Holiday Jamaica

Overview

Castleton Gardens is located approximately 20 minutes from Kingston and is anchored on a landscape dominated by ravines and tall mountain ranges. This lush, unbelievably beautiful garden is located on 15 acres and is bordered by the main road on one side and a river on the other. The flora includes the most exotic, often indigenous ferns and majestic palms. Annual rainfall here is 45 inches!

The picnic areas are sheltered by some of the island's most elegant trees. This is truly a nature-lovers paradise. The gardens at Castleton were established in 1862 to facilitate the relocation of the Bath Botanical Gardens, making it one of the oldest public botanical gardens in the western hemisphere. In just a few years after the move, the gardens at Castleton were the most richly stocked in the Caribbean, boasting over 180 species of palm and at least 400 specimens of other flora.

The garden occupies approximately 15 acres of land in the cool, verdant hills of St Mary. It is divided by the main road to Junction with another end adjacent to a rocky river -- known to many as the Wag Water River. Many of the trees and plants introduced to Jamaica were first planted here, most notably the Bombay mango, Navel orange and Tangerine. Other important exotic trees, palms and shrubs in the garden today include: Cestrum Nocturnum (Night Jasmine), Spathodea Campanulata (Flame of the Forest), Litchi Chinensis (Chinese Guinep) and Sanchezia Nobilis (Hummingbird Fountain).

The 15-acre gardens are open to the public, and Castleton is a popular picnic spot for Kingstonians eager for a break from the city. The Wag Water River flows through Castleton parallel to the botanical gardens, adding to the serenity and pristine beauty of the area.