What to wear in Haiti > What to pack for a trip to Haiti

Haiti Travel Information, Tips & Travel Pictures

Travel in Haiti ~ Haiti Holidays Then and Now

Haiti holidays were often for those who made a cruise ship stop at Labadie (Labadee), west of Cap-Haitien or stayed at nearby Cormier Plage  resort. Other visitors come here as non profit organization volunteers or international aid workers. Following the January earthquake, a flood of aid workers has descended on Haiti, straining scarce resources.

If you are traveling to Hatii for relief work, then have a look at how Haiti was, and most cases, still is.

If you are traveling to Haiti as a tourist, be sure to book hotels, etc well in advance, but have a back up plan in case the situation changes.

Though I had no time to visit the Citadelle or Sans Souci, near Cap-Haitien, others travellers can, and do. My trip to Haiti started in the Dominican Republic, roughly a seven-hour drive, including stops, from Sosua via the Haiti highway route through the Dajabon DR border crossing then on to Cap-Haitien.

On the return trip, I stopped at Fort Liberte. In this Haiti travel section, I've also included my pictures of Haiti art, some pieces that I bought in Cap-Haitien, and some at Cormier Plage and Puerto Plata. See my story about this trip at Haiti Travel Story.

Holidays to Haiti were 'all the rage', back when it was known as the 'Pearl of the Antilles'. Hopefully, some day, some how, Haiti will once again be a great travel destination.

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Google map of Cap-Haitien (4), Labadie (1) and Fort Liberte (C) Haiti

How to get to Haiti ~ More Haiti travel information

• From Florida (Miami and Ft. Lauderdale) via Lynx Air (book these legs first, as they fill up fast). Find flights to Haiti here
• From Turks and Caicos, about 45 minutes away by air from Providenciales, on Air Turks and Caicos (www.flyairtc.com)
• From Montreal, Canada, Air Canada flies to Port-Au-Prince.
• From the Dominican Republic by road, take a bus from the border, or rent a vehicle in Puerto Plata, Santiago, or Santo Domingo. The border is open only during the day. As of January 2008, several tour companies in Playa Dorada, east of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, offered long one-day tours to go from there to just over the border at Dajabon into Haiti (see Haiti Hwy). When pressed, they stated that was as far as they would go. Tours include a stop at a nearby Haitian school, and a staged voodoo ceremony.
• From Santiago DR by Caribe Tours bus to Cap-Haitien

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Haiti Travel Information and Links

The Republic of Haiti takes up one third of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. Haiti's seven mountain ranges are squeezed into a land mass about the size of the U.S. state of Massachusetts or the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.

Travelers to Haiti can take full advantage of technology: Flashlights that use LED bulbs, and don't need batteries, solar powered lights, solar powered batteries and radios (See Travel Safety Tips). Consider a personal water purification system to save on bottled water, or if you will be on the road.

What to wear in Haiti See What to pack for a trip to Haiti and  Travel Packing for more suggestions.

Maps of Haiti Buy on Amazon > Dominican Republic Haiti map.

What Language do they speak in Hatii? French and Creole(Kreyol)  are the official languages, though there are some English-speaking and French-speaking staff at the larger hotels or resorts like Cormier Plage west of Cap-Haitien. For Creole, get a copy of the Haitian Creole Dictionary Phrasebook (new) and Creole Made Easy , plus a work book and pronunciation guide.

Books about Haiti For my travel guide, I used an older edition of the Lonely Planet Dominican Republic and Haiti guide book. There are a number of good books about Haiti to read before you travel, but some can be hard to get through. For insight on Haiti history and conditions, I recommend Paul Farmer's The Uses of Haiti. An easier read is Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder, about the work that Paul Farmer does in Haiti and elsewhere. On a different note, with a bit about voodoo and a lot of interesting neurotoxin information to perhaps explain zombies is The Serpent and The Rainbow, by Canadian author Wade Davis. And for a marvellous yet disturbing but very readable account of the impact of sugar, plantations and slavery on Haiti (and how the English diet got that way) get yourself a copy of  Sugar: A Bittersweet History if you possibly can. It was published in 2008, yet copies are hard to come by.

Do I need a Travel Visa for Haiti? Go to Haiti Embassy -- Citizens of only four countries require a visa; other nationals receive a tourist visa upon arrival if by air. By land, get at the border. Fees change.

Currency - What money do they use in Haiti? Haitian Gourde (HTG) :: about 1 HTG = 3 US cents OR $1USD = 35 HTG (Rates may fluctuate; Haitians also use the term Haitian dollar :: about 7 Haitian dollars = $1 USD.

Haiti Tourism Try Haiti Tourism (site in French, but with English links. Support Haiti tourism -- let them know we think it's time for travel in Haiti once again!

Travel Health - Do I need shots for Haiti? Always check with your local travel health clinic well before travel and be sure the usual vaccinations are current. Diseases like polio and tuberculosis do surface in Haiti, as well as the usual culprits like dengue fever, typhoid and malaria. See travel tips vaccinations here.

Hotels - Where to stay in Haiti See hotels in Haiti (Roi Christophe, Cormier Plage resort, Mont Joli, Cap-Haitien; Norman's Place, Labadee, and Port-au-Prince and beyond.

Phone Call to and from Haiti Generally, making calls FROM Haiti phone cards are not offered by phone card companies, but many calling cards will let you make cheaper calls TO Haiti. See calling card page for general information. In Haiti, go to the local phone company offices. Many visitors and locals use cell phones; transmission may be dependent on clear weather for satellite uplinks.

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See More Haiti Travel Pictures and Travel Information

Fort Liberte Historic fort on Haiti's north coast

Haiti Highway From Dajabon Dominican Republic to Cap-Haitien Haiti

Labadie (Labadee) Haiti Village on Haiti north shore near cruise ship stop

Cap-Haitien Haiti's second largest city

Haiti art Artworks and crafts in oil paintings, metal sculpture,leather and wood

Haiti travel story Road trip from Puerto Plata DR to Cap-Haitien

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