The Christophian City
As Cap-Haïtien’s 350th anniversary draws near, take a swooping dive down into the heart of the city, and learn how it earned its well-deserved title as Haiti’s second city.

The Paris of the Antilles
Cap-Haïtien is Haiti’s second largest city, popular with travellers because of its proximity to world-class beaches and UNESCO heritage sites.

A key city during the Caribbean colonial period, Cap‑Français (as it was then named) earned the nicknamed the Paris of the Antilles for its sophisticated architecture and artistic culture. It was the capital city of the French colony of Saint Domingue from 1711 until the Haitian Revolution, when it became the capital of the Kingdom of Northern Haiti under King Henri Christophe. Christophe renamed the city from Cap‑Français to Cap-Henri. When Christophe died in 1820, the whole island of Hispaniola was briefly unified, and it was in the early phases of this (re)unification that Cap-Haïtien was given the name it has today. Mostly, though, you’ll hear this beautiful city called simply “Le Cap”.

Sans-Souci Palace
The ruins of Sans-Souci Palace are a UNESCO World Heritage monument to post-revolutionary opulence.

Sans-Souci Palace shares a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the Citadelle Laferrière. A visit to both sites is considered essential for any trip to Haiti, and the hike (or horse-ride) from Milot to the Palace and then on to the Citadelle is well-worth the effort.

Sans-Souci Palace, which translates to ‘the Worry-Free Palace’, dates back to 1811, just after Haiti had become the world’s first independent black republic. Despite the weight of time – and a significant earthquake during the nineteenth century – the ruins of the Sans-Souci Palace maintain an imposing air and stand as an inspiring testament to the opulent post-revolutionary era.

Visitors can spend an hour or two exploring the palace and grounds before heading onward to the Citadelle.

Citadelle Laferrière
Citadelle Laferrière is the largest fortress in the Americas.

Citadelle Laferrière, known to locals simply as La Citadelle, is the largest fortress in the Americas. Haitians call it the eighth wonder of the world and, if you make it up the summit of Pic Laferrière, you’ll see why.

The mountaintop fortress is massive, rising a vertiginous hundred and thirty feet from the mountaintop of Bonnet a L’Eveque, around 3000 feet above sea level. The Citadelle commands unparalleled views in every direction over the surrounding landscape of jungle-clad mountains, rivers and ocean.

Gelée Beach
Situated in the heart of the Caribbean, between Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, Haiti has over a thousand miles of coastline with dozens of destination-worthy beaches.

We’re talking white sand and turquoise water swelling up to coconut palms, chalk cliffs or jungle-clad mountains rolling off into the distance. Whether you choose one of the island’s most treasured coves or one of its many undiscovered wonders, the water here is warm all year round.

Located near Les Cayes in southern Haiti, Gelée Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Haiti. Highlights including the beachside fritay merchants and the chance to see cows grazing in fields that reach almost to the water’s edge. Compared to other popular beaches in Haiti, the surrounds are flat and open. Pastoral scenery notwithstanding, the water is tropical and the swimming here is lush.

The beach itself winds around the southern coastline for miles, with soft, pillowy sand melting into some of the most crystal clear waters you’ll find anywhere on the island – or in the Caribbean, for that matter.

About 40 miles east of the town of Jérémie in Haiti’s Grand’Anse department, Pestel is a small harbour town full of culture, offering cinematic sunrises, sunsets and laidback charm.

From its rustic seaside markets to unique, unexpected places to explore like nearby caves and islands, Pestel is a place not to be missed if you’re touring Haiti’s southeast.

The far south of Haiti (west of Jacmel and Les Cayes) isn’t as visited by travellers as the rest of Haiti, but is just as worthy as a destination. Here are the top things to see in Pestel.

Wake up with sea breezes
Life in Pestel follows the rhythm of market days – Wednesdays and Saturdays. Early in the morning, you can watch sailboats coast into the city’s port, loaded up with goods from Miragoâne. As the port workers help boats dock and unload, the sea breeze wakes up the town, calling down farmers from the mountains, who supply the town with fresh fruits and vegetables carried by donkeys in saddle-like baskets woven from hay. The entire town of Pestel -house maids, matriarchs, small children sent to run errands – slowly drips into the port, ebbing and flowing between fishmongers and farmers, preparing for the weekend or the new week ahead.

