Barney's Botanical Garden Jamaica

Day 7 – As we awoke on our last morning in the deep west, we had to make a stop at Barney's botanical garden. A beautiful sanctuary full of firecracker flowers, bromeliads and heliconia blooms along with hummingbirds; we arrived at 10am when Barney, bless him, wasn't expecting us – he was a quaint man from Germany – and he had a big heart for hummingbirds and his plants. We were welcomed and given a tour. The garden isn't too big but is perfect to watch where the birds go. We realised after 30-50 mins when others arrived that patience was a virtue. Several, approximately 4-6 others, showed, however, had no patience for nature and missed out on feeding these beautiful creatures. We got to feed them several times (not all caught on camera), which was incredible to see their colours and hear their sounds. We gathered they liked the colour red, as Barney wore red as were the sugar water bottles, so we used our incentive. Our good friend Emily brought us some croc-like purses, which we used to carry money. Luckily, mine was red and actually attracted them closer to us. We spent a good 2-3 hours at Barneys, and it was the most magical morning. Thank you, sir! Keep up the good work protecting these beautiful creatures.

I visited Barney’s in February 2025 with my fiancée and his grandmother and we all had an excellent time. If you are a lover of birds and gardening, this is a great way to see a variety of exotic plants in one place. We went at 4PM and the hummingbirds were a bit shy, but if you are patient they will make an appearance. We were very excited to see a doctor bird (Jamaica’s national bird) in person! Barney was great to chat with and showed us the main hummingbird species that are found in Jamaica. If it’s possible and you can, I would try visiting the gardens in the morning when it’s not as hot for the birds. Other than that though we really enjoyed ourselves and plan to return the next time we are in Negril.

A very lovely hour spent looking around this little jewel of a garden. We were very lucky and saw an adolescent Swallow Tail Hummingbird (Doctor Bird) You NEED to be Patient and Quiet!! So if you can't sit still for more than 5 minutes, this will not be for you! In addition, remember this is a garden that is lucky enough to have Hummingbirds visit not a bird park, so nothing is guaranteed.

Barney has created a magical sanctuary for many birds and reptiles. It’s a quaint and quiet garden that will leave you with a deep appreciation for the flora and fauna of Jamaica.

I am sorry to say but this place is not worth visiting in it's current state. (Taxi and Entry fees cost three of us over $150) The owner cares for it deeply but it's a shadow of it's previous glory. We later visited Rockland's near Mobay which gave us an amazing experience feeding Hummingbirds and many other species.

The staff here was super inviting and knowledgeable about different species of hummingbirds. The hummingbirds are usually found in the Blue Mountains, but Barney has curated a garden with specific features to draw the hummingbirds to this side of the island. We got to see 3 of the national bird and 2 mangoes. I had one come right up to my feeder and feed from my hand. Go early on the morning or late in the day as the birds prefer cooler temperatures and shade. Expect to spend 1-2 hours here. Cash only if you pay in person and do not reserve online.

Fantastic morning. Barney welcomed us in and gave us some information about the birds and a feeder. We saw lots of humming birds and got to hand feed a few. Lots of beautiful flowers and insects as well. Would recommend going early before the sun it too hot.

Great place to visit in Negril. Go in the afternoon to ensure you see the hummingbirds. Barney showed us around, sharing his knowledge of the plants and birds.