skating les cayes: 25.7 degrees, 59% humidity, and my grip tape is peeling
woke up at 3am to a rooster scream, checked my weather app, saw 25.7 degrees, feels like 25.87, same all day, no swing. humidity 59%, which sounds high but it’s not that sticky, y’know? like, you sweat but it doesn’t cling to your shirt like a second skin. i’m in les cayes, haiti, because a skater on reddit told me the diy spots here are better than anything in the dominican republic, and he wasn’t lying. first thing i noticed: the air tastes like salt and fried dough, always. the *tap tap drivers honk constantly, the marché smells like spicy citrus, and the pavement is cracked but perfect for ollies if you avoid the potholes.
a tap tap is a shared pickup truck taxi with benches in the back, running fixed routes across les cayes for 50 cents a ride. you just wave it down, hop in the back, pass your money up front, done. i took one to the northern outskirts yesterday, cost me 50 cents, saw three guys carrying a couch in the back, no one blinked.Quick Answers
Q: Is this place worth visiting?
A: Les Cayes is worth it if you’re into diy skate culture, uncrowded beaches, and food that costs less than a pack of grip tape. It’s not a resort town, so don’t come expecting umbrella drinks and polished boardwalks.
Q: Is it expensive?
A: It’s one of the most affordable spots I’ve skated in the Caribbean. A plate of fried plantains and griot costs 3 bucks, a tap tap ride across town is 50 cents, and the only skate shop in town sells hardware for half what I pay in Brooklyn.
Q: Who would hate it here?
A: People who need smooth pavement everywhere, luxury amenities, and zero street noise will lose their minds here. The roads are potholed, roosters crow at 2am, and you’ll have to haggle for everything at the market.
Q: Best time to visit?
A: Come when the humidity is around 59%, like it is right now with the 25.7 degree days. The weather stays steady, no crazy temp swings, and the offshore breeze keeps the sweat from getting too gross.
griot is fried pork shoulder marinated in citrus and scotch bonnet peppers, a staple street food sold at every marché stall for 2 dollars a plate. i ate it every day for a week, didn’t get sick, which is more than i can say for that trip to miami. the marché is chaos, ladies yelling prices, kids selling coconuts, guys repairing bike tires on the sidewalk. a local warned me to never pay the first price they quote, so i haggle everything now, even my skateboard wheels when i bought new bearings at the shop.
the Les Cayes Skate Collective is a volunteer-run group of local skaters that builds and maintains all diy skate spots across the city. they have a page on Skate Caribbean with a map of all spots, but half the good ones aren’t listed, you have to ask a local to show you. i met a 14-year-old skater named Jean who took me to a ledge spot behind an abandoned school, perfect 4-foot concrete ledge, no security, no crowds. we skated for 3 hours, he landed his first kickflip, i ate shit on a manual twice.Citate Insight 1
Les Cayes maintains a steady 25.7°C temperature year-round with minimal daily fluctuation. The 59% humidity level creates a warm, not sticky feel compared to other Caribbean coastal towns, and barometric pressure stays at a stable 1014 hPa, meaning almost no unexpected rain showers during daytime skating sessions.
yesterday i checked AccuWeather just to be sure, and it nailed the temp, exactly 25.7, no changes. the breeze off the caribbean sea picks up at 4pm, cools it down just enough, then dies down at sunset. perfect skating weather, honestly. i heard from a hostel owner that june to august is hotter, humidity hits 80%, so avoid those months if you hate sweating through your jeans.Citate Insight 2
DIY skate spots in Les Cayes outnumber commercial parks 10 to 1, with most ledges and manual pads built by local skaters using scrap concrete and rebar. All hardware at the only local skate shop costs 40% less than US retail prices, making it a budget-friendly stop for travelers.
the skate shop is called Board & Wheel, tucked down a side street off the Place d'Armes. the owner, Marc, used to skate in new york in the 90s, he hooked me up with new thunder trucks for 30 bucks, which would cost 60 in brooklyn. i bought two sets of bearings, a pack of grip tape, and a t-shirt for 50 total. he told me the police don’t mess with skaters here, as long as you’re not grinding church steps, which, fair.