If you’re visiting on market day, you’ll want to make sure that you have enough change on hand, and a reusable bag to take with you so that you can carry your market bounty home.

If you want to stay in Pestel overnight so you can wake up early and watch this gorgeous harbour town come to life, we’ve got you covered. Well and truly off the beaten tourist path, Pestel isn’t exactly crowded with accommodation options, but Madame Jacques’ guesthouse offers a comfortable place to sleep with loads of rustic charm.

Madame Jacques runs a small, simple guesthouse, not a lofty hotel, but her hospitality, loving-kindness (and cooking!) is famous around here. A Haitian mother down to the bone, Madame Jacques prides herself on taking good care of her guests, making sure that you leave her abode with an even better experience of Pestel than you expected.

Fête de la Mer – the Festival of the Sea
Pestel is also the home of Haiti’s one and only Fête de la Mer—the Festival of the Sea. For one long weekend each April, usually from Thursday to Sunday, the city of Pestel hosts various festivities, including a food fair featuring the bounty of the sea, tours to nearby grottoes and sailboat races, the whole thing interspersed with performances by popular Haitian artists.

Fête de la Mer is a great way to explore Haiti and Haitian culture, and to get outside of your city-hopping comfort zone. The Fête de la Mer usually coincides with Easter, and festival organizers will announce the confirmed dates well ahead of time.

Caves and islands
Have the caves mentioned earlier caught your attention? If they have, you already know that they are a feature of the Fête de la Mer, but if you’re planning to visit Pestel outside the month of April, the caves are still open to visitors. Wander through the cool, secluded, mystical caverns as guides lead you through the history of the caves. Feeling a bit apprehensive about going into the grottoes on your own? Tour agency Haïti Roots runs excursions to the caves, including the most well-known – the Bellony grotto.

Pestel is also a great launchpad for a tour of nearby Cayemites, a cluster of small islands offering their own unique experience. About six miles from Pestel, the Cayemites islands offer an intimate, secluded adventure. Think fine, sandy beaches melting seamlessly into crystal-clear water, with that Caribbean sunshine you’re craving as well as shade offered by the fringe of forest that leans toward the water’s edge.

Flag of the freedom fighters
Over the last decade or so, Pestel has been the home of a slow-burning political awakening, starting around the time when former death squad leader and political man Guy Philippe was arrested in the city. The arrest brought with it winds of change, independence, and lack of tolerance for wayward governance. In that same spirit, the black and red flag of Haiti’s liberation in 1804 floats freely on a flag pole in the harbor, calmly signaling to one and to all that there is no freedom without unity in the fight for what’s right for all.

At the end of a 180-mile journey west along Haiti’s southern peninsula, Jérémie is a busy coastal town with mountains cascading at its back. A city full of history and character, you’ll want to dedicate a couple of days to fully explore.

If you’ve travelled through the north of Haiti before (especially driving from Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haïtien through Mirebalais) the drive to Jérémie is reminiscent of watching Lake Péligre peek from between the curves in the road. The Grand’Anse river that gives this part of Haiti its name courses from its birthplace in the Pic Macaya National Park down through mountains to where it meets the sea just south of the town of Jérémie.

The Grand’Anse is the reason Jérémie was founded, and is important as a direct source of irrigation for fields and livestock. The communities that live and work all along the river are diverse, but through the river all are connected into a long, narrow, close-knit neighborhood.

Way out west, Jérémie boasts a self-possessed rural charm, a sort of independence from the rest of the island, and a kind of defiance in the face of time. In Jérémie, centuries-old traditions are still alive today, side-by-side with the modernity of a 21st century Haiti.

Top attractions in Jérémie
Anse d’Azur – A spectacular sandy bay with a sunken German U-boat and a gorgeous cave system, Anse d’Azur is as picturesque as the very best of Caribbean beaches (minus the crowds).

