Andrew Smith, Photography Editor

The endemic Jamaican Pewee in the forests of the Bluefield Mountains in Bluefields, Westmoreland on Thursday, May 15. - photos by Andrew Smith/Photography Editor

Summer is a time for new experiences and discoveries. With the rising prices of gas and the excessive cost of travelling, why don't we Jamaicans explore our own country?

One such place to do this is in Bluefields, Westmoreland, where Reliable Adventure Jamaica (RAJ) provides hiking, birding and heritage tours. Did you know that Captain Bligh (of the mutiny on the Bounty) planted one of Jamaica's first breadfruit trees here, and that it still exists?

You are also to enjoy tremendous vistas of the bay and view settlements where the Tianos, Spanish, English and Africans all called home (not all at the same!)

A lot to do in a very small place.

andrew.smith@gleanerjm.com

Wolde Kristos, of Reliable Adventures Jamaica in Bluefields, Westmoreland, stands below one of the breadfruit trees planted by Captain Blighin the 18thcentury.

Veda Tate, tour guide with Reliable Adventures Jamaica, scans the forest canopy.

The endemic White-chined Thrush.

The Jamaican Oriole, an endemic subspecies.