So you are interested in renting a car in Haiti
For
families who definitely are preparing to rent a car in Haiti this summer, there
are certain things you ought to take into account when driving around this
stunning island. Taking
advantage of your rental car in Haiti can often mean traveling from, say, Port-au-Prince
to Cap-Haitian, and spend some time in Haiti hotels or guest houses in the way.
First,
note that the police fines in Haiti are not sent to you back home or to the
address on your driver's license, your license is confiscated by the traffic
officer and will return to you only after you pay the fine.
When driving your car rental in Haiti you should take the following precautions:
Make
sure your tires are properly inflated at all times. If you need to check every
day or more than you would at home or with your own vehicle. Why? Well, the
roads of Haiti can be hot enough to fry an egg (literally) and it can put undue
stress on these contact areas we call rubber tires. Further, the roads are
pretty bad, driving with an under inflated tire will sure cause a flat tire. A
flat tire will create more friction (heat) which added to the already super-hot
roads can make your tires literally decompose and cause explosions. Therefore,
the best way to avoid this is to keep your tires checked and inflated to the
correct pressure.
Checking your car rental in Haiti when picked
- Check tire tools, jack and spare are present. Do not take the word of the officer and check yourself!
- Check around the car and check every single (albeit small) of scratched, scratches or marks on the body in the images of cars that appear in the contract
- If the car has plastic covers over the rim, make sure all 4 are present and properly secured.
- When you collect your car rental in Haiti check the fuel gauge and note the position of the needle. If not you can be charged for a full tank or the car rental company might charge you up to $30.00 for quarter tank.
- Take pictures! Yes, if you take photos. The best way to prove that something was missing or was already damage is to have a digital photo of the car at each corner. Besides, it costs nothing and it is proof of the previous state of the vehicle.
Car
Rental insurance is available in Haiti, the company will make you purchase
insurance to protect from damages and theft. But be careful some smaller company
don’t provide insurance, they ask for large deposit and some of them will
require for you to surrender your passport. But if your credit card company provide
car rental insurance there is no need to pay for additional insurance. Company
like Asus Rent-A-Car always ask you question about your insurance and if you
don’t have one and you are traveling from the United States and Canada you can
purchase your own car rental insurance online.
Wanting
to rent a car in Haiti when you reach the island, or rather, trying to get a
car in a local car rental company, can be very difficult ... and during the
summer vacation and the carnival in February, it’s almost impossible if you don’t
make your reservation early. Site like http://www.asushaiti.com
will let you book your car months in advance and will get a hefty discount for
doing so.
Some
of us are still mesmerized by the total lack of organization in Haiti and
nowhere is this more evident than trying to rent a car without a confirmation
of a pre-booking before landing at the airport. The problem is most of the car
companies at the airport are not even connected to a car reservation system!
Therefore when they have to handle too many reservation at the same time they
cannot check in real time with other location or agencies for availability. So,
booking your car rental in Haiti online and in advance is highly recommended.
For those
who have chosen to rent a car in Haiti and is going to visit Santo Domingo, you will
have to pay a small fee to cross the border, and you can expect to have your
car checked by the police to ensure that you are not bringing anyone not
allowed to cross and also pay fee for insurance.
Going to Les Cayes with a car rental
in Haiti
You
will need to leave early to escape the traffic at Carrefour. There is no
escaping the long and tedious journey through highway to get to Les Cayes. In Leogane,
a seaside town in East Department of the national highway 2. You can stop for lunch at Ocean Grill Restaurant.
Fill the fuel tank here and visit the CA-Ira Beach before take back the road to
Les Cayes in car rental Haiti.
On your
way out Leogane and follow the National Highway 2 to the south, you can enjoy
the sugar plantation along the road and the vast plain. Miragoane is the place
to be at sunset. Another coastal town with white long sandy beaches is also a
great to relax when traveling this stretch of the highway.
Visiting Cap-Haitian with a car
rental in Haiti
Consider
getting a full day driving from Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haitian via Gonaive and Morne
Cabrit, where most the important battle have fought to liberate Haiti from slavery.
After stopping to eat Kay Foun restaurant in Pivert, take a couple of minutes’
walk to explore Amani Beach then continue through your car hire in Haiti to Gonaives,
to visit the city. Arriving in Cap-Haitian, check in at the Hotel Mon Jolie, in
the heart of the Colonial Zone.
Labadee, with car rental in Haiti
Start
early for the Labadie, you will be driving up a mountain dirt road, where the
sea, basically, is your guide for navigation. Allow a half hour to get to the
Labadee port, just after you past the historic beach of Rival and then another
famous beach resort Comier, has been the favorite place for people to relax on
the weekend. Continue through a wonderfully scenic drive till you reach the
Labadee Town square. Overnight in Labadee, where all all-inclusive resorts are
the only option for accommodation, but there so many places to explore like
Ile-a-Rat, Nellie’s Beach, and Malfini Beach etc.
The
most important thing when it comes to driving your rental car in Haiti is to be
aware of traffic, during the day in Port-au-Prince it is almost impossible to
drive. Major roads ("Central Highway", and other roads that connect
the cities) are fine to drive. The asphalt in the national highways are in good
condition, without any potholes. Traffic signals do not exist (speed limits and
addresses are the same), always watch the road when driving in the cities.
Less
important roads and local roads are not very good, but I've not seen any worse
than that, there are so many bumps and pot holes all over the city and some
road are quietly impossible to drive without a big SUV. Generally, no traffic
signals, except the names of villages and towns, mostly very faded. All roads
are wide and Europe / North American standards (ie 6m/19Ft or more), with minor
exception that the roads leading to a farm or similar. I guess for American or
Canadian standards this may seem very narrow roads. As most of the rental cars
in Haiti are big SUV because of the condition of the roads and steep mountains travelers
are advise to rent an SUV instead of standard vehicle if intent to go
everywhere in Haiti.
So
next time you in need of a car rental in Haiti you will know what to expect and
also don’t forget to make your car rental reservation early at http://www.asushaiti.com
