Holidays in Haiti. Haiti - the land of hungry eyes

A vibrant, multifaceted, extraordinary Caribbean paradise called Haiti attracts more and more travelers. Everyone can touch this paradise.

Haiti

Holidays in Haiti can be called the prerogative of lovers of extreme and thrill, but if you still decide to go to this mysterious place, do not forget to bring your camera to capture the amazing natural beauty of the country.

Despite the fact that tourism is not very developed here, some of the travelers come here to see the mysterious life of the Haitians, to admire the tropical landscapes, island sunsets, exotic plants and animals.

Haiti on world map

Haiti is located in the west of the island of the same name, which is included in the group of the Greater Antilles.

The country also includes several nearby islands. In the east, the state has common borders with the Dominican Republic, and in the west - with, and. In the south, Haiti is washed by the waters, and in the north -. The capital of Haiti is Port-au-Prince. Other major cities include

• Gonaives
• Delma
• Saint Mark
• Arrondisman de Jacmel
• Cap Haitien and others.

The country is characterized by a rather mountainous relief, as it is crossed by several mountain ranges up to 1000 meters high.

This can explain the name of the country, because in the language of the local Indians of Haiti it means “high mountain”.

There are several small mountain rivers, as well as lakes, the largest of which are salt Lake Somatr and unleavened Pligr.

National flag of Haiti

The national flag of Haiti is a rectangular canvas, horizontally divided exactly in the middle into two stripes of red and blue.

In the center of the flag is a white square with the coat of arms of Haiti. This is a palm tree with a raised cap, under which war trophies are located: cannons and cannonballs, axes, flasks, battle pipes, anchors.

The country's motto is placed at the bottom of the coat of arms. It sounds like this: "There is strength in unity." The blue and red colors of the Haiti flag are based on the colors of the French flag, but in this case they symbolize the union of blacks and mulattoes. The Phrygian cap, which is erected on the very top of the palm tree from the coat of arms of Haiti, can be interpreted as a symbol of freedom.

Haiti climate

The climate of Haiti is tropical trade wind, characterized by dry winters and rather humid summers. Most of the country's rainfall occurs in late summer when hurricane season comes.

In summer, the average air temperature is + 25-29 degrees. In winter, the temperature usually drops by 5-7 degrees.

Given the hot weather and the rainy season, best time the months November to March will be to visit Haiti. But even with a sufficiently high air temperature, it will not be superfluous to take a couple of warm clothes with you, since the breeze here can be quite cool.

Haitian attractions and entertainment

The most mysterious secret of the Haitians is their religion - the ancient cult of Voodoo, which is professed by about 5% of the population. The main goal of the cult can be called the acquisition of harmony between good and evil. It is with this religion that the carnival life in Haiti is associated, which can be of considerable interest to tourists.

The main attractions of Haiti are National parks... In the south of the country, you can visit the Makaya Park, which stretches along the mountain of the same name. The unique climatic conditions contributed to the formation of a special fauna and flora in the park. Here you can see gorges of extraordinary beauty and tropical forests, where wild flamingos, mongooses, and uguti live.

Several species of crocodiles live in the Ethan Sumatra salt lake.

In the south-east of Haiti, there is another picturesque park, Fort de Pines. Vegetable world it is extremely rich and contains more than five thousand species of various plants.

In the Cap-Haitien area, you can visit La Citadelle Park, where you can watch bird life. Large populations of pink flamingos can be found on the marshy lake Trois-Canman.

There are also unique architectural monuments... The castle of Sanssouci in the north of Haiti, the Laferrière citadel, located on mountain peak, an art village in Croix-de-Bouquet, which is the ancestor of the country's unique applied art - metal forging.

What tourists are treated to in Haiti

Traditional Haitian cuisine is a unique blend of European, Caribbean and African gastronomic traditions. The main feature of the local dishes is the abundant use of pepper. Fish is highly valued here, which is prepared in a variety of ways: it is fried, boiled, stewed, and various marinades are used.

The national dish is La Bandera - a dish of rice, beans, meat, vegetables and fried green bananas. Also worth trying is San Cocho - meat with vegetables cooked in broth, fish with coconut, Mangu - banana puree, which is a traditional breakfast dish. For dessert, you can try Pignonate, a dish made from coconut and milk.