Saint Louis King of France cathedral – The same romanticism in Jérémie’s literature infuses its architecture. If reading the works of Jérémie’s writers has inspired you, or if you’re into architecture or design, you’ll want to see the city’s Saint Louis King of France Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Saint-Louis-Roi-de-France de Jérémie). Built on the site of an ancient temple that burned down in 1874, the Cathedral is an imposing deep-red with white detail, pulling together elements of Haitian architecture familiar to travellers who have seen Port-au-Prince’s Gingerbread Houses, Iron Market, or the cathedral of Hinche.

Patron saint festival of Saint Louis – The Cathedral really shines during the month of August, when Jérémie gears up to celebrate the patron saint festival of Saint Louis King of France on the 25th. The city and surrounding parish come alive in prayer, festivities, and good times all around.

Kay Gina & Nansky – Being in Jérémie during the summertime is a great opportunity to visit Kay Gina & Nansky! Art-lovers Gina and Nansky have successfully curated a space that feels like both an altar and an exhibition, featuring artworks created by Haitian artists from Jérémie, Jacmel, Port-au-Prince and other cities right across Haiti. They also offer the opportunity to stay with them at their guest house, for $30 a night; the nice clean rooms are 10 minutes away from an amazing, immersive local experience in town, and breakfast can be tacked onto your stay for a small additional fee. Kay Gina & Nansky is a great place to get a quick bite of traditional carnival foods such as beignets—sweet banana fritters. A must-visit if you’re in town during any patron saint festival or kanival.

City of Poets
Jérémie has produced some of Haiti’s most prominent figures of literature, earning it the nickname of “the City of Poets”. Poets Émile Roumer and Jean-Fernand Brierre, as well as Alexandre Dumas’ father, all hailed from the City of Poets, and carried Haitian literature far and wide with them wherever they or their works set foot. Jérémie became a literary powerhouse that would later come to surpass the capital and inspire writers across the young Haitian nation. You’ll see plenty of monuments to poets and poetry while you’re here.

Gingerbread Houses are ornate turn-of-the-century buildings unique to Haiti. Like their edible namesake, Gingerbread Houses are famous for steep roofs and ornate details highlighted in vibrant, contrasting colours. They are architecturally fascinating for a number of reasons – not least because they’ve proven to be surprisingly resistant to earthquakes.

An iconic feature of urban communities around Haiti, these ageing architectural masterpieces have survived a century of turmoil and natural disaster, and are a compelling conservation opportunity. And they’ve just been formally recognised as one of the most important at-risk heritage sites in the world.

Where can you see Gingerbread Houses?
These stately relics are scattered throughout Port-au-Prince, but are concentrated in the neighborhoods of Pacot, Turgeau, Bois Verna, and Bas Peu de Choses. You’ll also find Gingerbread Houses in other cities around Haiti, including Jérémie, Jacmel, and Cap-Haïtien.

Who were they built for? What are they used for now?
Originally, Gingerbread Houses were built as the residences of powerful Haitian families, and many surviving examples have housed Haitian presidents. During the 1900s, some of these Gingerbread residences were acquired or built by Catholic institutions, which is why many of the Catholic schools and buildings you can see today are examples of the Gingerbread style.

During Haiti’s boom time as a fashionable travel destination in the 1950s and 60s (when the moniker “Gingerbread” was first introduced by American tourists), Gingerbread Houses were symbols of prestige, used as the seasonal residences of stars like Truman Capote, Noël Coward, Graham Greene and Katherine Dunham, who stayed at the Hotel Oloffson or bought Gingerbread Houses of their own.

Today, most of the investment in Gingerbread Houses comes from the arts. Organizations like Kolektif 509, FOKAL, Fondation Viviane Gauthier and Le Centre d’Art are restoring iconic Gingerbread Houses and opening them up to the public as spaces to preserve, practice and promote Haitian art forms.

Architectural style
In 1895, three young Haitians travelled to Paris to study architecture, and adapted Parisian architecture to the Caribbean climate and living conditions. Together, these young architects refined the architectural style now known as “Gingerbread”, designing civic buildings and residences that combined French-inspired, Victorian Gothic grandeur with flamboyant colors and vivid decorative patterns – including vèvè symbols from Haitian vodou.

Designed for Haiti’s tropical hot and humid weather, Gingerbread Houses feature tall ceilings, doors and windows as well as wrap-around verandahs, all decorated in a vibrant, distinctive style with elaborate details unique to Haiti. Most Gingerbread Houses were constructed using natural, flexible timber frames that have the innate ability to weather some of the Caribbean’s toughest storms (and as it turns out, even earthquakes).

