When its name appears, most people ask questions like: Where is Haiti? What country does Haiti belong to? What language is spoken in Haiti? Is it safe to travel to Haiti? Besides these, others who follow Haiti news are interested in the terrible Haiti earthquake and consider the country not so safe to visit. It is impressive that the world knows Haiti because of this earthquake and knows nothing about its secret beauty. Despite this fact, Haiti is one of the wonderful Caribbean islands, and that is why it is worth travelling to Haiti to see its beautiful nature and tropical jungles. In this article, we have researched and listed 10 facts and reasons why you should travel to Haiti on your next vacation. So, clean your camera, obtain your Haiti visa and get ready to travel to Haiti.
1. About the country
Where is Haiti? The Republic of Haiti is located on Hispaniola island, which is a part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The country shares Hispaniola Island with the Dominican Republic, which owns five-eighths of the island. It has an area of 27750 square kilometres, and its population is more than 11 million as of 2020. It is the second most populated country in the Caribbean Sea after Cuba. Although people ask what country does Haiti belong to, it is an independent country since 1804. Its capital is Port-au-Prince, which has an interesting story of its name. It is supposed that a captain Saint-Andre called the bay "Port of the Prince" in 1706 after he navigated there in a ship called Le Prince. Therefore, Port-au-Prince means Port of the Prince in French.
2. Its history, people, and language
The land was ingeniously populated by the inherent Taino people, who moved there from South America. The first European voyagers arrived at the island in 1492 during the first trip of Columbus, who originally believed he had discovered India. These voyagers consequently established the first European town in the Americas. It was called La Navidad, which is now located on the northeastern coast of Haiti. That is the best reason to visit Haiti. Firstly, the island was alleged by Spain and then by France. The French colonials built productive sugarcane farms, worked by a great number of slave labourers brought from Western Africa. With a large number of slaves, the demographics of the island had changed in a way that now 95% of the population is of Sub-Saharan origin. And what language is spoken in Haiti? Because of its history related to French colonialism, now the main language of Haitians is French. Nevertheless, Haitian Creole is also spoken in Haiti.
3. Your safety in Haiti
After the great earthquake on the island, people began to hesitate to travel to Haiti and started to question: is it safe to travel to Haiti? Well, the answer is yes. Haiti is a quite safe country to visit. Although the Haiti earthquake caused terrible damages and human losses, momentarily, the country has prospered again. According to Haiti news agencies, 3 million people were affected by the earthquake, and at least a hundred thousand people died. Additionally, it affected the country's economy, all essential infrastructure, and services, especially tourism. Due to the worsened living of the people after the outbreak, robbery and other kinds of criminal activities had increased. Hotels, restaurants, and other tourism facilities were destroyed; therefore, the number of incoming tourists had drastically decreased. Presently, almost all tourism services have recovered, and the safety of tourists regarding criminal activities has been ensured. So, do not worry about is it safe to travel to Haiti.
4. Haiti has very nice hotels to stay
Where is Haiti with its popular hotels? Haiti is a heaven in the centre of the Caribbean Sea; the climate allows tourists to travel to Haiti anytime throughout the year. If you desire to enjoy the sunshine, the warm sea, and the sandy beach, Haiti might be the best place for your vacation. The resorts in Haiti offer the best choices to make visitors' stay as satisfying as possible while exploring the charms of this fantastic country. NH Haiti El Rancho, Habitation Hatt, Cap Lamandou, Royal Oasis, La Maison are examples of the most comfortable hotels in Haiti.
5. Haitian cuisine is the best mixture of cuisines
Haitian cuisineis a blend of several influences with a distinctive fusion of French, Spanish, African, Arab, and even American dishes. Like other Caribbean islands, Haiti has unique cooking techniques and practices that make its traditional meals rich in taste and flavour. If you are looking for an exotic meal that will make your mouth wet on your next trip, then you should try Haitian cuisine. The tastiest traditional foods in Haiti that every traveller should experience while discovering this Caribbean island are Macaroni au gratin, Poulet Aux Noix, and Lambi. If you are interested in what country does Haiti belong to, then you must taste these Haitian dishes, be sure that neither they do not belong to other countries nor Haiti.
6. Beaches
The north and south coasts of the country are full of magnificent beaches with blue-green, turquoise blue, and azure blue waters ready to astonish you. Their fine white, grey, or brown sands are perfect for lying down or playing a game of beach football or volleyball. Also, they are ideal for water activities such as jet-skiing, snorkelling, kayaking. Additionally, a swim in the sea will allow you to relax your sore muscles from the many months of work without a vacation. There is no better place than on one of these beaches to watch a beautiful sunset as the evening slowly settles. This is even more true for Haiti because this show can be accompanied by a musical performance and tasting of delicious seafood grilled on the fire; you absolutely must have such an experience.
7. Seafood
Without dethroning the other dishes of Haitian cuisine as a whole, grilled seafood is arguably the best way to taste a divine Haitian dish. Whether it's lobster, shrimp, grilled queen conch, or smoked fish, these seafood are always freshly caught and, very often, cooked right before your eyes. Thus, you and your taste buds will live a delicious culinary experience. This is why we strongly suggest that you taste one or more seafood grilled directly on the fire to consider your stay in Haiti as complete, even if you do not take a gastronomy stay.
8. Tourist attractions
Haiti is synonymous with tourist attractions. There are several sites to visit, in the north as well as in the south of the country. Be ready to discover Haiti with your curiosity. Buildings like Citadelle Laferriere, built since the War of Independence, still stand to prove the efforts of the forerunners of independence to get the country out of French rule. It harmed a little by the Haiti earthquake but still open to visitors. Other attractions like Bassin Bleu, Saut-Mathurine, Cascade Touyac Waterfall, Grotte Marie Jeanne are the best places in Haiti to see them face to face and experience them to understand the natural beauty of the country. Others such as the National Pantheon Museum, Limbe Museum, Ogier-Fombrun Museum have their authentic content from the time of the Tainos to bring you the history of the country.
9. The Jacmel Carnival
Talking about Jacmel inevitably involves talking about Haiti's most famous carnival. Each year, this event expands the popularity of Jacmel, as Haitians from all over the country and even those living abroad gather to the city to celebrate this festivity which is completely out of the ordinary with the Jacmelians. Only on the 2nd Sunday of February, citizens adorn in brightly coloured costumes and paper-made masks perform folk dances in the city streets to the sound of lively music to express the carnival. When you are there, the music will play in your head until the national carnival arrives a week later. Usually, the national carnival takes place in Port-au-Prince, but it can be celebrated in another city. It is better to read some of Haiti news articles about carnivals beforehand.
10. Drinks
These Rhum Barbancourt, Prestige Beer, and Clairin are indeed very popular drinks across the country, but each one stands out from the other two with its unique taste. On the other hand, the fact that Barbancourt rum has crossed several borders overseas gives it certain notoriety over the other two. With its range of 5 sorts, Barbancourt is very distinctive from others. You have surely seen it before or will notice it during a visit. Old and young alike appreciate the Prestige beer very much for its taste. For many Haitians, a person who has never tasted a Prestige has never drunk real beer. What about Clairin? Strictly speaking, it is brandy and the distilleries that make it abound across the country. All distilleries make it the same way, but each brand has a different alcohol concentration. Some even go as high as 46.5%. When you travel to Haiti, you should taste at least one of these products to experience what you have just read.
