In Sud-Est Department, you can plan your trip around three distinct highlights: Jacmel’s urban and craft heritage, waterscapes such as Bassin Bleu and Lagon des Huîtres, and the forests of La Visite. Then you can decide whether to spend more time on cultural heritage, waterscapes or highland nature.
Jacmel: Cityscape, crafts and Carnival
Jacmel is the main town of Sud-Est. Its historic center was added to the UNESCO Tentative List as a cultural site on September 21, 2004. Jacmel preserves its original urban layout and orthogonal street grid; the distinctive topography encouraged unusual, stepped pedestrian streets. Orthogonal means that streets meet in a right-angled grid. The surviving remains of the colonial defense system include La Petite Batterie and Fort Beliot.
Papier-mâché craftsmanship also shapes Jacmel’s cultural profile: the technique is passed down from generation to generation and has found its greatest success in Haiti in Jacmel. In the center, there are shops, galleries and open workshops where visitors can see papier-mâché art up close. Jacmel Carnival is known for its creativity and extraordinary originality. Every year, it brings artisans together with professional craft and folk-art associations and attracts thousands of Haitians as well as tourists from around the world.
Pools, waterfalls and lagoons
Bassin Bleu lies in the hills above Jacmel, in Haiti’s southeastern region. Its four cobalt-blue pools are connected by waterfalls and are called Cheval, Yes, Palmiste and Clair. Visitors can hike between the pools and swim, jump from waterfalls and bathe in the cool pools. Check current visiting conditions in advance if Bassin Bleu is a firm part of your plans.
Lagon des Huîtres, a marine and terrestrial biodiversity reserve with around twenty lagoons, lies near Belle-Anse. Parc National Naturel Lagon des Huîtres encompasses the dry forest in the communes of Belle-Anse and Grand-Gosier, as well as part of their continental shelf. Cascade Pichon is also in the park. It is fed by an underground lake, flows through three pools and comprises around a dozen waterfalls. Cultural and religious activities honoring the spirit Symbie take place at Cascade Pichon. The park’s cultural and tourist sites also include Lagon des Huîtres and Grotte Canga.
Highland nature and beach
La Visite National Park is a highland national park in southern Haiti and includes several mountains. In Séguin, in the Marigot area of Sud-Est, pine forest and isolated fragments of deciduous forest are part of the park. La Visite is home to 17 frog species, 18 reptile species and 74 bird species. If you are interested in highland nature, La Visite combines different forest types with a diverse range of wildlife.
Raymond-les-Bains is a beach in Sud-Est Department between Jacmel and Cayes-Jacmel. The beach slopes gently down to the water and has soft, smooth sand. Grilled fish is considered a local specialty there. Alongside Jacmel’s urban and craft heritage and the natural areas, this adds a beach with its own local dish to the region’s offerings.
Discover more destinations: Jacmel, Cotterelle, Grand'Anse Department, Artibonite Department, Nord, Nord-Est Department, Ouest, Nippes.
For the main travel overview: Haiti.
