A flower bud opens, a bird hops from limb to limb, the dew settles on the grass and the mist lifts. This is sunrise in Holywell Park. Holywell Park is located in the Blue and John Crow Mountains and is situated some 3,200 feet above sea level. A one-hour drive from Papine in St. Andrew, the winding road takes you past Strawberry Hill, Irish Town, Hardware Gap and the Jamaica Defence Force training base at Newcastle.
While the journey may prove difficult with the driving path going steadily uphill, the journey is definitely worth it when one reaches the top. At Holywell Park, there are cabins to house overnight visitors, a tree nursery section which grows trees to be used in reforestation projects and a wonderful spot to view amazing flora and fauna indigenous to Jamaica.
Totally unspoilt in beauty, Holywell is a great place for hikes, guided tours, camping trips and nature walks. Currently, there are plans to introduce horseback riding through the mountain under the shelter trail, and the installation of a slide at the playground for children.
Under the management of the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust (Green Jamaica), Holywell also offers Environmental educational tours/packages focusing mainly on the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park (BJCMNP). The park falls under a delegation agreement with the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and the Forestry Department.
All this means is that you can be a part of beauty untouched by man and modernization. Stay for a few hours, stay for a day or stay for a weekend. Holywell may overwhelm you at first with its heavy mist and cold weather but just a few minutes in silence and awe for the wonder that is nature, and you will forget the cold.
It matters not if you are a nature-lover or a city-dweller, Holywell has the needed amenities to ensure that you are relaxed, comfortable and at peace. Travel to Holywell and witness Mother Nature at its finest.