Inside, they’re a mastery of climate-control, with high ceilings and tall turret roofs designed to draw hot air upwards and out of living rooms. Louvred shutter windows allow cool breezes in and keep moisture out. In the leafy suburbs of Pacot, Pétion-Ville and Turgeau, these majestic windows open out onto picturesque views of the city. Luxurious, extended front porches plunge onto stately grounds with manicured tropical gardens.

Conservation
By the 21st century, many of these once-elegant, century-old structures had fallen into disrepair. Although the communities of people living in and caring for Gingerbread Houses had made substantive efforts to preserve them, political and economic conditions meant that only some of these iconic buildings could be adequately preserved.

As a whole, the historic Gingerbread House district of Port-au-Prince wasn’t getting the support it needed as an at-risk cultural heritage site. In 2009, the Haitian Leadership and Education Program (HELP) successfully brought Gingerbread Houses to the attention of the World Monuments Fund (WMF), in the hopes of generating support for the restoration of these irreplaceable treasures. In late 2009, Haiti’s Gingerbread Houses were chosen as one of the WMF’s 2010 World Monuments Watch list.

Haiti’s position in the Caribbean favors a rich diversity in plant and animal life, despite decades of intensive deforestation during the twentieth century that have dramatically changed the landscape.

The effects of this exploitation can be seen from space, but down on ground level degradation has been halted, conservation is on the upswing and every year, the ecosystems that have remained intact attract nature and wildlife lovers to this side of the island.

While you’re in Haiti, you’ll have the chance to see some unique wildlife, including many birds, mammals and reptiles endemic to Hispaniola. Here’s our guide to the fauna and flora of this enchanting island.

Butterflies
There are over one thousand species of butterflies and moths on the island of Hispaniola, so ditch the glasshouse at the zoo and get out there to see some of these beauties for yourself. If you are in Haiti during the first half of the year through to the middle of the summer, you will spot the bright yellow butterflies which Haitians call Papillons de la Saint-Jean (St. John’s Butterflies, in English). Monarch butterflies make an appearance during the last third of the year.

Birdlife
Keen birders will get a lot out of a stay in Haiti. There are two species endemic to Haiti, and a further twenty-six endemic to Hispaniola – the island Haiti shares with Dominican Republic.

Hummingbirds, Todies, Orioles and Flamingoes are just a few of the magnificent birds you’ll have a chance to spot when you visit. To learn more, read out article all about the amazing birdlife of Haiti.

Marine Life
From the beach or the bow of a water taxi or privately chartered boat, you can see porcupine fish, stingrays and the quizzically-named warteye stargazers and bridled burrfish! The central and south coasts of Haiti are famously shallow and gradual, and many species have evolved to hang out close to the shore where they’re easy to spot. This means that if you are staying at a beachside resort or visiting a public beach, there’s an excellent chance you’ll run into them.

Out in the waters of Petit-Goâve, as well as La Gonâve (specifically in the area of Anse-à-Galets), dolphins are known to make a special guest appearance!

Snakes and strange creatures
Snakes are fairly common, but you’ll be glad to hear that Haiti is one of the few places in the world with no snakes that are dangerously venomous to humans (although some do have venom for subduing small prey). Snakes have a long human-entwined history in Haiti, where they wow audiences at tourist destinations and patron saint festivals around the country, and at carnival, where they are often the stars of the show.

Speaking of venom, Hispaniola happens to be home to the world’s only known venomous mammal, the utterly bizarre solenodon, which has evolved snake-like venom-injecting teeth. Don’t worry though, like the snakes in Haiti, they aren’t dangerous to humans. These enigmatic creatures are critically endangered, but with pockets of them recently confirmed in Haiti as well as the Dominican Republic, internationally-supported conservation efforts are underway to keep these little monsters safe.

Haitian culture – we mention it a lot here at Visit Haiti, but what is it, exactly?

Haitian culture is a cluster of concepts, practices and identities, including the Kreyol (Haitian Creole) language, a set of morals, everyday customs, the history of the modern nation of Haiti (as well as the interrelated history of the Dominican Republic and the island of Hispaniola as a whole), and the Haitian religion – vodou.

