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My wife and I arrived in Labadee via the Celebrity Silhouette. Labadee itself is the private destination for cruise ship passengers from Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruises. Cruising is a fun, no worry way to island hop.
Exploring Labadee on foot was a great way to enjoy the island. If we took the tram we would have missed so many hidden areas of beach along the way; which would have been a shame; they were quite nice.
The Columbus Cove Express is a tender boat that ferries cruise passengers from the cruise dock to the Columbus Cove area of Labadee. The boat ride is free and provides a nice water tour before arriving at the Cove.
Those brightly painted trucks are called tap taps and they run regular routes just like city buses. They are incredibly cheap . . . and crowded . . . but they work just like any city bus. You go to the tap tap stop, find the one going your direction, pay and get on. When you get to your stop, simply yell, "Merci" and they will stop and let you off. It is also fair game to call out "merci" at any point on the ride if it's more convenient for you. You don't have to go from stop to stop.You may share a seat with four other people and a few chickens or goats on the way to market, or in one case with a very large soldier with an even larger gun, but no matter how crowded, there is always room for one more person.Are they safe? Probably not but they are great fun, very cheap and they get you where you want to go.
They call it a tap-tap, I call it an adventure! Crawl in or on these colorful truck/art canvases and they'll take you wherever you need to go. If you're looking for comfort or air conditioning, forget about it, but if you want a story to tell your grandkids, hop on! The drivers never miss a pothole and it appears as though the only traffic law is bigger goes first. Not sure what the cost is to ride in one.
I go to Haiti every 6 months for the last 7 years and I have had Alex take me everywhere He is excellent and very trustworthy as well as street smart while traveling the country. he speaks fluent English ( as well as I do) and French, Creole, and Spanish. He is an excellent driver as well and will protect you in any kind of situation. You can contact him trough me at email haitilady4@hotmail.comHope to hear from you. I am into photography also and Alex will git you great pictures
While in Haiti a rental is a great option, but unfortunately rentals in Haiti are very very expensive.Avis is usually the best choice, which is by the airport. Memory rent car is also a good choice on Clercine before you reach Tabarre. Using public transportation is definitely not for the average person, you will experience fatigue from the heat and over crowding. And riding public transportation in Port-Au-Prince is not recommended for safety reasons.If you want to visit the provinces the best option is flying. Tortugair airways is my personal favorite and I highly recommend flying with them. Prices are around $140USD round trip. There's also a new airline called Tropical Airways I used them once In February to go to the Carnival in Cap - Haitien. Pricing is around $125USD.
FLIGHTS Fly from Miami or the Dominican Rep to Port Au Prince, the capital of Haiti. American Airlines flies from Miami. Air France flies once a week from Santo Domingo. It's probably best to get a 'tourist card' via the airline/travel agent/embassy before you go. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HOTEL I stayed in the super-comfortable little Hotel Prince which has an intoxicating view of the cerulean sea. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How to get about in Haiti? Taxi (with chauffeur-guide) from outside main hotels, or tap-tap min--bus, or bus.
If coming from the United States, you will probably fly America Airlines (the only American carrier to PAP) or Air France (do this only if traveling LIGHT!). There are a couple of other foreign carriers from other countries in the area, but I don't know the names. The best way to get around Port-au-Prince is by private vehicle. I would recommend traveling to Haiti only if you have friends, families, or other known contacts to visit. Public transportation consists of 'tap-taps' (pick-ups and trucks in which you tap on the side or window to let the driver know you want out) and taxis, which are little more than private vehicles usually overloaded with passengers.While the use of these modes of transport is definitely an experience for the uninitiated, it is also very dangerous for foreigners. There are those who will tell you that it is absolutely necessary to have a four-wheel drive in...
The airport can be a fun and a scary place all at the same time. I recommend that you hold onto your bags as tightly as possible when exiting the airport. You will be paying people money if they get ahold of your bag.I recommend that you ride at least one tap-tap (the taxi) and one motorcycle (another form of a taxi). The ride is definately different than any experience that I have ever had before. I will never forget my first ride in either of them
Villa Creole Haiti
4 Reviews and 24 Opinions Price Day is Us$ 100,00 - www.villacreole.com
Karibe Hotel Port-au-Prince
37 Opinions
Hotel Florita Jacmel
43 Opinions
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Q: I know there are no scheduled ferries. I know there are flights from Jamaica or Dominican to Cuba. Has anyone tried hitching a...
A: I assume you are joking....
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