Itinerary: I will be entering overland from Dominican Republic – fly or bus from Santo Domingo, Caribe Tours runs a once-daily bus to Petionville (in the hills above Port-au-Prince) that leaves at 11AM. Unfortunately, this bus drops you off in Petionville after dark so make prior arrangements with a trustworthy person to meet you and transport you to your lodging. Hotel: See Port-au-Prince. Fly to Cap Haitien. Fly to Jamaica.
Flights Port au Prince to Kingston direct on InterCaribbean Airlines (Priceline, Google Port au Prince to Kingston).
1. From EPS posting Nov 2019. Flew to Port au Prince. Daily anti government demonstrations with blocked streets, several dead. Avoid going or staying downtown.
Hotel: Allamanda, Petion Ville. +509 36715603 Restaurant. Local music on Saturday. $80/day
Driver from hotel with 4 WD vehicle necessary in Haiti – Paul +509 37186827
Haiti On the western half of the island of Hispaniola, Haiti is a country with a troubled past, decades of poverty, environmental degradation, violence, instability, dictatorship and coups, and a devastating earthquake, among other things, have left it the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. Tourists who are unsettled by grinding poverty probably should visit elsewhere. However, for those with patience and an open mind, Haiti reveals a rich culture that is unique among post-colonial nations.
Warning: On July 9, 2018, the U.S. Department of State advised against travel to Haiti due to civil unrest and crime, and that it may not be able to provide services to citizens traveling there. The Government of Canada advised its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Haiti due to civil unrest throughout the country, and closed its embassy on February 14, 2019 because of the unrest.
It is extremely helpful when traveling in Haiti to have a local contact, through a church, a hotel, or just through making friends with someone. Experiences like dining locally, riding on a tap-tap, or strolling through one of the insanely crowded outdoor markets are great fun and very worth doing but are much safer and easier if you have a trusted Haitian to go along as a guide and interpreter.
Visa. Visas are required only by citizens of Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic and Panama. Citizens of other countries can stay three months without a visa.
Capital: Port-au-Prince
Currency: Haitian gourde (HTC) denoted by the symbol “G” (HTG). Although merchants are required to quote prices in gourdes by law, virtually everything is priced in “dollars”–not US but Haitian dollars, equivalent to 5 gourdes. This practice is a holdover from the US occupation of Haiti in the early 20th century, during which the gourde was pegged at G5 to the US dollar.
Population: 10.3 million (2013)
Country Code: +509
Safety. When traveling to Haiti it is very important that you bring a first aid kit. Be sure to include a lighter, flashlight (due to Haiti’s constant power outages), Pepto-Bismol, instant ice packs, Motrin, and Tylenol, water purifying tablets (just in case), bug spray, sunscreen, Benadryl, etc. Be sure to not drink the water and any drinks made with the water unless you are on an American-run base with guaranteed purified water.
Terrain. Mostly mountainous, with a wide, flat central plain to the north. The highest point is Chaine de la Selle at 2777 m.
GET IN
By plane. International travelers will arrive in Haiti at Port-au-Prince (PAP) at the Aéroport Toussaint L’Ouverture Airport or Aéroport International Cap-Haïtien in the North. $125-$132 return from and to Port-au-Prince, cheaper between Port-au-Prince and Jacmel. A really cheap, dependable and popular airline is Sunrise Airways. American Airlines, Delta and Spirit serve Port-au-Prince from the US. Air Canada, Air France and Caribair.
Lynx Air flies from Fort Lauderdale and Miami to Cap-Haïtien. MFI (Missionary Flights International) fly to Cap also from Florida. Other international airlines serving Cap-Haïtien include Sky King, Turks and Caicos Air and Pineapple Air.
By road. From Santo Domingo, Caribe Tours runs a once-daily bus to Petionville (in the hills above Port-au-Prince) that leaves at 11AM. A ticket costs $40 one-way, $26 USD tax and 100 DR. Unfortunately, this bus drops you off in Petionville after dark so make prior arrangements with a trustworthy person to meet you and transport you to your lodging.
There is also a crowded border crossing between Dominican Republic and Haiti in Dajabón/Ouanaminthe. The border is open only during the day. From here you can catch local transport to Cap-Haïtien.
*Another, less expensive, option from Santo Domingo to Port-au-Prince, is to take a gua-gua (Dominican minibus) from Santo Domingo (departing a few blocks north of Parque Enriquillo) for 380 DR pesos (about $10, 5 h) and arrive in the border town of Jimani. From there, it is a 4 km walk or a 50 DR pesos ride by motoconcho to the border post.
