices were quite reasonable. Both were $85 each which includes transportation. Just sneek away from him and take your credit card to the tour desk if you want to keep it a surprise.

Here is what I wrote up about the Chucka Zion Bus trip to Nine Mile after we returned:

Bob Marley Nine Mile

Yes, we did it last March. You can arrange it through the Couples Tour Desk. There are two offered by Chukka. We did the Zion Bus Tour. The other one is a jeep tour. I would recommend the bus tour over the jeep one. There is a driver and a guide on the bus. The guide plays Bob Marley music and talks about Bob's life, music and history. Very informative and interesting. The van takes you from the resort to the Chukka office. You wait 20-30 minutes and then board the bus. We rode for about an hour and then stopped at Bumper’s Lounge…a little roadside place for a snack (beef wraps). Then it was about an hour more on a narrow winding mountain road to Nine Mile. There is a tour guide there that gives a nice tour that was also very informative. There is a gift shop too (of course). We were there for about an hour. On the way back, we stopped at the same place for lunch...jerk chicken and pork, rice, festivas and lemonade. It cost 80-90 $ each. It was fun, but probably only worth it for hard core Bob Marley fans (which my wife is).

Chukka Web Site

Our authentic Jamaican Country Bus, the “Zion Bus Line”, will take you on a unique tour from Island Village in Ocho Rios, via Claremont to the birth and final resting place of the King of Reggae, Bob Marley. This pilgrimage has been specifically designed for Reggae enthusiasts and hardcore Bob Marley fans, who would like to visit the “Graceland” of Reggae.
The bus ride is a scenic tour of rural St. Ann. Rock to the rhythm of Bob’s greatest hits as your “dreadlocked” driver negotiates the narrow winding country roads to the mountain village of Nine Miles. Level the vibes with an IRIE Rum Punch and listen carefully as your “ductor” (conductor & guide) tells tales of the life and times of young Bob and how he grew up in the hills of St. Ann.
On the return trip via Higgin Town and St. Ann’s Bay, stop at the local Jerk Centre for an authentic Jamaican lunch treat of Jerk Pork & Chicken, Rice & Peas, Festival and “Belly Wash” Lemonade.
If you are a baby boomer who was hip to the 60’s & 70’s music of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Jimmy Cliff or if you are now a fan of Shaggy, Beenie Man and the Dance Hall phenomenon, this is a Reggae experience you can’t miss.

[Moebius]

I know there are a lot of good reviews for the zip line tour, but we had a horrible experience. Her are some details:

At CSS we were the second pick-up stop for the bus, the first was CTI. We were ready for the bus a few minutes early so as not to hold anyone up. Since there were no pickups at CTI, we were the first on the bus. After stops at several other resorts where people were not ready to go (they forgot towels, etc. and the driver waited for them) and 2 hours sitting on that bus, we finally arrived at the actual tour.

Honestly, there was more standing around than zip lining. We went from station to station, but before you zipped, you had to wait for everyone in front of you to zip. Once on the other side, you had to wait for everyone else behind you to get over. Then they set up for the next zip...over and over. By the time we were done, we were exhausted and had been given no water. Then we had to walk about a mile to the bus from the end, again with no water. Finally, once we reached the bus, we were given some water and we hopped in the bus to cool down.

It was such a miserable 1/2 day that we wished we had stayed at the resort.

I know that not all of the tours are like this, this was just our experience.