Friday, October 26, 2018

One Love Bus - Negril

I have traveled to Jamaica several times. I enjoy Montego Bay, Negril and Ocho Rios and try to visit each destination on a regular basis. I have always had a great time exploring and going on excursions and seeing beautiful waterfalls, mountains and beaches. However, this last trip to Negril was the best, and a huge part of that was because of the One Love Bus Tour.



Lenbert runs this tour and you won't find it on tour websites or in any traditional booking engine. To book this tour you contact Lenbert by email. He offers this tour for free in order to help tourists experience a more authentic Jamaica and to help the local bars benefit more from tourism.

  *UPDATE 2020: The One Love Bus Tour is now sold through Viator for a nominal fee. Tips are still appreciated. https://www.viator.com/tours/Negril/One-Love-Bus-Bar-Crawl/d433-160097P1?accountid=TGQ1ZGT&mcid=58086

Once my travel buddy and friend, Megan, and I were confirmed for our tour I got prepared. After reading online reviews I learned that Lenbert often stops at a village where kids will be out in the streets. Riders on the bus are able to donate items to the kids and village. Some bring flip flops, candy, school supplies, books or just donate cash.

Lenbert picked us at our hotel and the fun began. We were the first ones on the bus, which was covered inside with articles about Negril and many that featured the driver himself.


We drove to another resort to pick up the rest of the riders. They were a group of friends all staying together and celebrating a birthday. Megan and I lucked out to join such a fun group of people!







Lenbert rotates the bars he visits to spread the business around. The places we visited were fantastic. It started with a small roadside place that couldn't even fit us all. We spread out to the surrounding outdoor space and noticed a man walking around selling "ganja" and brownies. Jamaicans are allowed to grow a limited amount of marijuana per person in each house. Tourists are still not legally allowed to buy any drugs, including marijuana, but since the fine is equal to about $5 US dollars and it's rarely enforced, it's pretty common for visitors buy and smoke it.

We stopped a several other places, including a bar that is set within the cliffs on the west end. There are steps leading down to a cave, complete with bats hanging and water crashing into the rocks at it's entrance. I loved that experience!



There were many surprises along the way, but my favorite was visiting Lenbert's home and meeting his wife and one of his kids. There were fresh pastries offered and we were able to see his wife's beautiful artwork and taste her famous rum punch!




I highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to see more of Negril and meet some incredible people along the way. Remember to bring cash for bar purchases and to tip the driver. Don't forget to bring donation items for the kids and wear a swimsuit under your clothes if you plan to do any cliff jumping at Rick's Cafe.