Welcome to Haiti, my 148th Visit and 143rd Run UN Country out of a UN total of 193. This is the one and only post of Haiti. After my blog photos below are the key statistics, brief history and interesting facts about this destination. There is also a Special Post at the end summarising the official religion of Haiti being VOODOU !!!
I travelled from Cuba to Haiti via one night in the Bahamas and one night in Turks & Caicos since that is the only way to fly from Havana in CUBA to Cap Haitien in HAITI. I have already given you the key statistics, brief history and interesting facts about the Bahamas from my cruise time and will give you the key statistics, brief history and interesting facts about Turks & Caicos in the next post.
The 10 February 2026 was a sad day. I had to farewell Patsie, Nick and Bundy outside Terminal 3 at Havana International Airport around 1pm because my Bahamas flight was from Terminal 2, 2.8km away at 610pm and too far to walk. We made it. Shared a common experience of a nation in crisis. This trip brought us closer together. I was especially sad to farewell Bundy after 54 days together.
I was solo again. Ready for the remaining 5 UN Countries and 2 Territories of this epic trip. I spent my last 1200 Cuban Pesos on a ham and cheese baguette and large long black. Perfect. I wondered what the others were up to, what they ate and if they made their 4pm Aero Mexico flight to Mexico City. There was no way of knowing since internet is too weak for a WhatsApp call at the airport. I was lucky to find a diner to gobble up my sandwich and complete my Cuba post offline in a comfy booth and under mains power !!!
I was surprised how quickly I checked in and made it to the boarding gate – 45min flat vs the 2hr horror stories we were told. Havana International even had a cheap duty free at the gate so I topped off my Cuban Adventure with a $USD11 bottle of Havana Club Especial – our favourite. This would help with my “sleepovers” in the Bahamas and Turks & Caicos. I also packed a bottle of wine and large jar of veggies from Cuba because of my 730pm landing and low possibility of finding food near my hostel. That was a good move because there was nothing open near the hostel. Flight was very smooth and quick. Even at night I could see and sense that Nassau was first world. So great to be able to use a credit card again starting with my taxi. Charmain even agreed to pick me up at 530am tomorrow to take me back to the airport. So organised. But not my hostel. I arrived at 8pm with no one to greet me or check me in. I had to knock on a locked door and let my soon-to-be roommates to let me into my 12-bed dorm. They gave me WiFi and I called the owner who verified my bunk number. Then it was time for internet, internet, internet. I was like a starving Lion finding meat after 15 days in the wilderness. The hostel internet was light speed fast and posting my blog was a breeze. Celebrated with my veggies and wine and yes, some Havana Club Rum. Got a message from my brother Nick late saying they had just landed in Mexico City, 3hrs late because Havana did not have enough fuel for the non-stop flight to Mexico City but enough to get to Cancun in Mexico to top-up and continue. Appalling. Cuba is on a spiral to neolithic destruction. I feel so bad for the people.
I automatically stirred at 450am and saved my brief roommates the sound of two mobile alarms !!! Charmain was early and cheerful and whisked me ack to the airport to continue to Turks & Caicos on my way to Haiti. Much to my surprise the airport internet was even faster than the hostel with no time limits. First World. I climbed aboard a 42 seat ATR full of very large bodied locals. The 80min flight was very scenic flying over several coral islands. I landed in Providenciales which is the capital of Caicos Island. It is nowhere near as modern as Bahamas but light years ahead of Cuba !!! Delroy was there to pick me up and take me to his Air BnB unit in a big house of 6 – 3 upstairs and 3 downstairs. I was upstairs and only a 10min walk to the beach. Delroy helped me out by making a stop at the biggest supermarket in town where I managed to find my classic hot BBQ chicken and plenty of hot cooked veggies. Add heaps of wine and ice cream and I was bound for Heaven tonight. After unpacking in my little self-contained unit, I headed to the beach. The wind was up and too rough to swim so I returned and spent the rest of the day calling up all my remaining hotels and cars to ensure they were booked and organized some day tours in Asuncion in Paraguay. Paid heaps of bills too – all thanks to a roaring internet in my room.
Today (12 February) was scary day. Yes. Haiti day. A little nervous since I am driving it alone but also curious to see what it is like. Upside is I am staying in a family run guesthouse in Cap-Haitien, which is 239km away from the capital Port Au Prince where all the gangs live. So bad there that all airlines have stopped flying there and only Cap-Haitien. Delroy dropped me off at the airport after a fantastic conversation about life in Caicos. He is a chef and cooks for the wealthy households on the island. He invests his cooking money in big old houses on the island and converts them into BnBs with 70% average occupancy each year. Good on him. I paid $180AUD per night so compared to most he is making very good money.
