City:
Canoe Valley/Alligator Hole
History
Alligator Hole, a misnomer for a small river with fascinating inhabitants, is found within the Canoe Valley National Nature Preserve, east of Alligator Pond, along a winding coastal road with changing flora. The name Canoe Valley is said to have some relation to indigenous Jamaicans, the Taino. About 600 years ago, the valley was heavily endowed with cotton trees, used by the Amerindians to carve canoes and other small craft. The Canoe Valley Park spans 3000 acres, and is made up of mangrove swamps, limestone forests and herbaceous forests. The whole valley occupies approximately 5000 acres, and at last count there were 4 amphibian species, 7 bat species, 23 reptile species and 93 avian species in the area.
Local Flavour
The Alligator Hole River, created by rainfall in the hills, runs underground for some of its course, meandering through the valley and entering the sea slightly south of Alligator Hole. The water in the river at all points is slightly salty because it filters through limestone bedrock, dissolving minerals along the way. The river emerges from underground near Hillside Bay at the base of Round Hill, and for its short appearance above ground provides an excellent habitat for both marine and freshwater animals because of its salinity, supporting flora and its proximity to the sea.
Famous For
Three manatees were rescued from local fishermen, have been nursed back to health and are now cared for by the government. Their fate has influenced legislation; today, manatees are a protected species under Jamaican law, so it is illegal to kill or capture any of the few that still live in Jamaican waters. And at about 5pm in the evening, the three resident manatees at Alligator Hole swim upstream to be fed by local conservationists. Hang out by the walled lookout above the river (swimming, boating and touching the manatees is strictly prohibited) and get comfortable. If they come, it will be worth your while! Call to them by name, they are: Dorothy, Hughette and Joan. Look out for Hughette, she is the one with the cut on her tail, received when her captors tied a rope to drag her away.
Don't Miss
As you wind along the road to Alligator Pond from Alligator Hole (feel free to use your horn liberally as you drive to warn oncoming motorists of your approach), there is a small sign on a gate on the right side of the road. This is the entrance to Gut River, a serene, untouched sliver of paradise. The river itself empties into the sea a few 100 yards from the road, and is crystal clear for the short distance it flows from its underground source. Local residents testify to curative waters here, although no studies have been done to prove them correct or otherwise. What is true though, is that by the rocks near the road, there are turquoise lagoon-like pools, some as deep as 15 feet, and all filled with cool, crisp, refreshing water.