Haitians are very fond of turkey meat. Bread in a meal is often replaced with sweet potatoes or bananas. Another favorite dish of the local population is corn, boiled in fish broth. A popular snack here is smoked herring and avoca.

From the point of view of many foreigners, Haitian cuisine is a combination of incompatible products, but this is precisely what makes the country's gastronomy interesting.

What is important to know about the island

It so happened that Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, which means that tourists will not be superfluous to exercise some caution. For your own safety, it is best to avoid the slums that surround the country's major cities like Cap-Haitien and Port-au-Prince. It is also best not to display your jewelry and expensive equipment.

All tourists planning to go to Haiti are strongly advised to pre-vaccinate against typhoid, the foci of the spread of which are recorded mainly in rural areas of the country. Vaccinations against tetanus and hepatitis are also needed. HIV is a serious problem for the local population, as approximately 6% of the total adult population of Haiti is infected with the virus.

Tap water in Haiti is considered contaminated, and therefore bottled water should be consumed, it should also be used for hygiene procedures and washing products. It is not recommended to eat local pork, mayonnaise and salads.

It is also worth knowing that such a phenomenon as an earthquake often occurs in a country, for which you also need to be prepared and not be afraid of above measure.

In general, have a nice trip!

For our man, frankly spoiled oriental resorts with a rich program and an abundance of services, tourism haiti seem to be something primitive and even unadapted. Despite all the efforts of state authorities Haiti attract to the country more tourists, then an unstable political situation, then natural disasters do not allow this direction of the economy to develop.

If you are not inspired by the sight of the Haitian slums and the squalid existence of the local population, then it is best to head to these resorts of Haiti, like the city of Petionville. It is located southeast of the state capital, Port-au-Prince. Also, foreign tourists will be interested in such resorts as Le Quay, Gonaives and Cap-Haitien. Haiti landmarks there is, both in the capital itself and in the immediate vicinity of the resorts.

The main territory of the state lies in mountainous terrain, here you can deploy ski resorts Haiti, but this requires significant investment, which will not pay off soon.

In the country, as such, specialized health resorts in Haiti absent, as well as good medicine. Therefore, it is better to plan tourism in Haiti on the condition of acquiring full health insurance, so that in an unforeseen situation the traveler is immediately transported to a clinic with decent conditions and proper service.

For those travelers around the world who prefer beach vacation and an unobtrusive excursion program will suit all Haiti tours... Modern cultural life does not particularly affect this country, so for tourists it remains to enjoy the beauties of nature, to practice active rest and visit parks and museums founded by the colonialists or their descendants.

For the modern business person vacation in Haiti, in a very exotic country, it is calmness, comfort and safety. Tourism here assumes an expensive flight and accommodation in a fashionable hotel, only in this case the traveler will be satisfied with his vacation.

Almost all hotels resort area have their own beach area. Seasoned tourists recommend to visit beaches of haiti, which are located slightly north of the capital, as well as in the northwest direction relative to Cape Haitien. A distinctive feature of these beaches is black sand. The shores are surrounded by coral reefs, which will be of interest to diving enthusiasts. Windsurfers and yachtsmen will also find it exciting to conquer the challenging waters of the Haitian coastline.

Hotels in resort areas offer services familiar to Europeans, namely swimming pools, playgrounds, golf courses and other benefits of civilization. Similar Haiti hotels mainly concentrated on the coast. Hotels are one, two-storey villas that vacationers rent in whole or in part. Only a few resort complexes works on the "all inclusive" system, and in hotels the level of service does not always correspond to the declared stars.

Haiti transport

A network of motorways with a total length of 4,000 kilometers passes through the country. These are mainly cars and buses. When renting a car to move around the country, keep in mind that during the rainy season, many roads become impassable for passenger transport.

Haiti is a small Caribbean country where unique nature, poverty, tyranny, hurricanes, earthquakes and epidemics. The state is not at all like the neighboring Dominican Republic, so your vacation in Haiti is quite exotic. However, this Island state worth visiting at least once.

