On the other side of the harbor from Kingston, and reached by the new toll highway to the huge dormitory suburb of Portmore, the Hellshire Hills are an arid, cactus-strewn expanse jutting down into the Caribbean Sea. The main reason to come here is for a swim at Fort Clarence Beach , a stretch of white sand that is popular with Kingstonians, or to have a plate of fried fish at the neighboring fishing village of Hellshire, known island-wide for its outstandingly good seafood. Here, ramshackle restaurants line the sand, selling fried fish served with vinegary pepper sauce and bammy or festival breads. It is a thoroughly Jamaican scene during the weekends when huge speakers blast out reggae and local families descend on the beach.

Past Hellshire, the Two Sisters Caves  are a series of deep caverns in the limestone made accessible by wooden walkways and stairs. Guides explain the caves’ history and point out an Amerindian petroglyph on one of the walls.