Cascade Pichon

Cascade Pichon is the tallest fall most visitors to Haiti see, a broad face of travertine and moss in the hills behind Belle-Anse over which the water spreads and drops in stages rather than in one plunge. The rock is built up by the same mineral deposition that makes the terraces, so the whole face is alive with ferns and dripping vegetation. A pool at the bottom is swimmable, and paths run up the side to the intermediate levels.

What you actually see

• The main face - a wide travertine wall with water spreading down it in stages.
• The mosses and ferns - vegetation growing on the wet rock across the whole face.
• The pool - a basin at the foot, cold and swimmable.
• The upper levels - side paths to the intermediate ledges above the main drop.

When to go

November to March is the drier season and the easier one for the road. Flow is strongest from May to October, when the fall is at its most impressive and the track at its worst. Mornings are best for light on the face.

Honest expectations

Getting there is the hard part: the road from Jacmel to Belle-Anse is long and poor, and the last stretch needs a proper vehicle. There are no facilities. The rock beside the fall is slippery and the scramble to the upper levels is not casual.

Nearby

Belle-Anse is on the coast below, and Jacmel is several hours west.