Getting to Haiti is no easy task. Tours are rarely organized there due to the lack of demand. An insular country is included as a complement to y or sea ​​cruises on . Therefore, one cannot count on last-minute offers.

There are no direct or connecting flights from Russia. One of the most simple ways to get to Haiti from Moscow - a flight to the Dominican Republic, and from there a six-hour bus to Port-au-Prince. For an air ticket you will have to pay from 35,000 rubles, the bus will cost another 1,500. Thus, vacation in Haiti will start with a substantial prices tickets that eat up a large chunk of your travel budget. But there is good news: Russians do not need a visa to Haiti if the stay does not exceed three months.

Now a little more about what prices await you during your holiday in Haiti:

The average cost of living in hotels without frills starts at $ 40: for this amount they will offer a room in the capital with uninterrupted electricity, hot water and a TV. There are also cheaper options, but they are more suitable for "seasoned" tourists and do not inspire confidence. In more comfortable hotels Haiti vacation will cost from $ 80 per day.

Haiti is not tourist country therefore prices are generally higher there than in neighboring resorts. Paradoxically, it is lower, although the level of this rest is not an example higher. So, renting a car in Haiti will cost about $ 150-200 per day. Lunch in a restaurant starts from $ 40-50, but in ordinary cafes the price for the same portion decreases several times.

The national currency of Haiti is the Haitian gourde, which is 100 centimes. You can find many banks in the capital, but you should immediately prepare for the fact that there is no stable exchange rate and the conditions for currency exchange often change. The unofficial circulation also contains the "Haitian dollar" - a kind of conventional unit equal to 5 gourdes. US dollars are also freely circulating, and they are often used to pay in private institutions and markets. Here you can bargain and significantly bring down the price.

In most high-class hotels and restaurants, the service cost is already included in the bill in the amount of 5-10% of the amount. It is customary to leave a tip in bars and street cafes - the same 5-10 percent. The service staff counts on a remuneration of 1-5 gourdes.

If we talk about holidays in the Caribbean, then Haiti is definitely worth mentioning. This republic borders on the Dominican Republic. And accordingly, it has the same indisputable advantages for tourists as its neighbors.

Holidays in Haiti in 2020 are no less interesting and in demand. Who hasn't dreamed of visiting paradise? Relax on sandy beach, take a dip in azure waters ocean, climb the palm tree in the end. Optimum for relaxation is considered to be the time from December to March. Then comes the rainy and hurricane season. As with any resort, there are plenty of attractions and interesting places, beaches and other entertainment.

Citadel La Ferrier

An incredibly huge fortress, a real medieval fortification. Legend has it that this powerful shelter was built due to the paranoia of Henri Christophe. Who was so much afraid of the appearance of invaders that more than 400 hundred cannons were assigned to defend the fortress. True, he did not wait for those who wanted to seize his possessions, since he committed suicide. They say from the walls of La Ferrière in good weather with ideal visibility, you can see the coast of Cuba.

Stadiums in Haiti

As strange as it may sound, there are two stadiums in Haiti that can no doubt be ranked among local attractions. One of them is named after the Olympic medalist. Silvio Catora won the long jump in 1928. Haitians have a lot to be proud of.

Cathedral of Port-au-Prince

Magnificent building in classic gothic style. Majestic and beautiful. Construction began in 1884 and lasted for almost 30 years. It was badly damaged during a large-scale earthquake that happened in 2010. Fortunately, the walls of the cathedral survived and it was restored. And now he again pleases parishioners and tourists with his beauty.

Largest lakes

To the list tourist program in addition to buildings of architecture and ancient monuments, the corners must be included wildlife... So there are many lakes in Haiti. Among which stand out two of the largest: Enriquillo and Somatra.

These lakes are said to increase in size every year. And scientists have not yet figured out the reasons for the addition of water to them.

Architectural monuments

Other architectural structures of the past are also worth a visit. For example, the dilapidated palace of Sanssouci, which once belonged to the Haitian king. Although the fate of its owners was sad, and the palace suffered from an earthquake, the interest of tourists does not dry up. The path to the residence lies past the sugar plantations. Sometimes you come across small factories where delicious rum is brewed.

