Haiti

Haiti is buzzing with art, music, history and culture dating back 2,000 years. It is not a fly and flop destination but a touring destination delivers what you would expect from a Caribbean destination - beaches, authentic cuisine and rhum and then some more. You can learn about the first free black republic’s struggle against the French, Spanish, and British as an underlying theme, and see how this influenced our culture. Must do’s include a visit to Port-au-Prince the capital and the hills above, the northern region of Cap Haitien to see the Citadelle, and lastly the coffee port town of Jacmel.

Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. “Ayiti” means mountainous land in Taino and this is because as they say in kweyol “behind mountains there are more mountains”. The mountain range above the capital – Pic La Selle raises 2,670 metres above sea level (2nd tallest in the Caribbean) and involves a 3 day trek for the adventurous. The town is largely back to normal after the earthquake except in the downtown commercial district where many government buildings are still being built. Points of interest here include the Musée de Pantheon (MUPANAH) museum, the iron market, the metal arts village, galleries, and the nature and flora in the hills above the capital. Inside the MUPANAH is a treasure-trove of historical relics such as the anchor of the Santa Maria – Christopher Columbus’s flag ship and artefacts dating back 2,000 years and is the best place to start your trip. Don’t forget to be in Port-au-Prince on a Thursday to enjoy the vodou rock band RAM performing at the Olofson hotel made famous by Graham Greene’s book “The Comedians”. There are a range of local and international brand hotels including the Marriott, Occidental, Bestwestern and the NH Group.

Cap Haitien was the port from which 40% of all sugar in Europe set sail from in the 1800’s. It is here that in 1791 the slave revolt began and where Citadelle Henry was built after the French were defeated in 1804. The Citadelle stands majestically on a 900 metre mountain and is the first fortress build in land. Completely intact it houses the largest collection of artillery from its era today and is the largest fortress in the Western Hemisphere. Royal Caribbean stops at the Labadee beach not far from here several times a week.

The southern peninsula’s high mountains and thundering waterfalls attract nature lovers. Visit Jacmel town, Bassin Bleu (a triple waterfall with deep pools), and Pic de Macaya, which is populated by rare orchids and birds.

There are great beaches right around the 1,500 kms of coast but the most developed area at present is the Cotes des Arcadins just one hour west of the Port-au-Prince airport. A new beach resort will open west of Jacmel in a few years and Il a Vache has stunning beaches as does Cap Haitien.