The Rio Grande in Portland, Jamaica, is world-famous as the birthplace of bamboo rafting. Originally, these long, narrow bamboo rafts were used by farmers in the early 1900s to transport massive loads of bananas from the lush Rio Grande Valley down to the coast at St. Margaret's Bay for export. The practice was transformed into a legendary tourist attraction in the 1940s and 50s by the swashbuckling film star Errol Flynn, who saw the farmers on the river and challenged his friends to raft races for sport. Today, the Rio Grande offers one of the most serene and historically rich experiences in the Caribbean. A typical tour involves a "raft captain" using a long pole to navigate the raft down a 10-km stretch of the river through deep tropical valleys. Unlike the more commercialized rafting spots in Jamaica, the Rio Grande is prized for its "old-school" tranquility, crystal-clear swimming holes, and the legendary "Belinda's Riverside Canteen," where food is still cooked over a wood fire and served directly to rafters on the riverbank.