Green Grotto Caves

The Green Grotto Caverns are display caves and a popular tourist destination on Jamaica's north coast. The cave's structure is significantly different from inland systems; the cave is a Flank Margin Cave (ancient mixing chambers at the edge of the fresh water lens with the sea water) with two well-defined levels that appear to indicate two eras with various sea-levels. A crystal-clear subterranean lake may be found in the deepest cavern.

There is a part of "wild caverns" with relatively untouched environment in addition to the publicly accessible areas of the cave. The cave system is linked to the nearby coastal waters hydrologically.

The caverns' first known residents were Arawak Indians, who left pottery pieces and adzes. The caverns were utilized as a hideout by the Spanish who were being forced out of Jamaica while it was a British colony. The caves were often utilized by fugitive slaves, earning the name Runaway Caves. Between the two world wars, they were used by smugglers transporting armaments to Cuba, and later in the Second World War, the Government of Jamaica utilized the cave's entrance as a storage facility for rum in barrels.

Location: Discovery Bay, Jamaica