Something about Voodoo intrigues me. Voodoo (also called Vodou, among other names) remains a misunderstood religion. Black magic. Cult. Devil worship. Growing up, these are just some of the words that I ignorantly associated with Voodoo. The majority of Haitians believe in and practice at least some aspects of Voodoo. Originally, I wanted to visit Haiti during the annual Voodoo festival held every July. Each year, thousands of Haitian pilgrims make the journey to Saut d’Eau to take ritual baths, light candles, and make offerings to the spirits. Unfortunately, I was never able to make that trip work with my schedule and gave up on visiting Haiti during this annual festival. Instead, I left Haiti as a “beach destination”.

Arcahaie
I arrived at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince on the morning of Friday, June 22, 2018. I booked a three-night stay at the Kaliko Beach Club located in Arcahaie (also known as Cotes des Arcadins), located about an hour away from the airport. For half of the price of the hotel-organized airport transfer, I prearranged transportation with Eagle Tours and Adventures to take me to meet my mother who had arrived the day before.

Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic to the east. Unlike the other side of the island, in terms of tourism, Haiti does not have it together just yet. I think it is safe to assume that most people associate Haiti with the earthquake disaster, and not a beach destination. Aside from the numerous volunteer groups, we were the only actual tourists staying at the Kaliko Beach Club. So, if you are looking for quiet deserted beaches, I would definitely recommend visiting this side of the island.

Next to Wahoo Bay, the all-inclusive resort offered a cheap beachfront stay. However, aside from the beach, the hotel did not have much to offer besides terrible customer service and horrible drinks.

After spending one full day on the beach and in the water, I was ready to do something else.

Saut d’Eau
When planning this trip, I found it very difficult to find any group or private tours in or around Port-au-Prince. I did find a handful of tour guides on Viator, some cheaper than others, but all nonresponsive to my tour requests. After several days of research, I found Samuel at Port-au-Prince Taxi and Tours who agreed to take my mother and me around Port-au-Prince before dropping us off at the airport on the day of our departure. I reached out to Samuel and inquired about an additional day tour to somewhere else the following day. After throwing around some ideas, we decided on a day trip to Saut d’Eau.

Per Google Maps, Saut d’Eau is located about an hour and a half away from the Kaliko Beach Club. The drive actually was double that time each way. The winding roads took us into the mountains and through the countryside. “Are we there yet?” – I sounded like a broken record. Several hours later, we finally reached the entrance to the waterfalls.

We spent some time wandering around the area before heading back to the hotel. What a long day.

Port-au-Prince
As mentioned, prior to arriving in Haiti, I arranged a half-day tour with Port-au-Prince Taxi and Tours for our last day in Haiti.

The tour included the following stops:

Jalousie – One of Haiti’s largest slums.

Gingerbread Houses – Architectural style that originated in Haiti in the late 19th century.

L ‘Observatoire de Boutilliers – Bar and restaurant that offers a panoramic view of Port-au-Prince, its bay and surrounding areas.

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption – Often called “Port-au-Prince Cathedral”, was a cathedral in Port-au-Prince that was built between 1884 and 1914 and was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake.

Local Markets – Local markets in Port-au-Prince.

After the tour concluded, we headed to the airport for our late afternoon flight to Chicago via Miami.