CityOutline guide

Tortuga (Haiti)

Island in Nord-Ouest, Haiti

Photo: via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Overview

Tortuga (French: Île de la Tortue) is an island just north of the Haitian mainland.

Getting there and around

Getting there

There are boats from nearby Port-de-Paix to Basse-Terre, a coastal fishing port on the island.

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Getting around

Public transport is done by motorbikes. The prices can be a bit funny. Lots of negotiating might be required. You might see one car but there are no taxis.

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Airports and nearby hotels

Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.

Cap Haitien International Airport

Cap Haitien · International · CAP

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Read before you go to Tortuga (Haiti)

Articles and travel topics about Tortuga (Haiti) and Haiti.

Travel tips

Assassin's Creed tour

Assassin's Creed is an acclaimed video game series by Ubisoft. The original game was launched in 2007, and followed up by many sequels and spin-offs in other media, including a feature film and a novel series.

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Travel tips

Voyages of Columbus

Christopher Columbus (Italian: Cristoforo Colombo; Spanish: Cristóbal Colón) made four voyages from Spain to the Caribbean from 1492 to 1503.

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Travel tips

Atlantic slave trade

Lasting from the 1500s to the 1800s, the Atlantic slave trade was a crime against humanity of extraordinary proportions, leaving a huge mark on four continents and irreversibly changing world history and geopolitics.

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Inspiration

Grand old hotels

Some hotels have a heritage from the golden age of steam railways and ocean liners, before the Second World War, in the 19th or early 20th centuries. These hotels were where the rich and the famous of the day would stay.

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Full travel guide

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UnderstandThe island was named "tortuga" (Spanish for turtle) by Christopher Columbus, who discovered it during one of his voyages. It soon after became a haven for pirates.

Get inThere are boats from nearby Port-de-Paix to Basse-Terre, a coastal fishing port on the island.

Get aroundPublic transport is done by motorbikes. The prices can be a bit funny. Lots of negotiating might be required. You might see one car but there are no taxis.

SeeThe island has pristine beaches, which you will probably have all to yourself. Along with this, there are a few public buildings including churches and a school.

EatYou can find shacks. There might be a proper restaurant in one of the hotels up on the hill.

DrinkNot much of a nightlife on Tortuga: the island basically closes down between sunset and sunrise.

SleepThere are about three hotels, powered by generators which may or may not have fuel at any given time. Don't expect your room to have a ceiling fan, a working air conditioner, or even running water.

ConnectThere is no electricity on the island. The little stores have solar panels (one normally), so at the bar there might be music and one light bulb lit up.) is available. Just don't expect to be able to charge your battery.

Stay safeUnfortunately, the island has not departed from its old pirate days. It is still known as a hotspot for smuggling to America, and a number of drug lords live in huge mansions overlooking the ocean.

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Haiti

Sources and licences

Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Tortuga (Haiti)" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Summary from the Wikipedia article "Tortuga", available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikipedia
Photo: Tortuga Island NASA.jpg, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

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