STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — If you’re looking to escape the bitter cold plaguing the United States, you might want to think twice before heading to this tropical paradise according to the State Department.
Certain areas of Jamaica are listed as level four, which is the highest rating a State Department advisory can be: “Do Not Travel.” These areas are regarded as “high crime areas” by the State Department.
They are, as listed by the department, the following locations:
St. Ann’s Parish: Steer Town and the Buckfield neighborhood near Ocho Rios.St. Catherine’s Parish: Spanish Town, Central Village, areas within Portmore, including: Naggo Head, New Land, Old Braeton, Portmore Lane, Gregory Park, and Waterford.Clarendon Parish: All of Clarendon Parish, except passing through Clarendon Parish using the T1 and A2 highways.St. Elizabeth’s Parish: Vineyard District Community, between the communities of Salt Spring and Burnt Savanna, St. Elizabeth.Hanover Parish: Logwood and Orange Bay.St. James Parish/Montego Bay: Inland side of the A1 highway and The Queen’s Drive from San San to Harmony Beach Park.Kingston and St. Andrew Parish: Cassava Piece, Duhaney Park, Grants Pen, Standpipe, Swallowfield, Elleston Flats, August Town, and downtown Kingston, defined as between Mountain View Avenue and Hagley Park Road, and south of Half Way Tree and Old Hope Roads. Downtown Kingston includes Arnett Gardens, Cockburn Gardens, Denham Town, Olympic Gardens, Seaview Gardens, Trench Town, and Tivoli Gardens.Manchester Parish: Green Vale and Gray Ground neighborhoods of Mandeville.St. Thomas Parish: Black Lane neighborhood in Seaforth, Grands Penn, Church Corner neighborhood near Yallahs, Town of Yallahs, except when driving through on the main highway.Trelawny Parish: Clarks Town.Westmoreland Parish: Russia community in Savanna-la-Mar (The Southeastern quadrant of Savannah la Mar east of Darling Street and south of the A2 highway/Barracks Road), Morgan Bay, Kings Valley, The Whitehall, Bethel Town, and Red Ground neighborhoods of Negril.
If you work for the United States government in Jamaica, you are “are not allowed to use public buses or drive between cities at night. They are also not allowed to travel to certain high-risk areas,” the advisory said.
The rest of the island falls under a level two categorization: “Exercise Increased Caution.” This is due to “crime, health, and natural disaster risks,” the State Department said.
In terms of natural disasters, some parts of Jamaica are still recuperating from the damage inflicted by Hurricane Melissa in October 2025.
Crimes like murder, sexual assault, and armed robberies are not as common in tourist destinations but are an issue. The advisory states that “the U.S. embassy routinely receives reports of sexual assaults, including from U.S. citizen tourists at resorts.
Additionally, “basic and specialized medical care may not be available in many parts of” the country. Emergency services are “slower” and there is “less availability of care for illness or injury.”
To learn more and read the entire travel advisory, please click here.