Best Time to Visit Haiti

Dry season: December to April

This is the easiest time to go. Days in Port-au-Prince are warm but not heavy, and rain is rare enough that you can plan a full day out. It's the best window for the Citadelle Laferrière, the huge mountain fortress near Milot in the north. The climb is steep, and clear skies mean you actually see the view from the top.

It's also the best stretch for beaches. Labadee, Jacmel and the sand around Port-Salut are all at their most pleasant. Our data only covers Port-au-Prince, but the south and north follow a similar pattern, so treat these months as a good guide for the whole country.

Carnival and the festival calendar

Carnival is the big one. It runs in the weeks before Lent, usually in February, with music, painted faces and rara-style bands (street groups with horns and drums) filling the streets. Jacmel is famous for its papier-mâché masks and a more artsy carnival. Expect packed hotels and full roads, so you'll want a bed sorted before you arrive.

Rara itself carries on through Lent into spring. Independence Day on 1 January also brings a national meal of soup joumou, a rich pumpkin soup, which families share that morning.

Hot and wet months

July is the hottest month in Port-au-Prince, at 33°C. Afternoons are sticky, and the city's traffic and dust don't help. If you're set on summer, plan your walking for the morning and rest when the heat peaks.

October is the wettest month, with 79 mm. Heavy rain can turn rough roads to mud and slow travel into the hills. It also falls inside hurricane season, which runs from June to November, so keep an eye on forecasts and don't plan tight connections.

High and low season

High season matches the dry months, from December to April. Many visitors are diaspora (Haitians living abroad) coming home for the holidays, so flights around Christmas and New Year fill up. Low season is the wet, hot stretch from summer to autumn. You'll find quieter places, but weather and road conditions matter more. Check current travel advice before any trip, whatever the month.