Adventure in the sun at Chukka Ocean Outpost in Sandy Bay

Longing for vast open spaces, gorgeous views and incredible adventures to take my mind off what had become the routine of working from home and social distancing, I counted down each day until our visit to Chukka's ocean outpost in Sandy Bay with the excitement of a toddler waiting for Santa. I told my 10-year-old daughter that we were going to have another fun mother-daughter day, and her anticipation barely eclipsed my own. We needed this.

I was still apprehensive since we were in the middle of a pandemic after all, but I knew we needed at least a little taste of adventure to bring some abundance into our lives and keep our spirits up. I studied the Chukka protocols to calm the voice in my head and was quite pleased. We headed to a breathtaking stretch of coastline between the bustling resort towns of Montego Bay and Negril.

Chukka has nine locations across the island offering outdoor activities in Jamaica and has recently expanded with revamped activities. We booked a horse riding, quad bike tour and snorkeling on a catamaran cruise. I had never snorkeled before and had no idea what it was, but I was eager to find out.

We arrived and were greeted with warm, friendly smiles which immediately put me at ease. Our temperatures were taken and we were asked to sanitize our hands before we were checked in and sent out onto the horse trails. It was the perfect start to our day as our horses were docile and our guides were knowledgeable, sharing with us information about the 600 acre property that was once a sugar plantation.

I cannot describe the feeling of euphoria that came over me as I walked through what can only be described as paradise. We rode through green, lush pastures, over rolling hills overlooking the dazzling Caribbean Sea, and through farmland where goats and their kids ran around. I was immediately transported to nirvana, a time and place before isolation and anxiety. As our horses swam with us on the beach, my daughter's laughter drifted to me, and I was so happy to be at that time and place. This was exactly what we needed.

I left her to play on the swing with her friends while I went on an ATV tour. This was my first time on an ATV and I was happy that it was on such a large area with wide open spaces. We flew through small puddles and drove along the coast, up rickety hillsides and through country lanes. The children waved to us as we slowly wandered through their community, enjoying the natural beauty and rural life of Jamaica.

As I joined my little one for lunch, the DJ upped the tempo and played current pop, reggae and dancehall hits. We snacked on delicious chicken and then headed to the large infinity pool to relax before snorkeling.

The music was blasting and the pool was big enough for us all to comfortably distance ourselves and enjoy. Those who weren't in the pool danced on the terrace or lounged on the hammocks and swinging daybeds around the hotel. Others tried to climb into hammocks set in the sea. This was fun to watch as few attempts were successful!

As we headed to the catamaran to begin our journey to the snorkeling site, we were once again sanitized and introduced to the powered snorkeling devices. This was my first time, however, it was so easy to navigate through 18 feet of water on a fairly windy day. We paddled out to the reef and saw some gorgeous tropical fish and some unique sea creatures. One of our guides found what looked like a sea sponge and gave it to my daughter to hold.

- Is this thing alive? - She immediately abandoned the poor fellow when he answered in the affirmative. I'm pretty sure the sponge was happy to be back in the water too.

As we headed back to shore, the party on the cruise picked up. The music was good and the rum punch was flowing. The sunset glow was the perfect end to an amazing day of adventure at Chukka's ocean outpost. It was the perfect shake-up we needed.