Mole Saint-Nicolas

Môle-Saint-Nicolas holds a deep sheltered bay at the northwestern corner of the country, facing the Windward Passage, and it was here that the Spanish expedition first anchored on Hispaniola in December 1492. The French later fortified the bay heavily, and gun batteries and barracks stand in various states above the water. The surrounding country is the driest in Haiti: cactus, thorn scrub and pale rock, quite unlike the green south.

What you actually see

• The bay - a deep sheltered anchorage facing the Windward Passage.
• The fortifications - eighteenth-century batteries and barrack ruins above the water.
• The dry landscape - cactus and thorn scrub, the driest country in Haiti.
• The landing site - the anchorage recorded as the expedition's first on the island in 1492.

When to go

November to March is the most comfortable, though this corner is dry year-round. The wind through the Windward Passage is constant and strong. Mornings are best for the road.

Honest expectations

Getting there is a long, rough drive from Port-de-Paix with no fuel for stretches. There is essentially no accommodation and no facilities. The forts are unmarked ruins and finding them needs local help.

Nearby

Port-de-Paix is east along the coast, and Tortuga Island lies offshore from there.