AT least one businessman is encouraging Jamaicans to take a day off work to relax aboard bamboo rafts, skilfully manoeuvred by raft captains down the tranquil Rio Grande in Portland.

And, of course, this businessman has a motive. Errol Allen is the operator of the Rio Grande Experience, and he is trying to get more locals to see and experience what he says is “another side” of Jamaica.

“Rafting on the Rio Grande used to be the pasttime of the rich and famous, but we are trying to make it affordable and available to just about everyone,” Allen told the Sunday Observer.

And while rafting will remain the major highlight of the package, guests will, at the end of the two-hour-long ride downstream, be treated to an authentic Jamaican meal. They will also be able to participate in ‘rolling’ the chocolate for that piping cup of tea at Rafters Rest – the property at the end of the journey.

Allen, who owned the former ‘Rant ‘N’ Rave’ hotel in Negril, said individuals, families, corporate and church groups would be targeted.

“We are encouraging locals to have their retreats here on any day, or just enjoy a relaxing ride on the raft and be provided with a good Jamaican meal all in one package,” he said.

As of next month, the attraction will also offer a Sunday brunch.

“We will be specialising in old-time Jamaican food like how granny used to do it,” he said.

Allen got the idea to introduce this setting as part of the Rio Grande experience so that tourists being shuttled from the various resorts to the property would be able to experience another side of Jamaica.

“We wanted to show the visitors things like how to roll the chocolate and how to make it with coconut milk just the way how granny used to do it,” Allen told the Sunday Observer.

The facility was recently refurbished at a cost of $9 million. Allen said the landscape was enhanced, and sections of the building renovated to accommodate events such as wedding receptions, a concept which is warmly received.

“It is an exquisite place for weddings with the bride and the groom entering the reception on a beautifully decorated raft,” Allen said.

Meanwhile, the attraction, which still remains a favourite for nature-loving tourists, is expecting a significant increase in business once the new road from Ocho Rios to Portland has been completed.

“The [condition of the] road has caused us to see a drastic decline in business as some tour operators are afraid of taking tourists along the current road surface,” Allen said.

For now, most of the business to the attraction comes from within Portland as the number of tourists from Ocho Rios and Montego Bay has dwindled because of the poor road condition.

Allen is, however, confident that once the roads are repaired tourists will continue to travel as far away as Negril to enjoy what he described as the “uniqueness” of the Rio Grande.

“Our rafting is different from others in that we not only start at the foot of the blue mountains but we have more than one dozen gentle rapids and we use a 30-foot bamboo raft where others use 18-foot rafts”.

To manoeuver such a large raft, the captains have to exhibit great skill in aligning the vessel to travel at the same pace as the river.

The journey down the river, which starts at Berrydale and ends in Rafters Rest at Seven Miles, can take anywhere between one and a half hours to two and a half, depending on the state of the river.

Besides the lush natural scenery and the different species of chirping birds, rafters can also enjoy an ice cold drink from the floating bars in the middle of the river, purchase a piece of exquisitely designed craft, reach up to pick overhanging fruits along the way, or purchase a flower for the hair from youngsters who wade out to sections of the river.

Locals can enjoy this experience at the discounted rate of $2,640 for two adults and a child under 12.

“The ride is so enjoyable you are sorry when it ends,” said Tricia Johnson a local visitor to the attraction, as she disembarked from a spin on the river. Clutching a hibiscus flower given to her by a small boy midway her journey, Johnson said this is something she would definitely encourage others to experience.