Ochi to Port Antonio

Amanita, 2 yrs.ago we had to fly into Mobay and made it to Porti, via private taxi, in 3.5 hrs. I'm estimating 2 - 2.5 hrs. via public transport from Ochi to Port Antonio. 3 maximum, so it could be done in a day. If you start early you'll usually go a bit faster unless you're on a school bus route
It used to be:
Ochi to Port Maria via minibus; starting at the Ochi central terminal area.
Port Maria to Annato Bay via route taxi
Annatto Bay to Porti via bus, minivan or (not recommended) "fast car"/shared taxi. (Far too manic in the driving.) I haven't done this in a few years but the route and system is the same.

From Port Antonio to Zion Country you can take a Manchioneal minivan from behind the Texaco on Harbour St. Route taxis may or may not be faster. You take a route taxi to Long Bay, change at the east end of Long Bay and wait for a Manchionel route taxi. Last Spring I'd have saved some time, in the long run, by taking the minivan when going to Zion Co. On the way back I picked up a route taxi that went all the way into Port Antonio. By public transport it will take an hour or less.

Get off at Long Road in Muirton Pen and walk a few minutes up Long Road.. And if you'e staying overnight at Zion Co. check to see if it happens to be a day that Free-I is travelling into Port Antonio, which he does periodically.
Give Free-I my love.

aminata/ amanita---- sorry about that. It's mushroom season here ;-)

If the new road is finish I guess about 2.5 hours by private taxi.
Still a bit far to go for one day.
Definitely forget it by route taxi for one day.
Besides if you have not been to Porty is is well worth spending a few days there.
ONE LOVE !!
Mike

"How long by car (= taxi) from Ocho Rios to Port Antonio? Is the road similar to the new one from MoBay to Negril? "

It's newly widened and paved so you can go much faster than before, but the MoBay-Runaway Bay stretch of road bypasses a lot of towns (Falmouth, Duncans, Rio Bueno, etc) and the stretch form about Runaway Bay to Porty route doesn't bypass any except Ochi itself, you go through them all, and that slows you down a bit.

I'm sure you know it's a gorgeous drive along the coast and into the mountains just a tiny bit....even though you'd be in the car for 2+ hours, the scenery is worth it, IMO.

All the answers given is very much useful for your final decision. Your biggest problem is the use of taxi, this will add another hour or two when consider all the stops and different taxi from one point to the other. Its best to rule out taxi and hire a private transporter, it will be much more convenient, time saving and less trouble though costing a it more. Paradise Villa has private hired transportation, they can be reached at 1876-864-3270.

All the best...

Thanks for all the replies and great info! Much appreciated!

Irie Jamaica!

damian101, just for clarity, the issue with time and travel isn't whether to go by "taxi"---- it's whether the taxi is a privately chartered taxi or a shared or route taxi. All can be considered "taxis" in JA but each differs in cost and time.

So, yes, route taxis are slow, shared, and only run between specified points. "Fast car" taxis run between specified points, usually longer distances, and are also shared by a number of paying passengers. And private transport can be a taxi, privately chartered to go the entire distance.

So "taxi" isn't the issue but rather the kind of taxi or the agreement reached with the driver. ( I have used route taxis in Kingston and I have also "chartered" route taxis to carry me privately and more quickly.