A short drive and a steep hike out of Jacmel, Bassin Bleu is a chain of three turquoise pools fed by waterfalls and connected by stone chutes, set in a narrow gorge in the hills. The first pool, Bassin Clair, is shallow and easy to reach; the second, Bassin Bleu proper, is the iconic one — blue, deep, surrounded by smooth rock walls draped in ferns. To reach the third, you have to lower yourself down a rope.
Local guides wait at the trailhead and are essentially mandatory: the path is unmarked, slippery, and steep in places, and the guides know which rocks to step on. Bring shoes you can swim in. Go early in the morning to have the pools to yourself; tour groups from Port-au-Prince arrive by mid-afternoon.