When most people think of the Caribbean, they likely think of nice beaches and white sand. Maybe they also think of pirates and rum. Not so much about culture and history. But, the Caribbean is home to great traditions, food, music, celebrations, and oh, UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. 21 of them to be exact. In Cuba, Barbados, Curaçao, St. Kitts & Nevis, Trinidad and a few other West Indian islands. Arguably, no cultural or historical site in the Caribbean is more fascinating than Citadelle Laferriere (sometimes spelled Citadel in English) and Sans-Souci Palace in Haiti.

And, I’m not saying this because I grew up less than one hour from this magnificent site. The fact is the Citadelle is an engineering marvel built by former slaves between 1805 and 1820, the largest fortress in the Americas. Its construction was led by Haiti’s first king, Henri Christophe, Henri I (Haiti had a few monarchs) on top of one of the highest mountains on the north side of the country.

At the bottom of the mountain is located King Henri’s palace, Palais Sans-Souci (Sans-Souci Palace). This palace is considered the Palace of Versailles of the Caribbean, the first palace in the world built by former black slaves.

I forgive you, if you never heard of it or any of the things I just mentioned. That’s usually the case for most good things coming out of Haiti. Let me tell you the story of an improbable but wonderful exploration of two of the most stunning sites in the Americas.

A Homecoming and a Bienvenue

I had planned to visit Haiti alone. I bought my plane tickets and booked a hotel room. Most of my family now lives in the States. My plan was to spend time with friends and relatives, maybe play soccer and go to the beach. That was it. While in NY, I was telling a few friends about my upcoming trip to Haiti, and two of them expressed interest in coming along. I was excited by the prospect of showing them, two Americans, the place where I was born and where I lived until high school, but I was also very uneasy about it. I had been away from the country for over a decade and I wasn’t sure what to expect.

We flew early in the morning from New York to Hugo Chavez Airport in Cap-Haitien, Haiti. With a brief connection in Miami, we made it there at 1:30 PM. We stayed at hotel Habitation Jouissant, a beautiful hotel on top on a hill overlooking the city. Cap-Haitien is Haiti’s second largest city, about 80 miles from the capital, Port-au-Prince. It’s a city right by the Atlantic Ocean.

Haiti is divided into departments, Cap-Haitien is the capital of the North Department. A city with lots of history and culture, and a lot of swag, despite the overwhelming poverty.

Growing up there I learned that no matter how poor you may be and how tough things may get, you need to stay positive, believe in God and be nice to others. I have carried these teachings with me wherever life takes me. Another important thing I learned is to be stylish within your means and always try to make a good impression. This can apply to most Haitians, but it means a bit more to les gens du nord – people from the north of the country.

This trip was a homecoming for me and a welcome for two of my friends, Michael and Richard.

Cap-Haitien is less hectic and much quieter than Port-au-Prince, also smaller. This city plays a pivotal role in the country’s independence. A few miles outside of the downtown area, in a place called Bois-Caiman, the slaves used to gather, dance voodoo and prepare for the Haitian Revolution. Not far from there, in Vertieres, the slaves fought the last great battle with the French. They went on to defeat the Napoleon army and orchestrated the first successful slave revolution in the world. Haiti gained its independence in 1804.

As soon as my two friends decided to go with me to Haiti, I knew that visiting the Citadelle was a must. I had another great thing to do on this trip besides spending time with friends and going to the beach. Citadelle Laferriere, along with Sans-Souci Palace, is a symbol of bravery, creativity, hard work and perseverance. It was recognized by UNESCO as a Cultural World Heritage Site in 1982.

Day of the Visit

On the morning of the visit to the Caribbean wonders of Citadelle and Sans-Souci Palace, we woke up around 7 AM and had a very nice breakfast at the hotel. Our breakfast included fruits and omelet.

We rented a Jeep for our entire stay in the country and my friend Martin volunteered to be our driver. It takes a little while to get used to driving in Haiti, the streets are narrow and you have to dodge pedestrians, motorcycles and potholes in some of the roads. A few of my friends and relatives in Haiti were on hand for the expedition. The Citadelle is located in Milot, an hour drive from the city of Cap-Haitien, more or less. We left the hotel around at 9 AM and got to Milot at approximately 10 AM.

Once we get there, we went to the ticket booth to get our passes to the Citadelle for the day. There are many independent tour guides outside of the ticket booth, who speak multiple languages and are looking to get hired for the day. We hired a tour guide. He was very friendly and knowledgeable.

We were ready to make our way to the top of the mountain.

Road to the Top

They say getting there is half the fun. Since this historical site is located on top of a mountain, there are a number of options to get there. You can hike all the way to the top, you can walk halfway then rent a horse once at the parking lot (the parking lot is a few mile from the top, there’s no car road past that), you can rent a horse from the bottom of the mountain all the way to the top, or you can drive halfway through then walk up or rent on a horse. When you rent a horse, you also get a handler to help guide the horse as you ride.

Since we had a Jeep, the last option was the most appropriate. We drove the car on the narrow mountain road for about 20 minutes, which led us to the parking lot. Then we each got on a horse to the Citadelle.

I felt a little scared but very alive while that horse to the top. The horses are not super big, but they have been trained to get you up there. It’s mainly a pedestrian road and at times while riding the horse I was looking down at the cliffs. It was a bit scary but to me very exciting, then I had my first clear view of the monument. It was awesome!

