Fort des Oliviers

Fort des Oliviers was built in the 1740s to cover the anchorage at Saint-Marc, a low masonry work right on the water with gun embrasures facing the bay. It has been eaten at by the sea and by the town growing round it, and restoration work has come and gone, but the walls and several of the emplacements survive. Standing on it puts you at sea level looking straight out at the Gulf of Gonâve, with the town immediately behind.

What you actually see

• The sea wall - low masonry facing directly onto the water.
• The embrasures - gun openings still cut in the seaward wall.
• The gulf view - open water towards La Gonave from the ramparts.
• The setting - the fort surrounded by the working town of Saint-Marc.

When to go

November to March is dry and comfortable. Mornings avoid the heat on unshaded stone. The waterfront is busiest early.

Honest expectations

The fort is small, partly ruined and takes half an hour. Sea damage is ongoing and sections are fenced or unsafe. There is no interpretation and no facilities beyond the town around it.

Nearby

Saint-Marc town is immediately behind, and the Palace of 365 Doors is east up the Artibonite valley.