*The border is apparently open 09:00-18:00. It is very easy to cross the border without submitting to any immigration procedures on either side, and although it would probably be illegal, it saves a few dozen dollars on bribes and is much faster too. Apart from entering the DR when a soldier takes a look at the passport, nobody does any inspection: immigration or customs. Entering Haiti legally is quick: fill out the green form and pay whatever amount the official asks (around 100 DR). There are no ATMs at the border.
Moneychangers give gourdes for DR pesos and US dollars. Rates are fair. There is plenty of local transportation from the border to Port-au-Prince. Crowded tap-taps and buses can take you to Croix-des-Bouquets for 50 gourdes (1.5-2 h), from where it is another hour to Port-au-Prince proper (bus, 5 gourdes). The road has variable conditions and is prone to flooding. Peruvian UN soldiers at the border have confirmed that the road to Port-au-Prince is safe to travel with no incidents of robbery or kidnappings, but definitely try to arrive in Port-au-Prince before dark.
GET AROUND
By car. Cars may be rented through Hertz, Avis, etc. Taxis in Haiti are usually in the form of SUVs or trucks, as most of the roads are long overdue for repairs, in addition to plethora of unpaved roads one faces while travelling in Haiti. The price is often fair (i.e., 450 gourdes, or $11.53 at 39 gourdes to a dollar, from Port-au-Prince to Léogâne), but offers safety and comfort that cannot be found in riding tap-taps or buses.
By bus. “Tap-taps” (modified trucks or vans) are the most economical way to travel in Haiti. A raised wooden canopy-like cabin on a truck bed with wood benches. Tap-taps are frequently painted bright colors, and often bear a religious slogan, such as Jesus vous aime (“Jesus loves you”).
In Port-au-Prince, most routes cost 10 gourdes ($0.25). They are also quite convenient as they will stop anywhere along the route: simply yell “merci!” to get the driver to stop. However, they are sometimes over packed and can be quite dangerous to ride in the mountain roads where the road conditions are less than ideal. First time travellers who do not speak conversational Creole are advised not to travel by tap-tap without assistance. There are also school bus versions of tap-taps used for longer voyages. These are often modified school buses.
Minibuses. A more comfortable alternative for long distance travel are minibuses. These congregate at various lots throughout the city, organized by destination.
Language
The official languages of Haiti are French and Haitian Creole
SEE
Port-Au-Prince has some landmarks, structures and statues, such as a large pair of hands holding the earth. Many of these are close to the airport. This city is the largest in Haiti and was the most affected by the earthquake. You will still see evidence of the disaster, such as crumbling buildings, but much reconstruction has taken place. When you go a short distance outside of the city, you will have a better idea of the devastation. There are still people living in the “tent village,” which extends for about two miles and is made up of small tarps draped over sticks stuck in the ground. As you go on, you may pass one of the mass graves dug after the earth quake, but you probably will not realize it is a grave. It’s on the side of small mountain, and the grass has grown over the turned earth. There are no markings but you will sometimes see people there or flowers placed in memory.
Haiti has beautiful scenery if you know where to find it. If you are travelling or staying with someone who knows the area well, ask if there are any nice beaches or mountainous areas nearby. St. Marc, along with some other cities, has a beautiful mountain range that can be hiked. At the top of these mountains are some historical artifacts, structures and incredible views of the ocean.
DO
Champs-de-Mars was once the most beautiful park in Haiti but is now covered in tents housing people made homeless by the earthquake. It was a public place where people went to relax, before the quake. It is located near the National Palace.
ACCOMMODATION
There are many guest houses throughout Haiti. However, these are quite hard to find while overseas. Many of these guest houses run about 25 to 35 dollars a night and include 2 to 3 meals during the day. Sometimes these houses are associated with orphanages (such as Saint Joseph’s Home for Boys).
Saint Joseph’s Home for Boys is in Delmas 91, near Petionville.
Fondwa Guest House is at the bottom of the hill from Anbatonèl (a small village halfway between Léogâne and Jacmel).
Camping is a high-risk activity in certain parts of Haiti and is not recommended.
Haiti’s unemployment rate is the highest in the Western Hemisphere at over 80%.
Haiti – South (Port au Prince, Jérémie, Jacmel, Les Cayes)
Experiences
Rara is a form of festival music that originated in Haiti, that is used for street processions, typically during Easter Week. The music centers on a set of cylindrical bamboo trumpets called vaccine, but also features drums, maracas, güiras or güiros (a percussion instrument), and metal bells, as well as sometimes also cylindrical metal trumpets which are made from recycled metal, often coffee cans. The vaccine perform repeating patterns in hocket and often strike their instruments rhythmically with a stick while blowing into them. In the modern day, standard trumpets and saxophones may also be used.Rara performances are often performed while marching and are often accompanied by twirlers employing metal batons. Performances generally begin on Ash Wednesday and culminate at Easter Weekend.
