Blue & John Crow Mountains
The Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park (BJCMNP) is located in the eastern end of the island of Jamaica. It extends over a planimetric area of 486 km2 (48,600ha) and represents 4.4% of Jamaica’s land surface. When topography is taken into consideration, the area is 78,212 hectares (193,292 acres) which indicates just how mountainous the terrain is.
Map of Jamaica showing BJCMNP boundary
The BJCMNP, Jamaica UNESCO WHS Nomination Dossier quotes Carey, 1997 statement that the word Maroon “has been adapted by academics as a generic term to apply to groups of persons resisting plantation slavery in the Caribbean and the American continent”. In fact the term is now being applied to groups all over the world who resisted enslavement by the Europeans, by fleeing to hard to access wilderness areas. The Maroons of eastern Jamaica (Windward Maroons) are however considered the classical representation and prototype, having been the first example of Grand Maroonage, the first free Maroon state in the post 1492 world, and still enduring today.
Blue Mountains Sustainable Tourism Programme
“The Blue Mountains Experience”
The goal of this programme is, “to deliver a high quality, world-class tourism destination that supports local communities and enhances conservation of the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park and its environs”.
Located over 900 metres (3,000 feet) above sea-level in the cool, tropical mist forests of the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park, Holywell (pronounced Hollywell) is the perfect escape from the heat and stress of city life. Just an hour's drive from New Kingston, it is the largest recreation area within the National Park, and the closest to the capital.
