Windsor Cave

Montego Bay & Northwest Coast


This cave may be off the beaten track to most people, but it's one of Jamaica's most important bat habitats, home to 12 species of around 100,000 bats. It was donated to the World Wildlife Fund in 1995 with the proviso that it never be developed. It's not terribly impressive inside, but you can either explore it with congenial guide Dango or, better yet, join a naturalist tour from Windsor Great House and watch the bats emerge at sunset.

The entrance is a 1km hike from the road, ending with a clamber up a narrow rocky path. Beyond the tight entrance, you’ll pass into a large gallery full of stalactites and a huge chamber with a dramatically arched ceiling; in rainy season you can hear the roar of the Martha Brae River flowing deep underground. Dango hangs out at the colorful Rasta shack at the bottom of the road to Windsor; negotiate a price with him, bearing in mind that he counts each separate chamber as a separate 'cave' (eg US$20 per person, per chamber).