Granted, I had been there before, probably three times between the ages of 12-16 years. And, I remember riding one of those horses before, but that was the first time I truly understood the significance of this site. As a kid, it was just a fun road trip, it was hard for me to comprehend what this monument really meant, not only to Haitians but also to the world.

This monument was built with the blood, sweat and tears of former slaves who wanted nothing more but to protect the country’s independence and sovereignty. They were very creative and built the largest fortress in the Americas, with the intent to show the power of a young black nation, something that was very influential and inspiring to many countries in the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa.

Inside the Citadelle

There are many interesting forts in the Americas, the Citadelle is unlike any other. That was my first visit to the Citadelle in at least 12 years. Between that time, I had traveled throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. For example, I visited Castillo San Felipe del Morro in Puerto Rico, a World Heritage Site and part of the U.S. Register of Historic Places. I also visited Castillo San Felipe de Barajas in Cartagena de Indias, on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. These forts are very impressive and older than the Citadelle. Both are World Heritage Sites. However, both of these forts were built by Europeans, notably Spanish Engineers. The Citadelle was built by former slaves, the vast majority of whom were illiterate, including King Henri Christophe I, King of Haiti, who oversaw the construction.

The Citadelle was built to protect the newly independent Haiti from a potential French invasion. The potential war with France never materialized. But, the fortress was prepared and well-equipped with 365 cannons and stockpiles of cannon balls that can still be found inside today. During that visit, we lifted up some of the smaller cannon balls, which is one way for us to experience a bit what these courageous folks was going through. The cannons range from smaller ones to very large ones and are strategically positioned. It’s incredible they were able to carry this arsenal up there.

The interior of the Citadelle has a nice, cool breeze, that is be expected given the altitude of the fortress. Many parts of the fortress don’t have a roof. We went on the roof of some of the covered areas. Usually, from that vantage point, there’s an amazing view of the surroundings. They say a glimpse of Cuba is visible from there on a clear day; Cuba is 90 miles away. Unfortunately, it was a very cloudy day I couldn’t see anything past 50 yards.

We got to the Citadelle at about 11 AM, we had spent over 1 hour exploring the fortress with information from the tour guide. We learned about the large storages of food and water that were put in place by Henri I, King of Haiti, and the dungeons. Henri I governed the North side of the country with an iron fist, he was actually born on the island of Grenada.

It’s believed that King Henri I fought in the American Revolutionary War in Savannah, GA, as a slave with the French army, alongside George Washington. He went back to Haiti after that and eventually bought his freedom. He then became a leader in Haiti’s fight for independence and became Haiti’s self-proclaimed king.

He suffered a stroke and feared that he would be assassinated. He committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a silver bullet at Sans-Souci Palace. The tale of the king’s silver bullet suicide is legendary. He was buried at the Citadelle (of course), though no one knows exactly where.

Palais Sans-Souci (Sans-Souci Palace)

Our time at the Citadelle was excellent, we got back on the horses and made our way down to the parking lot. When I got to the parking lot with some friends and relatives, we waited longer than expected for two people in the group. I later learned they started to ride back on the horse but it was too scary. So, they decided to walk instead.

We got in the Jeep and drove to the bottom of the mountain. A short time later, we arrived at the first palace in the world built by former black slaves, Palais Sans-Souci ( Sans-Souci Palace). The term “Sans-Souci” in French means without worry.

The palace has gone through numerous unfortunate incidents (fire, earthquakes, etc.) over the past 200 years that have left it in ruins. But, you can still feel the majestic air that occupies its empty surroundings. Even in ruins, it’s considered the Palace of Versailles of the Caribbean. Walking the front lawn leading to the palace made me feel I was at a very special place. Ironically, it felt like something fits for a king. Almost similar to my visit to the Chateau de Fontainebleau in France documented here, except for the ruins aspects.

History tells us that the palace used to be the site of huge festivities and dances. Some historians believe that Sans-Souci palace was modeled after the palace of Frederick the Great in Potsdam, Germany.

Along with friends and relatives, I had the great pleasure of walking the spacious hallways, enjoying the beautiful structures of the now-empty gardens and what’s left of the statues, which were imported from Italy in the early 19th Century.

Back To Cap-Haitien

The exploration of the Citadelle and Sans-Souci Palace came to an end. My friend Martin drove us back to the city. By then it was 2 PM and everyone was starving. After exploring history and heritage sites, it was time to eat something, hopefully, something good.

We went to a local restaurant in Cap-Haitien, right next to the ocean. We had a combination of Haitian griot, tassot, Haitian beer (Prestige) and local drinks. It was authentic Haitian lunch and it was fabulous.

I was happy and blessed to have been able to enjoy two magnificent sites built by my ancestors. My friends, both Americans and Haitians, were equally excited to experience these unique sites. I had gone to the Citadelle numerous times before, so did many of us, but it still felt surreal.

Unfortunately, this fascinating World Heritage Site is underrated at times and many people outside of the Caribbean don’t know much about it. Frankly, there just isn’t another palace in the Americas built by a self-appointed king or a gigantic fortress constructed by newly freed slaves on top of a very high mountain. Haiti is very poor and still recovering from the devastating earthquake. But, these issues shouldn’t take away from these mesmerizing Caribbean wonders that show the power of human ingenuity and the bravery and resilience of the first independent black nation in the world.

What do you think of Citadelle Laferriere and Sans-Souci Palace? Would you like us to plan your trip to this world heritage site?