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Carnival and Rara
The most festive time of the year in Haiti is during Carnival (or Mardi Gras). The festivities start a couple of days before Ash Wednesday and take place in the capital, Port-au-Prince. The days are filled with music, parade floats and people dancing and singing in the streets. The three-day carnival that ends on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday is traditionally a time of all-night parties and escape from daily life.
Drapo Art
Drapo Art is another religious festival that is celebrated in Haiti but on a small scale. The followers of the Voodoo religion usually celebrate this festival. In this celebration voodoo flags are painted and are magnificently decorated. The paintings that are made on the flags are considered to be sacred and they take uncountable days to be done perfectly.
Krik! Krak! Festival
"Krik! Krak! Festival is a family oriented Haitian celebration that generally revolves round music, songs, dances and riddles. The Haitians generally do not have many facilities to enjoy in life, thus these kinds of festivals give them an opportunity to rejoice themselves and get mentally boost up.
Apart from religious festivals there are some non-religious celebrations too in Haiti that gives a mental boost to the Haitians. One of such celebrations is to Take Action. Thus Take Action is a charitable action of distributing clothes and food materials to different houses." |
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Cap-Haitien
Cap Haitien, one of the oldest Haitian cities, is located in the northern section of the country. Cap-haitien is now the second largest city of the country. Thanks to its historic and economic importance the city is viewed very highly. Its marvelous sites such as the historic fortresses, its beaches welcomed great numbers of tourists weekly when tourism was high in Haiti up into the mid 80s.
Port-au-Prince
The capital is a bustling city with a population of almost 1 million. Places to visit include the busy Iron Market, the neo-romantic cathedral, the Museum of Haitian Art, the Statue of the Unknown Slave, the Gingerbread Houses and the Defly Mansion. The hillside suburb of Ptionville offers a calmer respite and some of the citys best dining, gallery-hopping and nightlife. For views over Port-au-Prince and the Gulf of Gonve, head for the suburb of Boutillier, high in the mountains.
Jacmel and the South coast
Since the completion of the well-marked road over the mountains, the drive to Jacmel is a pleasant two hours or less through spectacular scenery. Jacmel itself is an elegant town of Victorian stuccoed palaces adorned with filigree balconies. It is an important center for voodoo and there are several interesting temples to visit. Artists come from all over Europe, America and the Caribbean to work in Jacmel, providing a lively Arts scene that is further enhanced at Carnival time, when dancers in papier mach costumes parade the streets and a host of street theater performances take place. There are several beaches in this region. High in the mountains, south of the capital, is the town of Kenscoff, much favored by Haitians as a summer resort. Parc Macaya is perhaps Haitis most famous national park, offering the visitor trails through spectacular mountain scenery covered in lush rainforest. 12 km outside Jacmel lie the Bassins Bleus, a series of three pools joined by waterfalls; the best way to reach the pools is on horseback from Jacmel. |
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Time Zone
GMT - 5 Hour
Language Spoken
French, Creole
Passport/ VISA
"Passport valid for six months from date of entry required by all.
Not required for touristic stays of up to six months except for nationals of China (PR), Colombia, Dominican Republic and Panama who do require a tourist visa.."
Climate
The best time to go is November-March, when day temperatures are in the 70s-80s F/23-32 C and nights are in the 60s-70s F/15-27 C. The rainy season is May-July, but even when it rains, it usually lasts for only an hour or two in the evening. Hurricane season is July-October. The hill country is always about 10 degrees F/5 C cooler. Take a sweater no matter when you go: Evenings can be cool even colder in the mountain areas. |
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