Highlights of Haiti & Carnival — Self-Launched

Fly into Toussaint Louverture International Airport (PAP). Arrange your own taxi or shared transport into the city centre — agree a price before you get in (expect ~USD 20-30 for a taxi, or hop a shared taptap for a fraction of the price if you're comfortable navigating). Check into your guesthouse in the Pétionville neighbourhood, which is considered safer and has a good range of budget accommodation, restaurants, and ATMs. Spend the evening getting your bearings and trying local street food.

🚌Airport taxi to Pétionville (~USD 20-30) or shared taptap (~USD 2-5)

🛏Pétionville guesthouse or budget hotel — e.g. Villa Créole area guesthouses or locally run B&Bs. Expect ~£25-35/night.

• →Arrive and settle in to Pétionville neighbourhood
• →Try local street food — griot (fried pork) and banane peze (fried plantain) are must-tries
• →Exchange currency or withdraw Haitian gourdes from an ATM

Take an early morning shared minibus or taptap from Port-au-Prince to Jacmel (~2.5–3 hours, ~USD 4-6 per person). Jacmel is renowned as Haiti's arts capital and the spiritual home of Kanaval. On arrival, drop your bags at your guesthouse and head straight out to explore the historic colonial quarter with its ornate iron-balconied buildings. Seek out the Art Creation Foundation for Children (ACFJ) — a community art project on Rue de la Vieille — which is open to visitors and showcases the papier-mâché mask-making tradition at the heart of Jacmel's carnival. As evening falls, the streets come alive with sound systems, street parties, and the smell of barbecue smoke — dive in.

🚌Shared minibus or taptap Port-au-Prince → Jacmel (~USD 4-6, ~£3-5)

🛏Jacmel guesthouse — e.g. Cyvadier Plage area or town-centre guesthouses (~£20-30/night)

• →Shared minibus/taptap from Port-au-Prince to Jacmel (~USD 4-6)
• →Self-guided walk through Jacmel's historic colonial quarter
• →Visit the Art Creation Foundation for Children (ACFJ) on Rue de la Vieille — free or small donation
• →Join the street parties and pre-carnival warm-up celebrations in the evening

This is the main event — Jacmel's famous Sunday Carnival parade, the highlight of Haiti's Kanaval calendar. The streets fill with elaborately costumed troupes, giant papier-mâché masks depicting spirits, politicians, and mythological creatures, choreographed dance groups, and rara bands. There is no ticket required — simply position yourself along the parade route early to get a good spot. Engage with locals, buy rum punch from roadside vendors, and let the rhythm take you. In the evening, smaller street parties and music events continue across town.

🚌On foot

🛏Jacmel guesthouse (as Day 2, ~£20-30/night)

• →Watch and join Jacmel's Kanaval Sunday parade — free to attend
• →Photograph the elaborate papier-mâché masks and costumes
• →Try local carnival street food and rum punch from vendors
• →Join evening street parties around the town centre

Hire a local moto-taxi or join a shared vehicle heading to Bassin-Bleu, a series of vivid turquoise pools and cascading waterfalls set in the jungle about 12km from Jacmel (~USD 5-10 for a moto-taxi return). The trail to the pools involves a 30–40 minute walk/scramble — local guides are available at the entrance for a small fee (~USD 5-10) and are well worth hiring. Bring a swimsuit and water shoes if you have them. Return to the coast in the afternoon for a beach barbecue — the beaches around Jacmel (Cyvadier Beach, Ti Mouillage) have simple seafood shacks where fresh grilled fish and lobster are served at very reasonable prices.

🚌Moto-taxi to Bassin-Bleu (~USD 5-10 return)

🛏Jacmel guesthouse (as Day 2, ~£20-30/night)

• →Moto-taxi or shared vehicle to Bassin-Bleu (~USD 5-10 return)
• →Hike to and swim in the turquoise pools of Bassin-Bleu
• →Hire a local guide at the entrance (~USD 5-10)
• →Afternoon beach barbecue at Cyvadier or Ti Mouillage beach — fresh grilled seafood

Take an early morning shared minibus back to Port-au-Prince (~USD 4-6). From there, head to Toussaint Louverture Airport for a domestic flight to Cap-Haïtien (Hugo Chávez International Airport). Domestic flights are operated by Sunrise Airways — book in advance online at sunriseairways.net, typically ~USD 80-120 one-way. Cap-Haïtien is Haiti's second city and northern cultural hub. Check into your guesthouse and explore the lively waterfront and colonial-era streets in the evening. Try the local specialty: grillot with rice and beans at a local restorant.

