TORONTO — G Adventures has announced five Haiti departures starting in February 2015, five years after a powerful earthquake shook the world’s largest creole country.

The 10-day Highlights of Haiti trip is available to book now and is priced from $2,499 per person. Highlights include Cap-Haïtien and its UNESCO designated mountaintop fortress, Citadelle Laferrière, learning about rum at a local distillery, making kasav flat bread, meeting a voodoo priest and shopping for voodoo artefacts at the Iron Market.

Travellers will also visit a local grassroots project, the Art Creation Foundation for Children, which helps at-risk youth learn artistic skills, and see local artist communities make famous mosaics.

There are also visits to the turquoise Bassin-Bleu pools to cliff-dive and swim, and the Marie-Jeanne cave to discover underground landscapes and massive caverns.

In 2013 G Adventures was approached by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to assess and report on Haiti’s tourism potential. The IDB has an existing relationship with G Adventures’ non-profit organization, Planeterra, developing community-based projects to support local economies in Central and South America.

Jeff Russill, VP of Innovation at G Adventures, travelled to Haiti to help assess its readiness for travellers. “We weren’t sure what we would find when we arrived, but what we discovered was a country full of friendly people looking to move on, world-class art and culture, real-time history, and stunning nature and beaches,” he said.

“We’re looking forward to bringing our travellers here to experience this strong culture, to spend locally and help Haiti fully recover. G Adventures uses local suppliers, which means travellers’ money stays in the country. We firmly believe tourism can be a force for good.”

Jean-Marc Flambert, tourism marketing consultant for Haiti, says there’s a real curiosity around travelling to Haiti. “We’re concentrating on escorted groups initially, so I’m thrilled G Adventures is launching trips there. Their ethical approach fits so well with how we want to help rebuild, through tourism and word-of-mouth,” he said. “It’s a place to be explored and adventure travel is the perfect way to see it. While travellers will visit the beach, Haiti is not a fly-and-flop destination.”

For more information visit gadventures.com.