Your first stop in Haiti.
Written by people who live here: how to get around safely, what to know on day one, where to go, what to eat, who to call.
Where are you visiting?
How is it there today?
Official sources first, then a real answer from a TaxiPoli driver or partner on the ground. And a guide who speaks your language, when you want one.
Before, during, after.
The questions everyone asks.
What you have heard, and what it really looks like from here. When the honest answer is "it depends on the week", we say so — and the live page is one click away.
Is Haiti safe to visit?
"It's a war zone, nobody goes there."
Haiti is not one place. Parts of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area have had serious security problems for several years and foreign advisories reflect that; most of the country — the North around Cap-Haïtien, the South, Jacmel, the Grand'Anse — has kept receiving visitors, business travellers and the diaspora through it all. Where you go, when, and with whom is what decides it. Read the advisories, then ask us how it is this week where you are going.
Can I still fly in?
"The airport is closed."
Port-au-Prince (PAP) and Cap-Haïtien (CAP) both operate; airlines have suspended and resumed routes over the years, so check the airline and the airport before booking. Many visitors now fly straight into Cap-Haïtien for the North.
Can I go to the Citadelle?
"Impossible now."
The Citadelle and Sans-Souci are in the North near Milot, half an hour from Cap-Haïtien, far from the capital's troubles. The road from Cap-Haïtien is the usual way; conditions on the day are what we answer on the live page.
Will I be kidnapped or robbed?
"Everyone who goes is a target."
Kidnapping has been a real problem in and around the capital; it is not the experience of most visitors who travel with a plan, by day, with known drivers. That is exactly why TaxiPoli exists: a driver you can see before he arrives, a code only you have, a ride that is tracked. Keep your phone in your pocket in traffic, do not flash cash, let someone know your plan.
Is it expensive?
"Everything is in US dollars and overpriced."
Hotels and flights cost like anywhere in the Caribbean; food, rides and daily life are cheap if you pay local prices — which means a fixed price shown before, not a negotiation on the pavement. Prices are often quoted in "Haitian dollars" (5 gourdes): ask which.
Do people speak English?
"Only French."
Kreyòl is the language of everyone, French of offices and schools; English is common in hotels, in the North, and among younger people; Spanish along the border. A greeting in Kreyòl — bonjou — changes the whole conversation.
Can I drink the water, eat the food?
"You will get sick."
Drink bottled or treated water, like most of the region. The food is one of the best reasons to come — griyo, pikliz, fish on the beach. Busy places with turnover are the safe bet; ice in good restaurants is fine.
Is there electricity, internet, phone signal?
"Nothing works."
Power cuts are daily; hotels and offices run generators and inverters. Mobile data (Digicel, Natcom) is cheap and reaches most towns; WhatsApp is how the country talks. A local SIM on day one solves most of it.
Should I bring cash?
"Cards don't work."
Cards work in hotels, supermarkets and some restaurants in Pétion-Ville and Cap-Haïtien; elsewhere it is cash and mobile wallets. Bring small US notes to change, use ATMs in banks by day, and pay rides in the app by card if you prefer not to carry cash.
Can I travel between cities by road?
"The roads are cut."
Some routes out of the capital have been unreliable; others run daily. The North is usually reached by air. Road conditions change by the week — this is the question our drivers answer best. Ask for today's update before you commit to a road day.
Something changed since we wrote this? Tell us: taxipoli.ht@gmail.com — or ask how it is today.
Move safely. That is the whole point of TaxiPoli.
Every driver is identity-checked and trained. You see his name, photo, moto and plate before he arrives. The ride starts only with the 4-digit code on your phone, and it is tracked until you get off. In a country where the usual advice is "don't take a moto-taxi from the street", this is the alternative.