Airplane: Tropical Airways, Caribintair and Tortug Air fly between Port-au-Prince and larger cities in the country such as Les Cayes, Cap-Haïtien, Jeremie and Jacmel. The flights save the visitor a long time on the bad roads and rarely last longer than 15 minutes. The planes are relatively small. As demand is often high, book as far in advance as possible.

It is also possible to charter planes privately.

Ship: There are some offshore islands and remote areas in Haiti that can only be reached by ferry. Routes include Cote des Arcadins – Ile de la Gonave and Port-au-Prince – Jeremie. The ships are not comfortable and often dangerously overcrowded. In some areas (including Ile-a-Vache and Labidie), small boats serve as water taxis.

According to Businesscarriers, buses in Haiti are inexpensive. From Port-au-Prince there are bus connections to Jacmel, Cap Haitien, Hinche, Jeremie, Port de Paix and Les Cayes. There are no fixed departure schedules, the buses depart when they are full.

Minibuses or pick-up trucks that drive between cities are called taptap in Haiti.

Car: Roads that are also passable in the rainy season lead from Port-au-Prince to Cap Haïtien and Jacmel. The inland routes are in poor condition. You should not drive at night due to the risk of accidents and possible robberies.

Driving in Haiti takes getting used to. As I said, the roads are often in a bad condition, there are hardly any traffic signs and the law of the stronger prevails. If you are driving in Haiti yourself, you will need an international driver’s license.
Rental cars are available in Port-au-Prince (most of them near the airport) and Pétionville. Outside of Port-au-Prince there are often problems with the gasoline supply.

Taxis in Haiti do not have a meter, but prices are fixed for certain routes. Agree on the price with the driver before driving. Registered taxis can be recognized by the “P” as the first letter on the license plate.

In Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien, inexpensive shared taxis (publiques) run along fixed routes. There are also all motorcycle taxis (moto-taxi).

Health and Diseases in Haiti

Warning against traveling to Haiti!

Vaccination protection

When entering from a yellow fever area, everyone Travelerwho are older than 1 year require proof of a valid yellow fever vaccination.

The standard vaccinations for children and adults should be after Vaccination calendar of the Robert Koch Institute be up to date.

The Federal Foreign Office recommends vaccination against when traveling to Ecuador tetanus, Hepatitis A, diphtheria, for longer stays (more than 4 weeks and / or special exposure) also vaccination against hepatitis B, typhoid and rabies.

Malaria

In Haiti, malaria prevails all year round (exclusively Malaria tropica), and more so from May to November. There is a medium risk of malaria in lower-lying rural, suburban and wooded regions including the coast, while the risk of malaria is low in urban areas, other parts of the country and outside the rainy seasons.

Nocturnal Anopheles mosquito is responsible for the transmission of malaria. If malaria (especially tropical malaria) is left untreated, it can be fatal in non-immune Europeans. Malaria can break out weeks and months after the actual mosquito bite. Therefore, even after returning from Haiti, if you have a fever, you should consult a doctor who should be advised of your stay in the malaria area.

Depending on the route, chemoprophylaxis (taking tablets) may be recommended. There are various prescription drugs on the market for malaria prophylaxis (for example Doxycycline, Malarone or Lariam). An experienced tropical or travel doctor can advise you on the choice of medication, their intolerance and side effects and personal adjustment.

In addition to malaria, mosquitoes transmit other infectious diseases, which is recommended as preventive protection when traveling in Ecuador

• wear light-colored clothing covering the whole body (long trousers and shirts). This both during the day (dengue fever) and in the evening (malaria).
• Regularly apply insect repellent to all exposed parts of the body
• to use a mosquito net

HIV / AIDS

The risk of a life-threatening infection with HIV / AIDS always arises from sexual contact and drug use (for example unclean cannulas or syringes or cannulas). The use of condoms is therefore always recommended, especially with casual acquaintances.

Diarrhea and cholera

Most diarrheal illnesses can be prevented with proper drinking water and food hygiene.

Some basic rules

Never drink tap water but, for example, bottled water. If bottled water is not available, filter and disinfect water or boil it off. Also use drinking water to brush your teeth or wash the dishes. Peel, boil or disinfect food. Make sure that no flies get to your food. Hands should be washed often with soap, always after a bowel movement, before preparing food and before eating. If appropriate, disinfect your hands as well, use disposable towels.

More infectious diseases in Haiti

Dengue fever (especially from August to February), typhoid, filariasis and schistosomiasis. Before traveling to Haiti, you should definitely seek advice from a tropical / travel doctor.

In addition to my general disclaimer, please note the following important note:

A guarantee for the correctness and completeness of the medical information and liability for any damage that may occur cannot be assumed. You stay responsible for your healthy.