Jérémie

Southwestern Haitian port known as the city of poets, with remote Grand’Anse beaches and green hills.

Jérémie is the capital of the Grand'Anse department on Haiti's southwestern peninsula, known as the city of poets for the unusual number of writers and intellectuals it has produced. The area around Jérémie has some of Haiti's most beautiful and remote coastline, with excellent beaches and lush hillsides that receive more rainfall than the rest of the country.

Getting to Jérémie overland from Port-au-Prince is a long haul — the road south through Léogane and along the southern peninsula deteriorates badly past Les Cayes. Most people flew or took a boat. Sunrise Airways has domestic service to Jérémie's small airport.

The town itself is relaxed and small. The surrounding department is one of the poorest in the country. Hurricane Matthew (2016) devastated the area, destroying crops and infrastructure, with effects still felt years later.

Guide

Eating Out

Eating out in Jérémie is informal — mostly small restaurants in private homes, beachside grill shacks, and a couple of slightly more established places near the centre and airport. Local specialties to look for are seafood (lambi and red snapper), griot (fried pork), and the famous Grand'Anse cocoa and breadfruit, which turn up in everything from the morning porridge to dessert.

Guide

Getting There

Sunrise Airways runs short flights from Port-au-Prince to Jérémie Airport, about 6 km west of town — these have historically been the most reliable way in. Overland from the capital is theoretically possible via Léogâne, Petit-Goâve, and Les Cayes, but the road past Les Cayes is rough and the trip a long, slow day. Coastal boats and ferries also serve the harbour from time to time. Check current security and infrastructure conditions before travelling overland anywhere in Haiti.

Guide

Things to Do

Jérémie's draw is the surrounding peninsula, not the town itself. The St. Louis King of France Cathedral on the central square is the main landmark in town, while a short walk away Place Dumas recalls the city's most famous family connection. The real reason to come, though, is the coast: Anse d'Azur just outside town is the closest beach, with Anse du Clerc further west the prettier escape. The road on to Abricots is one of the most scenic drives in Haiti.