Haiti Travel Forum

I am traveling to Haiti in January to visit for the entire month. I am a little unsure about what I will be doing since I am not sure how much things cost and how much pocket money I would need. I would also like some advice about destinations that touch culture, art, nightlife and sightseeing. If anyone could give me a general idea of what to expect it would be much appreciated as well. I am a young woman in my 20s and I am not sure what to do there. I keep getting bad responses from my travel agent and would like to know what I'm getting into in terms of budget and safety. Thanks for the reply.

What are you doing in Haiti? Are you traveling by yourself, with a charity organization? What part of Haiti will you be in?

The mountains of Haiti are much cheaper than the cities, and even then, you spend what you choose. I have been in a few grocery stores and they are comparable in price to the U.S. I have also bought food from a village roadside vendor and fed 12 of us for $2. Gasoline is expensive there, I think it comes out to $5 a gallon or more. Riding a tap tap is cheaper, but not very comfortable. Esentailly anything a common Haitian does is cheap, anything more American is expensive.

As for culture, don't stay in the just the cities, check out a village. I didn't do a lot in the cities, so I', clueless on nightlife. There is a fort I've been wanting to see in northern Haiti, but don't let the size of the island fool you - driving to the north tip of Haiti from Port-au-Prince is about 12 hours, if not roads are blocked. Travel is VERY slow there.