Dunn's River Falls is a famous waterfall near Ocho Rios, Jamaica and a major Caribbean tourist attraction that receives thousands of visitors each year. At about 180 feet (55 m) high and 600 feet (180 m) long, the waterfalls are terraced like giant natural stairs though some incorporate man-made improvements. Several small lagoons are interspersed among the vertical sections of the falls. The falls empty into the Caribbean Sea at the western end of an attractive white-sand beach. Climbing the waterfalls is a popular tourist activity and is often, but not exclusively, performed with the help of tour guides from the park. It takes about 1-1.5 hours to climb with short breaks for photographs and video recordings taken by the guides. The falls are bordered by lush, green vegetation that shades the area from the sun and keeps the area, and climbers, cool. The climb is relatively easy and is often undertaken as a hand-holding human chain led by a guide. Dunn's River Falls are fed by spring water, which is rich with calcium carbonate and is depositing travertine. Such waterfalls are described by geologists as "a living phenomenon" because they are continuously rebuilt by the sediments in spring water. Dunn's River Falls is one of the very few travertine waterfalls in the world that empties directly into the sea.
