ha anyone been on Sosua to Haiti tour recently?

[I give nothing to I.S.O.C.]

Is it safe to go on tour after the earthquake?
has anyone been?
how much is it?
who do I book the tour with?
Is the tour dangerous?

[weyland]

I believe this "tour" only goes as far as the border town of Ouanaminthe which is a desolate shithole and not even typical of Haïti as it has grown up as an annex to the Dominican border town of Dajabon. (Think of some of the Mexican border towns "twinned" with US border towns).

It should be safe enough as the earthquake was nowhere near that area and any flood of refugees would have gone to the southern border towns. But not very interesting and you could hardly come back and say you have "seen" Haïti.

[I give nothing to I.S.O.C.]

Well actually I want to see the uncut and slummish side...I want to see the true side of Haiti...I don't expect to see resorts...my main concern is if it is a SAFE tour and the cost....

[Jimmydr]

Well actually I want to see the uncut and slummish side...I want to see the true side of Haiti...I don't expect to see resorts...my main concern is if it is a SAFE tour and the cost....


It was never really safe before. When I was there with a few Dominicans, they carried guns.

[I give nothing to I.S.O.C.]

Please elaborate Jimmy...how was the trip? I want to go on the safest tour...

[Jimmydr]

Please elaborate Jimmy...how was the trip? I want to go on the safest tour...



I went there a few years back with my buddy and his dad. We drove from Moca to PAP. We stayed in a rich section of of PAP and after 2 days, I left. I didn't feel safe at all.

[I give nothing to I.S.O.C.]

i dont plan on going to port au prince....im sure its flooded with the earthquake rescue efforts, I plan on doing a "tourist" tour, please can anyone give me some real insight on this from experience?

[eldorob]

I would suggest going to Dajabon for the weekly market days - Friday and Saturday? A lot of Haitians show up to the market. There is a thread here somewhere if you look around. You can walk across the bridge into Haiti and look around.

You can see "Massacre River" while there, it is the border between Haiti and DR. And you can stay at "Massacre Hotel" - a quaint little bed and breakfast in Dajabon.

FYI - a Haitian aquaintance of mine pronunces Dajabon as Dah-bone.

[gdogg]

I would suggest going to Dajabon for the weekly market days - Friday and Saturday? A lot of Haitians show up to the market. There is a thread here somewhere if you look around. You can walk across the bridge into Haiti and look around.

You can see "Massacre River" while there, it is the border between Haiti and DR. And you can stay at "Massacre Hotel" - a quaint little bed and breakfast in Dajabon.

FYI - a Haitian aquaintance of mine pronunces Dajabon as Dah-bone.

Corrado's trip report of Haiti:

http://news.insearchofchicas.org/forum/showthread.php?t=190203

[swiggy]

I would suggest going to Dajabon for the weekly market days - Friday and Saturday? A lot of Haitians show up to the market. There is a thread here somewhere if you look around. You can walk across the bridge into Haiti and look around.

You can see "Massacre River" while there, it is the border between Haiti and DR. And you can stay at "Massacre Hotel" - a quaint little bed and breakfast in Dajabon.

FYI - a Haitian aquaintance of mine pronunces Dajabon as Dah-bone.

was in Dajabon in November, just another town but more Hatians. when i went to get in the car to go back i paid the guy 50 pesos to watch the suv, they flocked me for money. very annoying but they are broke. i bought a few bottles of Barbancourt rum that i made mamajuana with when i got home, 3 star which is the cheap stuff but it was good in the mamajuana. These are a few pics of the river and one of where they live on the Haiti side. They wash clothes and bathe right in the river.

[I give nothing to I.S.O.C.]

swiggy, thanks, Im not a wuss or anything, but I dont wanna go by myself, I need a tour or something...lol

[swiggy]

swiggy, thanks, Im not a wuss or anything, but I dont wanna go by myself, I need a tour or something...lol

thats not really Haiti its the DR. I'm going to Haiti next year for sure. Common sense and a little street smart should get anyone through. Stay in a hotel with security, dont go out to late and always say no to anyone that "just wants to help me". Cap Hatien is about 5 or 6 hours by bus from Sosua. 2 or 3 days should be enough time.

[weyland]

swiggy, thanks, Im not a wuss or anything, but I dont wanna go by myself, I need a tour or something...lol
Should be safe enough to travel solo on the bus from Santiago to Cap Haitien, which is one of the more interesting towns in Haïti and with a least a few "gringo" amenities (though all at high prices compared with the DR).

But I would wait a few months for things to settle down. As that would take us into the hot season (which I don't want to travel in) I will be waiting now until late Autumn (after the hurricane season) at the earliest. I was hoping to be in Haïti this February but my recent poor health and, of course, the earthquake have changed my timetable.