🚌Shared minibus Jacmel → PAP (~£3-5); domestic flight PAP → Cap-Haïtien (~£65-95)

🛏Cap-Haïtien guesthouse or small hotel — e.g. Lakou Lakay or similar (~£25-35/night)

• →Early shared minibus Jacmel → Port-au-Prince (~USD 4-6)
• →Domestic flight Port-au-Prince → Cap-Haïtien with Sunrise Airways (~USD 80-120) — book ahead at sunriseairways.net
• →Check into guesthouse and explore Cap-Haïtien waterfront
• →Dinner at a local restorant — try grillot, rice and beans

Head to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Citadelle Laferrière, the largest fortress in the Americas, perched dramatically atop a 900m mountain. Take a shared tap-tap or hire a local driver to the village of Milot (~USD 5-10), then either hike up on foot (~1.5 hours) or hire a horse at the base (~USD 10-15). Entrance to the Citadelle and the nearby Sans-Souci Palace ruins costs ~USD 10 per person. Local guides are available and strongly recommended (~USD 10-15) to bring the extraordinary Haitian revolutionary history to life. In the afternoon, visit a local sugarcane distillery to learn about the production of Haitian clairin and rhum — Lakou Lakay cultural centre in Milot often facilitates distillery visits and cultural experiences.

🚌Shared taptap to Milot (~USD 5-10 return); horse at Citadelle base (~USD 10-15 optional)

🛏Cap-Haïtien guesthouse (~£25-35/night)

• →Shared taptap to Milot village (~USD 5-10)
• →Hike or horse-ride up to Citadelle Laferrière (entrance ~USD 10)
• →Hire a local guide at the Citadelle (~USD 10-15)
• →Visit Sans-Souci Palace ruins
• →Afternoon sugarcane/rum distillery visit — ask your guesthouse to arrange or visit Lakou Lakay

Spend the morning on a self-guided walking tour of Cap-Haïtien — stroll past the brightly painted cathedral, through the main market (Marché de Cap-Haïtien), and along the seafront. The market is a sensory feast of spices, produce, and crafts. Seek out a local demonstration of kasav-making — kasav is a flatbread made from cassava root, a staple of the indigenous Taino people. Ask your guesthouse to connect you with a local family or community group who offer cooking demonstrations (~USD 10-20). Head to the airport for your afternoon domestic flight back to Port-au-Prince with Sunrise Airways. Evening at leisure in Pétionville.

🚌Walking (morning); domestic flight Cap-Haïtien → PAP (~£65-95)

🛏Pétionville guesthouse, Port-au-Prince (~£25-35/night)

• →Self-guided morning walk: Cap-Haïtien cathedral and main city market
• →Kasav-making demonstration with a local family (~USD 10-20, arrange via guesthouse)
• →Afternoon domestic flight Cap-Haïtien → Port-au-Prince (~USD 80-120, book ahead)
• →Evening in Pétionville — dinner at a local restaurant

A full day exploring Port-au-Prince's extraordinary cultural layers. Start at the iconic Iron Market (Marché en Fer) — a remarkable 19th-century cast-iron structure full of crafts, art, spices, and street food; bargain respectfully and pick up papier-mâché pieces or Haitian paintings as souvenirs. Head to Croix-des-Bouquets, the iron-working community on the city's outskirts, where artists hammer recycled oil drums into intricate decorative panels — you can watch craftspeople at work and buy direct. In the afternoon, arrange a visit to a Vodou ceremony or meeting with a Houngan (Vodou priest) at the Noailles area — this is best done through a locally connected guesthouse or a reputable Port-au-Prince cultural guide; expect ~USD 20-40 for a facilitated introduction. Round the day off with a Creole dinner — try tasso (jerked beef), poul ak nwa (chicken with cashews), and a glass of Barbancourt rum.

🚌Shared taptap or moto-taxi to Croix-des-Bouquets and Noailles (~USD 3-8)

🛏Pétionville guesthouse, Port-au-Prince (~£25-35/night)

• →Visit the Iron Market (Marché en Fer) — free entry, budget for purchases
• →Explore the iron-working community of Croix-des-Bouquets — watch artists at work and buy direct
• →Arrange a Vodou priest meeting at Noailles through your guesthouse or a local cultural guide (~USD 20-40)
• →Creole dinner — tasso, poul ak nwa, Barbancourt rum

Enjoy a final Haitian breakfast — akasan (corn porridge), fresh tropical fruit, and strong Haitian coffee — before making your way to Toussaint Louverture International Airport for your onward flight. Shared taxis or taptaps run to the airport from Pétionville, or ask your guesthouse to arrange a transfer. Note: check your airline's check-in requirements and arrive with plenty of time — Haiti's airport can be busy.

🚌Shared taxi or taptap to airport (~USD 5-15)

🛏N/A — departure day

• →Final Haitian breakfast — akasan, fresh fruit, Haitian coffee
• →Shared taxi or taptap to Toussaint Louverture Airport (~USD 5-15)