Spelled vodou to distinguish it from the voodoo traditions of Louisiana and elsewhere in the African diaspora, Haitian vodou is born out of the unique mix of many African religious practices with christianity, all of which were transported here to Haiti during the colonial period.

According to sales archives preserved from the colonial era (and still accessible in private collections or at the National Library of France), we learn that plantations often held slaves of up to ten different ethnicities. This included members of the island’s indigenous Taíno people, few of whom had survived the brutal regime of colonisation and enslavement up to that point. Colonial plantation owners were recommended to hold slaves from different ethnicities together on the same plantation, so that they’d have nothing in common but the color of their skin. People thrown together on Haitian plantations included Fon (Dahomey) people from Benin, Congo and elsewhere. In The Mysteries of Vodou, Laennec Hurbon explains that the word vodou comes from the language spoken in Benin and means “invisible and formidable power”.

This multiculturalism allowed Haitian vodou to acquire over the course of the years characteristics that are its own, and awards it all the richness it has today. One of the roots of this richness is the religious syncretism that allowed African practices to graft themselves to Christianity as well as to the indigenous practices that already existed on the island. From there, the Christian saints became vodou lwas and Christian celebrations transformed into vodou celebrations.

One of these celebrations is the annual pilgrimage to honor the Miraculous Virgin of Saut d’Eau at the magical Saut d’Eau waterfall (spelled Sodo in Kreyol).

The Miraculous Virgin of Saut d’Eau
Popular in vodou spaces around Haiti, the Miraculous Virgin of Saut d’Eau is renowned for bringing luck in love and in economic transactions. You’ll also find her venerated under the names Saint Anne (Mother of the Virgin Mary in the Christian tradition) or Little Saint Anne (Kreyol: Ti Sent Án) or Miraculous Virgin.

Every year from July 14 to 16, devotees from across Haiti make a pilgrimage to the Saut d’Eau waterfall, located 60 miles north of Port-au-Prince. The event also attracts curious travellers from around the world, who want to witness this one-of-a-kind vodou pilgrimage.

How to invoke the favor of the Miraculous Virgin
To obtain the Miraculous Virgin’s favor, vodou practitioners travel to the sacred Saut d’Eau waterfall to conduct a purification ritual. Most practitioners make the pilgrimage in summer, but the ritual is possible at any time of the year.

The ritual is called a “luck bath”. The devotee journeys to the cult site with a calabash (a water flask made from a gourd) as well as gifts to offer to the goddess, before disrobing and diving under the magnificent Saut d’Eau waterfall. Devotees carry a small collection of leaves, plants, and herbs linked to the goddess and believed to have therapeutic virtues. If they want to, the supplicants can also bring orgeat syrup, perfume or flowers, or prepare a meal to offer as a pledge of their good faith and their loyalty to the lwa.

Once the preparations are complete, the supplicant bathes under the waterfall (either alone or with the help of an ougan (vodou priest)), washing while invoking the protection and virtues of the goddess. It is critical, at the end of this ceremony, to break the calabash that served to carry water from the waterfall to wash oneself and to leave in the water the clothes which the supplicant had worn to the site – these represent their past bad luck. Instead, devotees leave dressed in new clothes, and hopefully imbued with the goddess’ protection and luck for the future.

Make a pilgrimage of your own
Intrigued? Although it’s one of the most sacred sites in Haiti, Saut d’Eau is not cut off from the curious. Travellers are welcome to visit the waterfall any time of year. Whether you want to try your luck at invoking the lwa’s favor, or just enjoy the experience of bathing under an incredible freshwater waterfall, framed by gorgeous forest filled with birdsong, you’re welcome to make a pilgrimage of your own to this very special place.

Saut d’Eau waterfall (spelled Sodo in Kreyol) is located 60 miles north of Port-au-Prince, near Mirebalais. The pilgrimage happens from July 14 to 16, but the site is open to visitors year-round (road conditions allowing).

The magnificent Saut d’Eau waterfall is just one of many mystical sites used for the vodou luck bath ritual, including Bassin Saint Jacques and the gorgeous Bassin Bleu.