But the Sosúa tour to Ouanaminthe is a waste of time and money because you won't see the "authentic" Haïti.

[I give nothing to I.S.O.C.]

I just plant to be there for a day tour, NO GOING SOLO, OR STAYING IN HOTELS OVERNIGHT! I just want simple info for a one day bus tour

[eldorob]

I just plant to be there for a day tour, NO GOING SOLO, OR STAYING IN HOTELS OVERNIGHT! I just want simple info for a one day bus tour

Don't know if a day trip is possible from Sosua - maybe if you drive yourself. The border alone is several hours from Sosua.

Caribe Tours
http://www.caribation.com/caribe-tours-bus-transport-company-dominican-republic-vacation-holiday.php

Anther option is hire a driver. Then you're with a dominican and won't have to make a bunch of stops & layovers to get to your destination. Let me know if you want a name & number.

[weyland]

I just plant to be there for a day tour, NO GOING SOLO, OR STAYING IN HOTELS OVERNIGHT! I just want simple info for a one day bus tour
Unless you drive yourself, which is potentially dangerous besides being difficult to set up (you wouldn't be allowed to take a DR rental into Haïti, for example), you can only conveniently travel into Haïti by bus from Santo Domingo (to Port-au-Prince) or from Santiago (to Cap Haitien).

The first of these is almost certainly suspended for the time being to give priority to relief convoys and you would just be a bloody nuisance in Port-au-Prince at the moment as anyone who isn't part of the solution is part of the problem.

That leaves Santiago to Cap Haitien. That is a whole day trip in itself so you would need to stay overnight in Cap Haitien. Neither the bus journey nor the hotel stay would be at all dangerous if you stay in a gringo-standard hotel but these run US$120 per night and upwards. But you wouldn't see much if you had to come straight back the next morning (just a lot of bumpy, dusty highways) so I reckon you would want to stay at least three nights in Cap Haitien, giving to one day to explore the town and one day to visit the Citadel (a must if you are in that area).

At present there are no other options worth doing, however many times you post the same thing here.

[swiggy]

Unless you drive yourself, which is potentially dangerous besides being difficult to set up (you wouldn't be allowed to take a DR rental into Haïti, for example), you can only conveniently travel into Haïti by bus from Santo Domingo (to Port-au-Prince) or from Santiago (to Cap Haitien).

The first of these is almost certainly suspended for the time being to give priority to relief convoys and you would just be a bloody nuisance in Port-au-Prince at the moment as anyone who isn't part of the solution is part of the problem.

That leaves Santiago to Cap Haitien. That is a whole day trip in itself so you would need to stay overnight in Cap Haitien. Neither the bus journey nor the hotel stay would be at all dangerous if you stay in a gringo-standard hotel but these run US$120 per night and upwards. But you wouldn't see much if you had to come straight back the next morning (just a lot of bumpy, dusty highways) so I reckon you would want to stay at least three nights in Cap Haitien, giving to one day to explore the town and one day to visit the Citadel (a must if you are in that area).

At present there are no other options worth doing, however many times you post the same thing here.

i did the drive its about 2 1/2 to 3 hours from sosua to Dajabon but you dont get to see much. its just another poor area and you cant take your car in like Weyland said. I'm definitely gonna hit Cap Hatien next year. Are you sure the hotels are so pricey Weyland? I have a place i can stay anyway which i will if it cost that much. I'd rather throw a couple bucks to a poor Haitian family i know than pay that much. Plus i get treated like a king... I just hope its not so hot.

[weyland]

Are you sure the hotels are so pricey Weyland?
If you want a reasonable chance of hot water and aircon (and even then not 24 hours and with many outages), clean(ish) rooms, edible food and security, then yes. And at present rooms may be in short supply because of all the people flooding in from Port-au-Prince (wealthier Haitians and gringos who have to remain in the country).

But if you have somewhere private and safe to stay, why should you worry?

[weyland]

i did the drive its about 2 1/2 to 3 hours from sosua to Dajabon but you dont get to see much. its just another poor area and you cant take your car in
???? Dajabon is in the DR, so why couldn't you take your car in?

[swiggy]

???? Dajabon is in the DR, so why couldn't you take your car in?

right where the river is where you cross over to Haiti. You can go into the first town in haiti called Ouanaminthe without getting a visa i believe but you cant take the car in because it has dominican republic tags so i left th car in dajabon while i went over the bridge.

[Corrado]

right where the river is where you cross over to Haiti. You can go into the first town in haiti called Ouanaminthe without getting a visa i believe but you cant take the car in because it has dominican republic tags so i left th car in dajabon while i went over the bridge.

You can take a car with Dominican tags in....but not a rental car.