Things to Do in Haiti

Haiti is not for the faint of heart, but for travelers willing to engage with complexity, it offers some of the most powerful experiences in the Caribbean. The Citadelle Laferrière, perched at nearly 3,000 feet atop a mountain behind the northern city of Cap-Haïtien, is the largest fortress in the Americas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The hike up takes about 90 minutes on foot or you can ride a horse partway, and the reward is a massive stone citadel built by Henri Christophe in the early 1800s to defend against a French return that never came. At its base sit the ruins of Sans-Souci Palace, once called the Versailles of the Caribbean, now a haunting skeleton of arches and staircases overtaken by tropical vegetation.

In the south, Bassin Bleu near Jacmel is a series of turquoise pools and waterfalls hidden in a limestone canyon - the hike in takes about 45 minutes through river crossings and farmland, and local guides are essential both for navigation and for supporting the community. Jacmel itself is Haiti's cultural capital, a coastal town with ornate gingerbread architecture, paper-maché workshops that supply its legendary Carnival, and a growing art scene centered along Rue du Commerce and the waterfront.

Port-au-Prince, despite its challenges, has extraordinary art. The Musée du Panthéon National Haïtien (MUPANAH) tells the story of Haitian independence and houses King Henri Christophe's silver pistol. The Iron Market, rebuilt after the 2010 earthquake, is a sensory overload of Haitian art, spices, and artisan metalwork.

On the southern peninsula, the coastline between Les Cayes and Jérémie holds some of Haiti's most beautiful and least-visited beaches, including Port Salut's long stretch of golden sand backed by palms. Île-à-Vache, a small island off Les Cayes accessible by boat, offers quiet beaches and simple guesthouses far from the intensity of the mainland.