LOCATED in the Garden Parish of St Ann, Green Grotto Caves is believed to be the site of the earliest Taino settlement in Jamaica. It is listed as one of the main attractions for persons from various walks of life including students and tourists.

Known at various times as the Runaway Bay Caves, Cave Hall Caves, Discovery Bay Caves, Dry Harbour Caves, Hopewell Caves, Rum Caves and Dairy Caves, are among Jamaica’s most prominent natural attractions. They are of international repute and have been seeing visitors since the 18th century. Situated on 25.9 hectares of the island’s beautiful north coast, the Caves are located between the resort centres of Ocho Rios and Montego Bay and are precisely 3.2 km from Discovery Bay to the west and four kilometres from Runaway Bay to the east.

The central feature of this natural attraction is the large labyrinthine limestone cave with its numerous rock formations, its stalactites, stalagmites and abundance of overhead ceiling pockets. Green Grotto is 1,525 metres long and 12 metres deep and is characterised by numerous chambers and light holes and a subterranean lake — the Grotto Lake — occupies its bowels. The cave is rich in history and can be identified with different groups of people. The first Jamaicans, the Arawak Indians (Tainos) found shelter in the caves initially. Proof of this is evident in the multiple fragments of pottery and adzes that are unearthed from time to time. During the period of take-over by the English, the caves were used as a hideout for the Spaniards who were being driven out of the country.

The caves can also be identified with that period between the two world wars where they were used by smugglers running arms to Cuba. In the latter years during the Second World War, the Government of Jamaica used the entrance of the cave as a storeroom for rum in barrels. In the 1960’s Green Grotto Caves fell into the possession of the Kirkner family.

Today, they are owned by the Urban Development Corporation and operated by the St Ann Development Company and the attraction is being developed to include a nature park and reserve.