Luminous Lagoon and Glistening Waters

The Luminous Lagoon, also known as Glistening Waters, is one of Jamaica’s most unique attractions. The Luminous Lagoon stretches along the mangroves of the Northern parish of Trelawny, where the Martha Brae River flows into the Caribbean Sea. Trelawny’s main town is Falmouth which is less than a half-an-hour away from the city of Montego Bay and about an hour west of the resort town Ocho Rios.

This incredible tourist attraction was at one point in history a busy shipping port. In the 18th century during the Jamaica sugar boom, Falmouth was one of Jamaica's most pivotal ports as its location on the north coast, where the Martha Brae River meets the Caribbean Sea, allowed for the area to be used as a wharf. At the wharf large vessels from England unloaded goods onto smaller boats daily. The smaller boats would traverse the river and carry good inland. The boats would then return to the wharf with sugar, rum and other Jamaican exports to be sent back to England.

The unique properties of the lagoon were not discovered until many years after the decline of the sugar trade in Falmouth. Scientists found that the lagoon's geographical location was important for another reason as it was the single best place to observe and study the rare phosphorescent microbes named dinoflagellates. A dinoflagellate is a microbe which thrives in the layers where salt and fresh water combine, they also glow the brightest in shallow, warm water. The constant movement and flowing of the river causes the microbes to move and glow with a neon-green color. This phenomenon can only be found in three other locations in the entire world and many consider the Luminous Lagoon as the best location to do so.

The Luminous lagoon is best enjoyed at night, with tours leaving the marina at sunset to take visitors along the lagoon. The tour last around 45 minutes and the boats, which are able to accommodate up to 30 persons, stop at the shallower portions of the lagoon, allowing travelers to swim while the waters glow around them.

Glistening Waters Restaurant & Marina

The Glistening Water Restaurant is a great place to relax and share tales about your trip to the lagoon. The restaurant also serves up fine seafood dishes and a number of Jamaican specialties. Visitors to the restaurant can expect to find dishes such as curried conch, fish, shrimp, lobster and Jamaican-style jerk chicken. The restaurant also has a full service bar which serves up a number of local blends along with premium liquors.

The Glistening Waters Marina is a full service marina with full hook-up for daily and weekly rentals in addition to long term rentals. Docking at the marina allows for great tours or fishing trips along Jamaica’s famed north coast. Jamaica’s north coast is well known for its fabulous white-sand beaches along with an abundance of red snapper, blue marlin, tuna and a host of other marine life.