The songs are always performed in Haitian Creole and typically celebrate the African ancestry of the Afro-Haitian masses. Rara in Haiti is celebrated to commemorate part of the slave revolution that led to independence. At the time when it started, slaves were not allowed to travel or communicate between plantations. They were allowed to leave the plantation only to go to church for easter. It was the one time each year where mixing, even in chains, was allowed. The African people of different tribes used both speech and music to communicate. Beating drums were used as a common rudimentary universal language. Stripped of that tool, the African slaves used the sound of their feet marching to church to make rhythm and communicate between chains. These minute and terse communications played a part in planning the many revolutions and led to an eventual independence.
During Rara Haitians dance and march in the street while the band plays. Each band has their own rhythm that defines them even while marching in the dark. Each person has their own unique way of dancing. Rara lyrics also often address difficult issues, such as political oppression or poverty. Consequently, rara groups and other musicians have been banned from performing and even forced into exile—most notably, folk singer Manno Charlemagne who later returned to Haïti and was elected mayor of Port-au-Prince in the 1990s.
Diri ak djon djon. A native dish of Haiti consisting of rice with edible black mushrooms (djon djon – buy at Chinese stores often dried, don’t use Maggi cubes). The meal is more common in the northern region of the country and therefore can be considered a regional specialty. When the mushrooms are boiled, they release a grayish-black coloring giving the rice its gray color and the dish’s distinctive flavor. The dish is often served with some sort of meat, whether it be fish, chicken or shrimp (usually mixed in the rice).
NOMAD MANIA Haiti – South (Port au Prince, Jérémie, Jacmel, Les Cayes)
Tentative WHS: Centre historique de Jacmel (21/09/2004)
Islands
Gonave
Hispaniola
Ile a Vache
Borders
Dominican Republic-Haiti
Haiti (sea border/port)
XL
Etang Saumatre eastern shore (pene-exclave)
Grand’Anse department (extreme southwest)
Grand-Boucan
Museums: Petion-Ville: Expressions Art Gallery
World of Nature
La Visite
Morne Grand Bois Nature Reserve
Pic Macaya
Festivals: Haiti Carnival
Beaches
Abaka Bay Beach
Gelee Beach (Sight)
Grann Do Beach
Kokoye Beach (Sight)
Port-Salut
Waterfalls: Saut-Mathurine (Sight)
Caves
Bellony Cave
Grotte Marie Jeanne (Sight)
Cities of the Americas
PETITE GOAVE
LES CAYES
Religious Temples: Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral
Botanical Gardens: Cayes Botanical Garden
JACMEL
Tentative WHS: Centre historique de Jacmel (21/09/2004)
Waterfalls: Bassin-Bleu Waterfall
JEREMIE
Religious Temples: St. Louis King of France Cathedral
PORT au PRINCE World Capital, World City and Popular Town
Airports: Port au Prince (PAP)
Museums: Musée du Panthéon National Haïtien (National Museum) (Sight)
House Museums/Plantations: Maison Dufort
Markets
Asterix Market
Moro’s Gallery
Monuments
Desalines Monument
Le Marron Inconnu
Bizzarium: Atis Rezistans
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Haiti – North (Cap Haitien, Gonaives, Hinche)
NOMAD MANIA Haiti – North (Cap Haitien, Gonaives, Hinche)
World Heritage Sites: National History Park – Citadel, Sans Souci, Ramiers
Sights: Bassin Bleu
Islands
Hispaniola
Tortuga
Borders
Dominican Republic-Haiti
Haiti (sea border/port)
XL: Presq’ile du Mole
Castles, Palaces, Forts: Milot: Citadelle and Sans-Souci Palace
Festivals
Jacmel Film Festival
Krik? Krak! Festival
Experiences
Rara
Taste Diri ak djon djon
Cities of the Americas
DESSANLINES
OUANAMINTHE
PETITE RIVIERE de l’ARBONITE
PORT-de-PAIX
SAINT MARC
CAP HAITIEN World City and Popular Town
Airports: Cap Haitien (CAP)
Museums: Currency Museum
Religious Temples
Fort-Liberté Cathedral
Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral
GONALVES
Religious Temples: Cathedral of St. Charles Borromeo
