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Fort Charles Walking Tour
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The Fort Charles Walking Tour in Port Royal Jamaica was nothing short of interesting and a perfect example of information overload, but in a good way. Now my goal is just to give you an idea of the tour as I always say it is best for you to have that experience for yourself, ask questions that you may have and just enjoy.
When we hear Port Royal the first things that come to mind are earthquakes, pirates and the sunken city. So you definitely want to take the time to do this tour as Fort Charles holds such rich history and these are some great facts that are good to know and understand.
Did you know that Kingston didn’t exist before the Earthquake of 1692? Did you know that Fort Charles was build in the shape of a ship?(Comment and let me know)
Fort Charles History
Experience the rich history and breathtaking beauty of Jamaica’s most famous pirate haven on the Port Royal Walking Tour: Fort Charles. As you stroll through the fort, you’ll feel transported back in time to the 17th century, when Port Royal was the center of the Caribbean’s bustling trade and pirate activities. Here we will uncover the secrets of Fort Charles, the oldest and largest fort in the area, as well as the key role it played in the protection and development of this notorious city.
FORT CHARLES TOUR
Tips for Visiting Fort Charles Port Royal Jamaica
- Go around 3:00pm or 4:00pm or on a nice cool day because the SUN is no joke and wear some sunscreen, trust me the sun rough!
- Wear comfortable shoes as you have to remember there was an earthquake there so a lot of where you walk will not be leveled.
- If you have a child under 4 they may not find the tour exciting and it can be hard for them to keep up. My daughter (4 years was all for it and didn’t want to leave, she really loved the Giddy House lol)
- Bring some water as stated due to the heat, I would recommend that you have that to drink on the way, maybe eat something before too.
- Take the time to listen and enjoy the tour, you can always stay behind after to get all those Instagram worthy photos you may want lol.
- Take your cameras so you can get some wonderful photos.
Tour Details
The Fort Charles Walking tour is usually available everyday from Sunday to Sunday from 9:00am to 5:00pm, of course you can’t go at 5pm to expect to do the tour at that time. Try to get there at least an hour before the time, as the tour itself lasts roughly 45 minutes to an hour. As a Jamaican resident if you have your ID you can enter at a discounted rate which is $1500JMD for Adults $800JMD for children 4-12, 3 and under is FREE. They also offer school group rates. Otherwise it is $15USD for Adults, $8 for kids and the same 3 and under is free.
The Experience
The tour of Fort Charles will help you to journey back in time, way back in time, you will hear all the information about the historic fort and you will hear stories about pirates and much more. You will also hear about places you know of such as Lime Cay and Maiden Cay and how they came about. You will see many different remnants of the past such as cannons, historic buildings and artifacts.
The tour started right here under this Guango Tree. The fun fact though is that the one you see here in this photo is over 200 years old/ The pods are knows to be great for cows and horses as it is high in protein. More than anything else it is a great place to shelter from the hot sun. At this point you get a little overview of some of the history told by the well informed tour guides which give you all the details and answer any questions you have.
Magazine Room
This is where the cannonballs and gunpowder were stored in crates along with other tools that were necessary to make sure that the cannons were operating at their best.
The Map
This was interesting as it is something relatable when you hear the history and you look at the map and put all the parts and pieces together. As I stated I won’t give away all the information as you need to go and do the tour for yourself. Can you spot Lime Key on the map? Now called Lime Cay. As you can see there are quite a few small islands there. I want to get a boat and go to all.
Post Commander’s Quarters
We then got the chance to have a look at the Post Commander’s Quarters, as they were given a more comfortable lifestyle than the average enlisted soldier. They were a lot more comfortable as they didn’t have to be sharing barracks with others.
Must be nice huh?
For sure…
The Giddy House
This one I could not get my daughter to move away from, the Giddy House, we hear about it all the time as you know it became this way due to the impact of the earthquake which caused it to lean to one side hence making you a bit ‘giddy’ when you are standing inside. Before that however it was the Royal Artillery storehouse for the items that were considered to be non-explosives.
Upper and Lower Gun Deck
The upper area was for better advantage a better view and more gun support, while the lower deck had more stationary cannons.
FORT CHARLES PIRATES
Port Royal was very popular as being the center of piracy and lawlessness in the Caribbean which drew pirates and privateers from all over the world. Some that stand out today are Henry Morgan, John Rackham “Calico Jack” and Edward Teach “Blackbeard”. Port Royal was an area for trade and commerce and that made it an ideal place for pirates to attack, some authorities ignored this because they would benefit in the long run, as the more piracy existed in Port Royal the more the city’s wealth increased.
They also spent their loot on things like gambling and drinking. This created a culture of lawlessness and dissipation.
THE WOMEN OF PIRACY
Women in piracy was not accepted so there were two women Anne Cormac and Mary Read who had disguised themselves as men, however there was a rule that stated if a woman was pregnant then they couldn’t be killed and that saved them from being executed, however they ended up being imprisoned. Mary died but no one knows what happened to Anne….hmmmm strange.
There are quite a few things that were fun to discuss along the tour such as:
- Chocolate milk was invented in Jamaica.
- For a third world country Jamaica’s tap water meets the quality standard to drink and is free from contamination.
- Jamaica was the first country in the Western world to construct railway lines, even before the United States did.
- Jamaica had electricity before the United States.
- The Port Royal Walking Tour of Fort Charles is an unforgettable experience that you won’t want to miss. With knowledgeable guides and breathtaking views, this tour is a must-do!
- The Jamaican flag is one of the 2 flags in the entire world, that does not share any color from the US flag.
A Little History of Port Royal
Back in the days Port Royal was seen as the ‘wickedest city in the world.’ The was of course due to the piracy that was there are stated earlier. The English had taken control of the area and turned it into an area for trade, which after awhile the pirates stepped in. In 1692 there was a massive earthquake that caused much of the city to sink into the sea, which damaged and destroyed the infrastructure there. Tourists love coming and doing the Fort Charles walking to to learn more.
For more fun things to do around the island check out these posts:
Please note that sometimes some of these places of things to do may close down so I will try to update the post accordingly. As you do these activities I would love it if you could share them with me in the comments below or send me a quick message on Instagram. Also if I did leave out some activities that you know about please let me know and I will add them to the listing.
Happy Adventuring! Also, remember to be safe on your journeys around the island.
I hope this post about Fort Charles and Port Royal Jamaica has been helpful there was also a little Fort Charles history to give you better context and understanding.