My 1hr flight to Cap-Haitien was full of African-origin locals screaming and shouting. Reminded me of the animated locals in Africa. I was the only white guy on the flight and at the airport on landing. As we landed, I could see mainly what looked like small shacks everywhere Not good. Basic airport. My drama started as soon as I exited. The AVIS office was shut and one English-speaking local wanted to take me to the other AVIS office in town. No way. I called up my host and he sent a driver called Fabner to take me. The AVIS office was only 2.8km from the airport but the trip took 30min given the war-torn, hurricane-hit, garage-covered, lunar-landscape main road. This place was as bad as the worst towns I had seen in Africa. Reminded me of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Marli. Really bad. Dust and garbage everywhere. Hot and humid too. Mainly motor bikes and tuk-tuks. Cars were beat-up and riding in an Audi SUV made me think my guest house was going to great. Tiny one-man shops lined the road selling food, household plastics, building materials, car parts. It is a mess. How the heck was I going to buy wine, cheese and olives !!!
The AVIS office had given my car away and told me a car would be available tomorrow at 9am. Deal. The AVIS office had armed guards opening the gates of their compound. Where was I ? Fabner spoke no English and I spoke too little French but I managed to convince him to take me to a large supermarket (grande supermarche). It was fabulous. It was made for westerners. In a large airconditioned warehouse surrounded by a huge electrified fence and armed guards. Inside heaven. Canned everything, real French cheese and yoghurt, olives and a wine section that rivalled even the USA. I walked out with my three-day stay worth of food and wine. I was set. The Culture Club would exist in Haiti. The 8km drive to the hotel took an hour in the most horrific traffic I have ever seen on my world travels. Millions of beat-up cars, tuk-tuks, motorbikes, people pushing wheel barrows of food or possessions all vying for space on roads that looked like the surface of the moon. Add to that fumes, dust, garbage and you have a good reason NOT TO HIRE CAR !!! From that trip alone I decided I would NOT go back to AVIS the following morning and instead hire Fabner and the Audi to see the attractions I had planned with my hire car.
My hotel called “Habitation des Lauriers” comprised several very impressive structures. It turns out that this is a historic place built in in 1901 by Mr. Altieri, a French native of Corsica, as a private family residence. It quickly became a symbol of prestige and refinement, preserving to this day its majestic columns and twelve-foot arched doorways. It is clean, well-kept, secured by armed guards and perched high above the chaos of Cap-Haitien surrounding me. The place was run by young well-dressed people. Gabriela checked me in and I asked her about hiring Fabner and the Audi to take me to Port Au Prince. Immediately her eyes lit up and she frowned with shock saying that it was too dangerous and not permitted. Even the public bus has been cancelled. Instead, I organized a trip to the palace and citadel which I will describe later. My room was very basic but clean with electricity, hot water and a super-fast internet. Add to that my western supplies and I might as well been in the Hotel Hilton !!! By the time I settled in and checked out the place and surrounds it was time for Culture Club and Blog. Add to that a Netflix film and I was bewildered as to how I could live my first world evening high above the third world below me with an armed guard outside my door !!!
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The next day was a good day despite the heavy cloud. I got to see a glimpse of the real Haiti. The Haiti of the deep past. Before the gangs and before the corruption. Why ? Because I travelled 25km into the mountains to visit the Sans Souci Palace and Citadelle Laferrière – two important, “must-see” sights in Haiti. There is no traffic chaos or garbage in the country-side villages. The scenery is lush, green and dramatic. Finally, Haiti looked like a Caribbean Island !!! The Sans Souci Palace and the Citadelle Laferrière were built by Henri Christophe as a home and fortress. Henri Christophe (1767–1820) was a key Haitian Revolutionary leader who became the first and only King of Haiti (as Henri I, 1811–1820), ruling the independent Kingdom of Northern Haiti from Cap-Haitien (formerly Cap-Français). He built the Sans Souci Palace and the Citadelle Laferrière in the early 1800s. He committed suicide in 1820 after a debilitating stroke and is buried in a secret location in the citadel along with his wife who was from Italy.
My driver for the day was Reginal and very skilled in weaving through the myriad of traffic. We left at 9am and reached the Sans Souci Palace in the small town of Milot at 10am. I was met by a local guide Nickson who took me through the palace. It is gigantic and reasonable well preserved. Made of limestone and a local hardwood using dirt mixed with tree sap as cement. From here a local man Davidson took myself and Nickson to the citadel on a motorbike some 7km away on a cobbled track inaccessible by cars. This ride was terrific. Steep and winding with rainforest on both sides opening up to a terrific view of mountain ridges above 500m. Ordinarily the last 1-2km are so steep you need to ride a horse but given the three of us were so thin and light and that the clouds were closing in, we finished the trip on the motorbike. The Citadel is huge and very impressive. It is in excellent condition and built in the shape of a boat given Henri Christophe was a sailor. Nickson showed me every inch of the place down to individual cannon balls, stacked inside and outside. Lucky for me, I got there just in time to film and photograph the place before thick clouds closed in given the 830m altitude. The ride back was scary given the steep slopes and I am glad it did not rain since the cobblestones are polished back by tyres and would have been very slippery. Davidson and Nickson chatted away in Creole the whole way – the most used language of Haiti after French.
HAITIAN VOODOU IN A NUTSHELL:
Haitian Vodou is a complex, syncretic religion that blends West African spiritual traditions with Roman Catholicism and Indigenous Taíno influences.
Core Beliefs:
• Adherents believe in a single, supreme creator god called Bondye (from the French Bon Dieu, meaning Good God).
