Port-Salut and Île-à-Vache: Haiti's far south coast

Port-Salut

**Port-Salut** is a small town strung along a coast of wide golden beaches backed by coconut palms. **Pointe Sable** is the main beach, with calm water, fishermen pulling in nets and simple restaurants grilling lobster and fish. It is busiest at weekends and holidays, when Haitian families come from Les Cayes, and almost empty on weekdays. The town is the birthplace of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Small guesthouses and hotels such as **Auberge du Rayon Vert** sit near the beach.

Les Cayes

**Les Cayes** is the main city of the south and the jumping off point for Île-à-Vache. It has a busy market, a cathedral and the **Gelée** beach just outside town, where the feast of Notre-Dame in August draws big crowds. Most visitors pass through rather than stay.

Île-à-Vache

From the wharf in Les Cayes, boats cross to **Île-à-Vache** in around twenty minutes to half an hour. The island is about fifteen kilometres long, with no cars, a handful of villages, mangroves and beaches. Henry Morgan, the pirate, used it as a base in the seventeenth century. Visitors stay in a few small resorts such as **Port Morgan**, on a bay on the north side, and arrange boat trips around the island, walks to villages like **Madame Bernard** with its weekly market, and swims at quiet beaches such as **Pointe Ouest**. Days are slow: hammock, sea, grilled fish, repeat. Bring enough cash for your whole stay, as there are no banks or cash machines on the island, and expect solar or generator power with occasional gaps. Snorkelling is gentle rather than spectacular, but the water is warm and clear, and evenings are dark and starry, with little noise beyond music drifting from a village.

Saut-Mathurine and the mountains

Inland from Les Cayes near **Camp-Perrin**, **Saut-Mathurine** is the largest waterfall in Haiti, dropping into a deep pool where you can swim. Further west, **Pic Macaya National Park** protects cloud forest with rare orchids, frogs and birds. It is a serious, remote expedition with a specialist local guide.

Food

The south is famous for seafood. Try **lobster** and **lambi** grilled on the beach, **pwason boukannen** (wood grilled fish) with plantain and pikliz, and **tchaka**, a hearty stew of corn, beans and pork. Fresh coconuts and mangoes are everywhere in season.

Getting there and safety

The road from Port-au-Prince to the south passes through Martissant and other areas where armed groups have controlled traffic, and most governments advise against all travel to Haiti. Domestic airlines have flown small aircraft to **Les Cayes**; check what is currently operating and how it connects with international flights. The south itself has generally been calmer, but protests and fuel shortages happen. Arrange transfers and boats through your hotel, travel by day, and keep up to date with local news.

A suggested five day plan

**Days one and two:** Port-Salut, with long walks on Pointe Sable and seafood lunches.

**Day three:** Saut-Mathurine waterfall, then on to Les Cayes for the boat.

**Days four and five:** Île-à-Vache, with a village walk, a boat trip and as much hammock time as you like.

Plan it with the free trip planner, and read about Jacmel for the southeast.