We have all heard about the disasters in Haiti and how difficult it was for people during the earthquakes in 2010. This was influenced by nature, but after five years the country has not yet had time to recover and local population did not get on his feet either financially or morally. Total poverty, a huge number of children in families, lack of education cannot from the once richest country The Caribbean make a civilized world.

We decided to show you a piece of Haiti, and not the worst one. We went to the border town of Dahabon. Once a week (on Friday) there is a market where travelers say you can find souvenirs, crafts and Haitian textiles.

Arriving in Dahabon on Thursday evening, we hardly found a place in the hotel, since everything was packed with visitors, and I understood that a big move was planned for Friday.

The market is open from early morning until lunchtime, after lunch everyone folds up and quickly scatters.

The two countries are separated by the Dahabon river of the same name. A bridge has been laid across it, which is a checkpoint. Haitians are allowed to visit the market without visas and passports, so everyone runs across the border like in their own garden.

The market is surrounded by a high fence to prevent illegal entry of Haitians into the territory of the Dominican Republic. But despite this, Haitians go wherever they want.

The main focus of the country's army is concentrated along the border with Haiti, because there is a strong flow of people who want to earn extra money in the Dominican Republic. V Dominican Republic every third is Haitian.

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Getting to the border, you feel like an ant in a huge anthill. No, you feel like a victim in a huge anthill. Everyone is running somewhere, driving, in a hurry, as if they would close the gates between the two states and they would never have a chance to get to the Dominican Republic in their lives.

The white man stands out very much against the background of dark-skinned Africans. Haitian from Dominican is easily distinguished by skin color and face shape. We learned to do this precisely at the border, finding the differences between people.

Basically, all Haitians wear things on their heads. I have not seen a person who would carry something in a girth or just in his hands. Often they will carry even an empty bucket in this way. This is culture and this is another characteristic that distinguishes them from the Dominicans.

All streams of hurrying people flock to the market. Can you imagine what's going on there? We decided to check. Pouring into the stream of motorcycles, carts and people with goods on their heads, we swam to the center, where there were more and more people. They hit us behind our heads with bags, crushed our legs, casually pushed us under our knees with trolleys, and no one gave way. Every now and then from different sides we heard the skirmish of two, three Haitians who were trying to prove something to each other and it seemed that now fists would be used. There was aggression in the air, a struggle for a place in the sun. The eyes of the Haitians are very stern and in the eyes of some there was grief, interest, anger and just emptiness. Some of them just followed each other at a practiced pace. It was clear that they were doing it automatically and not for the first day.

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While we were making our way into the thick of events, my pockets were checked several times by petty thieves (since 7-9 years). In fact, I did not even feel it, my husband told me about this, who walked behind and saw everything. My pockets were empty, so there was nothing to worry about.

In fact, the market is a stall that sells inferior second-hand goods and humanitarian aid that comes from overseas to Haitians. We saw Thai sauces, Canadian smoked fish, sausages that were stored in the heat and with flies, medicines without refrigerators, spices and other food. No souvenirs or Haitian textiles were anywhere near. All this can be found, but already in Haiti.

The entire flow of Haitians was packed with bags to capacity and dragged them to Haiti, people rushed back with empty carts, which gave the impression of a lack of food in a poor country. As it later became clear from a conversation with our neighbor Aurora (she is a Haitian and works as a cleaner in the place where we live), there is no hunger in Haiti and the country has everything you need. Either it is shyness and unwillingness to admit reality, or in the Dominican Republic everything is cheaper and people just buy and cook in their stores.

On the Dominican side, near the border, I saw a long washstand with bars of soap. Sometimes people would come up to him to wash or even wash their feet. This fact did not surprise anyone except us. All those who want to wash are those Haitians who have no water at home and such a sink helps to keep their hands and feet clean. And, perhaps, this shell was put in order to fight cholera.

At the border, I saw that all the transport that comes from Haiti was processed. More precisely, it should have undergone normal processing, but due to laziness, the workers only had time to spray the wheels with water on one side, as the car left without waiting for it to be washed on the other. This is such a sterile treatment!