• Bondye is distant from believers so practitioners interact with a vast pantheon of spirits known as lwa who intercede with Bondye.
• Humans have two souls: the gwo bonnanj (big good angel) for personality and memory and the ti bonnanj (little good angel), for conscience.
Practices and Rituals:
• Rituals take place in a temple called an ounfò, led by a priest (oungan) or priestess (manbo).
• Intricate geometric designs called vèvè are drawn on the ground to summon lwa (spirits).
• Iwa are invited to possess a believer to take on the personality of the lwa to provide advice, healing, or prophecies.
• Rhythmic drumming, specific dances and animal sacrifices are used to "feed" the Iwa.
Syncretism and Influence:
• To protect their traditions during slavery, believers syncretise lwa with Catholic saints (eg: Iwa Papa Legba (guardian of crossroads) is associated with St Peter (keeper of the keys to heaven).
• Vodou was a major catalyst for the Haitian Slave Revolution.
• Vodou promotes gender equality in leadership and accepts all LGBTQ+ within its communities.
HAITI IN A NUTSHELL:
Haiti faces a profound multi-dimensional crisis in 2025, marked by a contracting economy, severe food insecurity, and widespread gang-related violence.
• Population (2025): 11,966,828.
• Median Age: 24.1 years.
• Life Expectancy (2024): 65.1 years.
• Healthcare Access: Only 20% of health facilities remain operational as of 2025; more than 40,000 healthcare workers have fled the country due to violence.
• Cholera: An ongoing outbreak has resulted in over 87,000 suspected cases and 1,300 deaths since late 2022.
• GDP Growth (2024): Negative 4.2%.
• Poverty: Approximately 58.5% of the population lives below the national poverty line. In 2025, 37.6% of Haitians live on less than $USD2.15 per day.
• Inflation (2024): 28.4% with food at 35%.
• Violence: Criminal groups control roughly 85% of Port-au-Prince. In 2024, at least 5,601 people were killed and 1,500 kidnapped.
• Displacement: Over 703,000 people are internally displaced as of early 2025, more than double the figure from 2022.
• Food Insecurity: 5.4 million people (roughly half the population) face acute hunger, with approximately 6,000 people experiencing famine-like conditions in 2025.
• Education: Nearly 1,000 schools were closed in 2024 due to violence, depriving roughly 300,000 students of learning.
• Land Area: 27,560 sq km.
• Urbanization: 61.7%.
• Vulnerability: Haiti is highly susceptible to natural disasters; a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in 2021 killed over 2,200 people and destroyed 30% of local homes in the south.
BRIEF HISTORY OF HAITI:
Haiti’s history is defined by its status as the world's first independent Black-led republic, established through a successful slave revolt, and a subsequent legacy of external debt and internal instability.
• 1492: Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Hispaniola, claiming it for Spain; the indigenous Taíno population is largely decimated by disease and forced labour.
• 1697: Spain cedes the western third of the island to France, which names the colony Saint-Domingue.
• By 1780s: the colony becomes France's wealthiest, producing 40% of Europe’s sugar and 60% of its coffee using a massive population of enslaved Africans.
• 1791: A massive slave uprising begins in the north, ignited by a Vodou ceremony at Bois Caïman.
• 1803: Slavery abolished.
• 1804: Jean-Jacques Dessalines declares independence on January 1, renaming the country Haiti.
• 1862: USA recognises independent Haiti.
• 1915–1934: US Marines occupy Haiti for 19 years, seizing control of its finances.
• 1957–1986: François "Papa Doc" Duvalier and later his son Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" rule as brutal dictators.
• 1986: Baby Doc flees and Haiti sees cycles of democratic hope.
• 2010: A catastrophic 7.0 earthquake kills over 300,000 people, followed by a cholera outbreak.
• 2021–2025: The assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 triggers total political collapse and the rise of gang control over approximately 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT HAITI:
1. The world’s first black-led republic and the first independent nation in Latin America and the Caribbean.
2. Most mountainous country in the Caribbean at 75%.
3. Home to the largest fortress in the Americas: UNESCO protected Citadelle Laferrière.
4. Gourde, the Haitian currency is named after the national fruit which was used as currency until 1807.
5. In 2003, Haiti became the first country in the world to officially recognize Vodou as a religion.
6. Founder of Chicago, Jean-Baptiste Point du Sable was born in Saint-Domingue in Haiti.
7. 500+ Haitian volunteers fought alongside American colonists against the British in the 1779 Battle of Savannah during the American Revolution.
8. On Independence Day, Haitians eat Soup Joumou (pumpkin soup). During colonial rule, this soup was a delicacy reserved only for French masters, and eating it today symbolizes freedom and victory.
9. The primary mode of public transportation in Haiti is the "Tap Tap": brightly painted, custom-decorated trucks or buses. They get their name from the sound passengers make when they tap on the vehicle's side to signal they want to get off.
10. During the 18th century, Haiti (then Saint-Domingue) was France's most prosperous colony and the world's leading producer of sugar and coffee, earning it the nickname "The Pearl of the Antilles".
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