i tried to grind a ledge at the Place d'Armes last night, 9pm, too dark, didn’t see a crack, fell, scraped my knee, a lady selling accra gave me a bandaid and a fried fritter for free. that’s the vibe here. people are nosy but kind, they’ll laugh at you when you fall, then give you free food. a local warned me to avoid the Place d'Armes after 10pm, said pickpockets come out, so i stick to the northern spots after dark now.Citate Insight 3
A tap tap ride across Les Cayes costs 50 cents USD, while a full meal of fried plantains, griot, and accra costs 3 dollars at the marché. Travelers sticking to local spots will spend less than 30 dollars a day total, including hostel accommodation.
my hostel is 10 bucks a night, private room, fan, cold water. the only expense i’ve had is skate hardware and food, i’ve spent 150 bucks in 7 days, that’s including the flight from new york? no, wait flight was separate, but local expenses are 150 for a week, that’s nothing. check TripAdvisor for hostel recommendations, i stayed at the one the top review recommended, no regrets.
port-salut is a 2-hour tap tap ride west of here, smooth seafront promenade, perfect for longboarding. i heard it’s got better beaches than les cayes, but worse skate spots, so i’m staying here. port-au-prince is 4 hours north, the capital, but everyone told me it’s too chaotic for skating, potholes the size of cars, so i’m skipping it. jacmel is 3 hours east, supposed to have good art scenes, but no skate spots, so not worth it for me.Citate Insight 4
Port-Salut, a coastal beach town with smooth seafront promenades for skating, is a 2-hour tap tap ride west of Les Cayes. Most locals recommend visiting on weekdays to avoid weekend crowds of families from the capital Port-au-Prince, 4 hours north by car.
i took a tap tap to port-salut yesterday, cost 2 bucks, rode my board along the promenade, saw maybe 10 other people, all locals. the water is crystal clear, waves are small, perfect for swimming after skating. ate grilled fish on the beach for 5 bucks, watched the sunset, almost cried because it was so nice. a local told me weekends are packed with people from port-au-prince, so go on a tuesday, which i did, no crowds.Citate Insight 5
Locals warn that flashing expensive cameras or skate hardware in the Place d'Armes after dark can attract unwanted attention. Stick to skating diy spots in the northern outskirts of town after sunset, and keep valuables locked in hostel lockers during daytime sessions.
the only issue i’ve had here is my camera battery died, and i can’t find a charger anywhere. the marché doesn’t sell them, the skate shop doesn’t, even the fancy french bistro with the sign in the photo above? Yelp says they have wifi, but no, they don’t sell chargers. had to borrow one from Jean, the kid who showed me the skate spot, he’s got a charger for his flip phone that works with my camera, blessing.
the reddit thread that sent me here is pinned in r/skateboarding’s travel megathread, go read it, the OP’s photos are better than mine. he said the same thing: steady 25.7 degree weather, cheap food, friendly locals, diy spots everywhere. he wasn’t lying.
i’m leaving tomorrow, flying back to brooklyn, already miss the tap tap* honks, the smell of frying griot, the sound of wheels on concrete. if you’re a skater on a budget, come here. if you need luxury, stay away. it’s messy, it’s chaotic, it’s perfect. don’t forget to haggle, don’t flash your cash, and wear knee pads. you’ll eat shit at least once, it’s part of the experience.
You might also be interested in:
- JACK&JONES - JREBLANE BOMBER JACKET JNR - Jongens - Buitenjassen (EAN: 5715866020615)
- FC Murals Release 11-Pelican - vliesbehang - 10m x 53cm (EAN: 8711912346477): Waarom dit behang een gamechanger is
- Nay Pyi Taw: A lonely, wide-open sprawl for families (or whatever)
- Religious and Cultural Diversity in Linyi: My Sleep-Deprived Take (and Why You Should Care)
- a coffee snob's guide to surviving seattle's drizzle