Blue and John Crow Mountains

The Blue and John Crow Mountains are a contiguous highland area in eastern Jamaica recognised for both exceptional biodiversity and significant cultural history. The landscape includes montane cloud forest, upland rainforests and traditional communities that have occupied the ranges for centuries.

Hiking, nature watching and cultural visits are common activities; protected trails and community‑led visits provide access to forests, peaks and Maroon heritage sites. The ranges host a number of endemic plants and animals and important watershed areas.

The region has long been a refuge landscape and retains strong links to the history of runaway enslaved people known as Maroons. It was designated as a protected national landscape and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015 for its combined natural and cultural values.

Geographically the ranges rise east of Kingston and extend across the island’s eastern interior, forming the principal highland system of eastern Jamaica.

• UNESCO status: Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015 for combined natural diversity and the cultural landscape associated with Maroon communities.
• Biodiversity value: The area protects cloud forest, upland rainforest and numerous endemic species, making it one of Jamaica's principal conservation landscapes.

What to See #

• Blue Mountain sector: The Blue Mountain portion contains the island's highest peaks, cloud forest and many of the upland coffee plantations that gave the range its international name recognition.
• John Crow range: The John Crow range is lower and more rugged in places; it contains remote forest tracts and sites of cultural importance to Maroon communities.
• Protected zones and cultural sites: Designated protected areas and national-park lands capture both high-elevation biodiversity and cultural landscapes tied to Maroon history and settlement.