Haiti
Check travel advice. Most governments advise against all travel
Population
11.8m people
Currency
Haitian Gourde
Main Language
French and Haitian Creole
best time to visit
Not currently advised – check government advice
Climate
Tropical, hot and humid, hurricane season June-November
Visa
Visa free for up to 90 days on paper for UK, EU and US visitors, but travel advisories currently override this
Country overview
The advisory position first: the UK Foreign Office and most Western equivalents advise against all travel to Haiti. Armed gangs control much of Port-au-Prince, kidnapping is a serious and ongoing risk, the airport has closed repeatedly, and consular support is extremely limited. This page is reference material rather than a recommendation.
Haiti has a history unlike anywhere else in the Americas. It was the first Black republic and the only nation founded by a successful revolt of enslaved people, defeating Napoleon forces in 1804. France then imposed an indemnity that took Haiti until 1947 to pay off, a debt that is central to understanding its subsequent poverty.
The Citadelle Laferriere, built after independence to repel a French return, is the largest fortress in the Americas and sits on a mountaintop near Cap-Haitien. It is a UNESCO site and an extraordinary piece of engineering. Haitian art, particularly its painting and metalwork traditions, has a serious international reputation, and Vodou remains a genuine religion here rather than the caricature exported abroad.
Annual events and festivals
- Kanaval (Feb-Mar) — the biggest event of the year, with rara bands and floats, largest in Port-au-Prince and Jacmel.
- Jacmel Carnival (Feb) — known for enormous papier-mache masks made by local artisans.
- Rara (Lent to Easter) — processional bands with bamboo trumpets moving through the countryside.
- Fet Gede (1-2 Nov) — the Vodou festival of the dead, with purple and black dress in cemeteries.
- Independence Day (1 Jan) — marks 1804, celebrated with soup joumou, once forbidden to enslaved people.
- Saut-d’Eau pilgrimage (Jul) — thousands bathe at a waterfall in a blend of Catholic and Vodou devotion.
- Flag Day (18 May) — commemorating the creation of the Haitian flag in 1803.
- Fete Gede at Souvenance (Easter) — a major Vodou gathering near Gonaives.
- Ancestry Day (2 Jan) — honouring the forefathers of the revolution.
- Christmas and fanal lanterns (Dec) — intricate paper lantern houses made and displayed.
Haiti Travel Guides
Haiti guides are coming soon.