Legend has it that two slaves fell in love on a sugar plantation in St. Elizabeth on Jamaica’s south coast. Their master fell in love with the young woman and planned to sell her beau so that he could have her to himself. Refusing to accept that fate, the enslaved couple fled the plantation only to be chased down to the edge of a steep cliff in the Santa Cruz Mountains. With no suitable alternative, the star-crossed lovers jumped to their deaths.
Re-enactment of Lover's Leap tragedy...kinda. Like Protoje says: "No lover's leap is not for me..."
Fast forward a couple hundred years…
On an impromptu south coast road trip, a few friends and I made our way from Kingston to Lover’s Leap in St. Elizabeth only to be met by closed gates and a sign that read temporary closure. Womp, womp.
Luckily our trip wasn’t in vain. Just past the gates that housed the Lover’s Leap restaurant, lighthouse and observation desk was an open space that seemed to stop abruptly in the middle of the clouds. We made our way to the edge of the mountain to an opening not obstructed by the overgrowth of vegetation and found this beautiful view!
Beautiful view from Lover's Leap St. Elizabeth, Jamaica
The photos don’t do this place justice. I swear I could have sat there for hours, just relaxing and staring out into the sea.
And for the hikers out there, one of the local villas has access to a trial that leads down to Cutlass Bay below. The water is too rough for swimming, but could be fun none-the-less. We passed on the hike (it would take 3+ hours) as it was too late in the day, but next time it’s on the agenda.
The 1,700ft drop from Lover's Leap, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. Would you make the hike down?
The Lover’s Leap legend in Jamaica is not a unique one. There are a number of locations around the globe with the same name and similar tragic loves stories attached to it. I haven’t been to any of the others, but I’m sure Jamaica’s Lover’s Leap is one of the best!
Have you ever been to Lover’s Leap?
