Prospect Falls White River, Exchange St. Mary (Mushroom Wings Falls)

Prospect Falls

On April 17, 2022 I was going through Instagram and saw a cute little waterfall, it wasn't that tall or anything, it was just cute, it was shaped like a mushroom with wings. I sure as hell wasn't trying to stress myself out with another waterfall, I already had plenty lined up to see, so I skipped passing it. Few days later an associate of mine sent me a video of the same spot but it wasn't the same person that posted it this time.  However, I decided to message Karen, the person who originally posted it. I anxiously waited for a reply but it was taking forever. I ended up sending an email and stalked her social media page, looking for clues.

 

When she finally answered she gave me a general area of how to find it. Now that it is a lot of work to hike in a river bed, the next day I messaged her again. Her reply this time was that she doesn't remember how to find it and the person who took her made her promise not to tell anyone how to find it. She also said that it is located on private property and didn't want anybody getting into trouble while trying to find it, however the person is going to write a blog etc on how to find it. long story short she can't give the directions but going to write a blog on how to find it? Yes it's all BS, if you want to be paid for the information just say so and don't be a bitch about it! Eventually she sent me the person's instagram page and guess what it was the same chick who lied to my friend about forgetting how to find Swift River Falls lol why am I not even surprised.

 

For this reason I was going to go out of my way to find it, challenge accepted suckers.  I eventually looked some more through Karen Instagram and found bits and pieces of what could be clues and screenshot the waterfalls from her video. I also saw a waterfall that has been on my radar for sometime now in the same video hmmm. I spent hours researching these waterfalls trying to find their exact location and making sure both are on the same river. To tell the truth I did not slept properly that night I was having an adventure hitch that needed to be scratched, it was the same day Peda reached out to me about her trip to Nanny Falls. When I woke up the next morning I remembered that I knew somebody in the area Karen said the waterfall was located. I quickly messaged him but he wasn't familiar with the waterfalls, however he was familiar with one of the clues. Yes object BINGO TPC!!! This was my cue to at-least attempt to find it but I didn't want to do it with company just in case, I didn't find it and they feel disappointed. I also didn't want to go alone either. The guy I know that side wasn't an adventurous person he was willing to help me find it though, but I didn't feel comfortable taking him out of his comfort zone. I ended up doing the Nanny Falls trip which I am extremely happy I did, because I met some unique personalities.

Prospect Falls

Mushroom Wings Falls

I eventually did some more research and even commented under few people photos (something I never do) about the location of the waterfall that has been on my radar for some years now. Eventually Yaaman confirmed the location and said it was on their property. Also one of the people whose photo I commented on was a bit helpful and confirmed that it was indeed on Yaaman property but I wasn't planning to pay one bag a money to see a waterfall. I was supposed to link up with my friend Charles and his girl the day after the Nanny Falls Trip to try find them but it didn't happen. Eventually I started chatting with Ricardo the Trinidadian guy I met on the trip he seems very interested in my adventures and agreed to come with me after his exams. I patiently waited for exams to end on May 1st even though I kinda wish we could've skip to the day of the adventure. 

 

The plan was to meet up at 7am bright and early Monday morning May 2nd. I honestly thought he was gonna ghost me because I had to wait for him a little over an hour in Spanish Town. When he finally arrived it didn't take us anytime to get to Ocho Rios. The funny thing is I've always been looking for a specific street sign while driving into Ochi from the HighWay but I never could see it well today as we were about to pass it Ricardo pointed to show me something and just like that I saw the sign I think he read my mind cause I did not mentioned it to him. God's timing is perfect. I'm glad this adventure didn't happen last weekend. 

 

Today's adventure took us into Exchange, this exact road once led to paradise Blue / Island Gully Falls but over the years the locals destroyed the naturalness of this gem. In no time we turned off the main road and turned on a dirt track into a small community that was decorated with potholes, until we came to a gate which someone was closing just as we got there. When we inquired about driving down this perfectly good road the man informed us that it is a private road hence why it has to be closed, we chatted with the man for a short while before starting the journey. Then suddenly out of the blue a man and a woman started trailing us, I stopped and sat on the road side pretending that I was tired so they could pass us. They eventually did and even told us good morning, I even asked the lady a few questions just to feel them out. I was somewhat skeptical so I sat there for a few minutes until they were out of sight before I started taking photos of the area. Suddenly I heard music playing and it kept getting closer and in no time two more locals came from the opposite directions. They walked passed without a word, at this point I was wondering if anyone will harm my friend and I but it's a little too late for that I told myself. However the negative thought quickly vanished once they were out of my sight.

