Île-à-Vache

Off Les Cayes, Sud Department, Haiti

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Île-à-Vache, a small Caribbean island off Les Cayes in Haiti's Sud Department, spans about 20 square miles with rolling hills in the west rising to 490 feet, swampy valleys, and a large eastern lagoon featuring one of Haiti's biggest mangrove forests.

Home to around 14,000 residents in fishing villages like Madame Bernard who live simply without cars, relying on agriculture and coastal fishing, the island's name evokes its historical cattle herds from French colonial and buccaneer days, with a pirate past including shipwrecks like the famous Bluenose schooner.

Known as a pristine paradise with white-sand beaches, turquoise waters, coral reefs for snorkeling, and eco-tourism spots like Port Morgan and Abaka Bay resorts, it draws visitors for hiking, kayaking, and untouched nature, though past government tourism plans sparked local concerns over development.