Haiti – Voodoo Summer Tour

Itinerary

Thursday – Port-au-Prince

• Airport pick-up.
• Short tour walking alongside the famous street art in the city.
• Visit to a collection point for trucks and buses (tap tap). These are often wonderfully painted and very colourful.
• Short ride in a tap tap.
• Overnight stay in Port au Prince.

Friday – Port-au-Prince – Fermathe – Kenscoff

• Drive through the Bois Verna district, there are still many Gingerbread Houses, amongst the most famous houses in the city.
• Highlight: Champs de Mars, the central square of the city. Here you see a lot of people walking around or selling stuff.
• National Palace and Notre Dame Cathedral. Both buildings were severely damaged during the earthquake in 2010 and are now no longer in use.
• Unknown Slave statue, the most important statue for Haitians, as it stands for the country’s war of independence.
• Statues of the first Emperor, first King and Columbus.
• Historical Pantheon Museum, the national museum of Haiti.
• St Trinity Episcopal Church.
• Boutillier viewpoint, here you have a great view over the city.
• Drive to Fermathe, a village just outside the city.
• Self Help Shop Kenscoff, a market village in the mountains around the city where many people sell homemade goods.
• Fort Jacques, a 200 year old fort built at the time of independence.
• Overnight stay in Port-au-Prince.

Saturday – Saut D’eau Festival

• Drive to the Saut D’eau waterfall. This is an important place of pilgrimage for followers of Christianity and vodou religion in Haiti.
• Highlight: Visit the Saut D’eau Festival, the largest annual voodoo festival in the country. Thousands of people gather at the Saut D’eau waterfall to undergo the procession. A special, intense and impressive ritual.
• Concert of the popular voodoo band RAM at the Oloffson Hotel.
• Overnight stay in Port au Prince.

Sunday – Port-au-Prince – Croix des Bouquets

• Plaza de Hugo Chavez, here stands a large statue of the Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.
• Marché de Fer, the famous market hall of the city. Everything is sold here, including voodoo art.
• Fort Dimanche, a notorious former prison at the time of Papa Doc (François Duvalier).
• Highlight: Grand cimetiere, here the voodoo god Baron Samedie is buried and you see many voodoo rituals on the graves.
• Artists Rezistans, a place for voodoo artists using recycled stuff.
• Artist village Noailles in Croix des Bouquets, also here you see special voodoo art.
• Highlight: We are trying to attend a voodoo ceremony. A special and intense experience.
• Overnight stay in Port au Prince.

Monday – Port au Prince – Jacmel

• Drive to Jacmel.
• On the way we visit the tomb of Baby Doc (Jean-Claude Duvalier).
• Visit the Bassin Blue, here we take a dip in one of the many beautiful blue lakes.
• We continue the journey to Jacmel.
• Overnight stay in Jacmel.

Tuesday – Jacmel

• Highlight: City walk through Jacmel. We pay a visit to:
• New-Orleans-style coffee houses.
• Manoir Alexandre, Jacmel’s most impressive building.
• Old cathedral.
• Former house of Simon Bolivar.
• Local market, a perfect place for beautiful photos.
• We visit several art galleries and a local artist in his studio. In this way we learn more about the specific art of Jacmel.
• We go to Cyvadier Plage, where you can swim in the sea or in the nearby swimming pool.
• Overnight stay in Jacmel.

Wednesday – Jacmel – Leogane – Port-au-Prince – Cap Haïtien

• Drive to Port-au-Prince.
• On the way we stop at Leogane. 80% of this city was destroyed during the earthquake in 2010.
• End of tour group A.
• 3:00 p.m. flight to Cap Haïtien.
• Overnight stay in Cap Haïtien.

Thursday – Cap Haïtien – Milot

• Ride to Milot.
• We visit the Sans Souci Palace. This palace was the royal residence at the time of Haiti’s independence.
• Highlight: Walk to the Citadelle LaFerriere, Haiti’s most famous fortress. From here you have a beautiful view over the surroundings. This UNESCO fortress was built to protect against the French.
• Lakou Lakay – here we will watch a voodoo dance show.
• Overnight stay in Cap Haïtien.

Friday – Cap Haïtien – Labadie

• City tour of Cap Haïtien:
• Heroes Monument of Vertières, this statue represents the last battles during the war of independence.
• Bois Caiman, here the first voodoo rituals were performed at the time of the slave uprising.
• Visit to the Kleren (rum) brewery, the most famous rum brewery of Haiti.
• Boat to the beaches of Labadie.
• Relax on the beach with a barbecue.
• Overnight stay in Cap Haïtien.

Saturday – Cap Haïtien – Port-au-Prince

• Flight to Port-au-Prince.
• End of tour.