Teleporting To Paradise

Teleporting

 

The hike from the gate was no longer than about six minutes, we then teleported to paradise through a small tunnel. Once we were through the portal we turned onto an overgrown trail that leads down hill into the river bed. We passed the same people who passed us earlier chopping down trees so I asked them about a waterfall and they told us to follow the trail. Most of the small track is actually developed, I don't know by who but once we were in the river bed you could see that big things gwan dung yah (happens down here). There was a nice swimming area with a small waterfall, perfect for cooling down on a hot summer day.

However I didn't waste any time there, I started to hike upstream. I did not want to waste any time simply because I had no idea how long we'd have to hike. Even though the sun was shining and the weather was sweet I knew that could easily change. Nature even got the best of me cause I was not expecting the place to be this slippery. Every step I took had me slipping and sliding all over the place, this is not conveniently tailored for human traffic. This is raw, untouched Jamaica AT YOUR OWN RICK! After about five minutes my eyes were blessed with the beauty of Mushroom Wings Falls and also in the background was Prospect Falls that has been on my radar for years now. 

Mushroom Wings Falls

I admired the beauty for a short while and wondered if the swimming holes that I hiked past would soon be dried up because the water rushing down these small waterfalls seemed as if it was at a stand still. The uniqueness of it made it appear this way, it is protected by a huge rock. After examining the area some more I realized that there was a cave beneath this huge rock and that is how the water gets to the other side. This was so fascinating. There was also a small cave beside the waterfalls and some small opening in the rock protecting the waterfalls. There were many openings in the hillside along the river side as well. 

After taking my clothes off and started to prepare for a photoshoot (joking) I was attacked by a scourge of mosquitoes. I quickly sprayed on my repellent and started posing for photos. I always walk with repellent, sunblock / bath oil for days like these. After snapping photos we had a few drinks and chatted, Ricardo even tried to convince me to start a travel / tour guide business. 

Mushroom Wings Falls

After an hour or so we decided to check out Prospect Falls. This section was even more slippery than down at the bottom. I carefully chose where to step but somehow I still slipped and hit my butt on a rock. My phone and camera hit the rock as well, Ricardo quickly pulled me up and examined if I was hurt. I was fine at the moment but I knew I was gonna be black and blue by the time I got home. The milky white waters from Prospect Falls gushed over the rock and formed the perfect shade of aqua green swimming hole. This whole area was magnificent, it exceeded my expectations and once again I was in a daze. The area above these waterfalls is owned by Yaaman Adventures, well they say the waterfalls are on their property too but in my eyes you can not own a river (waterfall). I wasted no time. I started playing around in the water and eventually the person's that were up by Yaaman  saw us and waved. The water was perfect, just what the doctor recommends for a hot day. I soaked up as much as I could but sadly after about an hour the weather changed, rain clouds started to settle over the lush green trees. This was our cue to pack up and get out the river.

Prospect Falls

Prospect Falls

By the time we hiked back up the hill side it started to drizzle but that did not stop us from exploring more of the area, we followed the road to see what was at the end. After five minutes or so we were at a JPS plant we looked around a little. I saw a blue hole that I wanted to explore but there was a sign that said no swimming or bathing. The rain started to drizzle down again but this time a little harder but stopped after a minute or two. 

The most interesting thing about the area was the staircase going up the hillside, it could be leading up to heaven! The worker told us that we could use it to go up instead of walking the way we came. Without hesitations we started making our way up even though I am afraid of heights. Every now and then I like to challenge myself to try to get over this fear. The steps were steep and somewhat tiring, it was a great workout even though I almost panicked at one point.

Technically we're still in paradise because we didn't teleport back lol. The day didn't end there either so we went back into Ocho Rios for lunch at the jerk center. Soon after it started to rain cats and dogs, we had some drinks while we waited for the rain to stop. Thankfully not long after it stopped and we headed for one of my favorite waterfalls.

Our last stop was at the beach because no trip to Ochi is complete without a trip to the beach. BEST DAY EVER!!!! 

As usual you can always catch me on the go over on Instagram Sugardrops2311. Subscribe to my YouTube channel Exploring With Tifaney  new video posting soon, stay tuned. If you're interested in visiting this spot AT YOUR OWN RISK the itinerary will be available for purchase on my website but if you cannot wait send me an email tifaneygidarisingh@gmail.com or send me a DM Sugardrops2311. ALSO REMEMBER TO SUPPORT MY BLOG VIA PayPal.

Until next time, peace be with you. 

PS: I brought Ricardo's image to life, told ya I would. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.