Jamaica is among the best island destinations in the world for birding. 307 birds have been recorded, including 127 breeding species and 180 migrants. 28 species are endemic, more than any other West Indian island. Fortunately for birders, most of Jamaica’s endemics can be found, in just a few days in the very cool and very beautiful Blue Mountains!

Join us in Jamaica’s exquisite Blue Mountains where the truest, world renowned, Blue Mountain Coffee beans are grown. Like France’s ‘Appellation D’Origine Contrôlée Champagne’, which strictly controls where authentic Champagne grapes may be grown, the area where Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee plants are cultivated, is also strictly controlled.

There is a mystic to Jamaica’s Blue Mountains, a majesty of landscape; a richness of green; rolling mist; clean cool breeze; quiet with bird song, flowers, gardens and of course there’s the coffee! World renowned, Jamaica’s Blue Mountain Coffee is scarce. The island’s esteemed brand, represents roughly 5/100% of the world’s annual coffee production; and of that, 80% has been pre-sold to Japan, leaving a piddling amount of true Blue Mountain Coffee for us in the West, to find and enjoy.

I began this blog post thinking I could name ten books, I would recommend to anyone wanting to glean something more – insight – honest, entertaining and well articulated, about this infinitely intriguing island. But as my list evolved, it became ridiculously eclectic, from stories to essays, cookbooks & guide books, to You Tubes and sound tracks. I simply could not get a handle on the TEN LIST genre.

The Blue Mountains are full of sensational stories as well as stunning scenery, but it’s the quiet you’ll savour – pure audible peace. And if there is a cool spot anywhere on the island right now – mid August 2014, it’s Jamaica’s Blue Mountains.

This tour was a wild card and I was looking forward to playing it. The Birding Tour Operator I worked with did not know me and I did not know her. We met by me making a cold call to Paddy Cunningham Birding Adventures, based in Miami – asking Paddy if she might be interested in following on the heels of a terrific New York City Audubon trip I’d just produced. Paddy, bless her, took a leap and successfully gathered 7 wonderful birdwatchers, from random places in the United States, many of whom had traveled with her before.

It was Tammy’s birthday, and she wanted to be hiking in the Blue Mountains, with Family and close Friends. We were a group of Jamaicans, and none of us had ever hiked the Cunha Cunha Pass, a 5.5 mile mountain trail, which was first used by the Windward Maroons, (Taino and Africans who ran away to the mountains rather than stay as slaves).

Last winter I was lucky enough to tour with Stephen and Sahar-Arafat Ray. They asked for a couple days pursuing Steve’s passion – Music, and Sahar’s – Food, in southwest Jamaica. Steve has a dream job promoting Texas generated music for the Austin Public Art’s Council, and Sahar is one of Austin’s favorite cooking instructors and food bloggers – Tart Queens Kitchen. The resulting blog can be found on Sahar’s blog: http://www.tartqueenskitchen.com/?p=2278

“There was a small valley at the back of the house which was a marvel of loveliness, bananas, daturas, and great Caladium esculentum bordering the stream, with the Ipomoea bona nox, passion-flower, and Tacsonia thunbergii over all the trees, giant fern-fronds as high as myself, and quantities of smaller ferns with young pink and copper-coloured leaves, as well as the gold and silver varieties.”