The first of three winners in our ‘Make Your Next Step Count’ campaign, Melbournian Natalie J recently returned from an all-expenses paid adventure to Haiti, making her next step count on a life-changing adventure.
Haiti—known as the "Pearl of the Antilles”—is a rugged place is full of beaches, waterfalls, caves, and an alluring personality rich in music, art, vodou, and of course, rum.
![](https://media-gadventures.global.ssl.fastly.net/media-server/cache/a1/3c/a13c7dc2261b4a6d3777caeb2fac3ce3.jpg)
The Bassins Bleu are three cobalt-blue pools joined by spectacular cascades.
“Travelling to Haiti,” writes Natalie "I had no idea what to expect. I had researched a little, but I could not find a whole lot about Haiti that wasn't just about the earthquake.”
![The Citadelle Laferrière is a mountaintop fortress, located on the northern coast of Haiti.](https://media-gadventures.global.ssl.fastly.net/media-server/dynamic/blogs/posts/admin/2015/12/natalie_citadelle_two.jpg)
The Citadelle Laferrière is a mountaintop fortress, located on the northern coast of Haiti.
Haiti is a place where tourists don’t go—but where real travellers venture. A place that is off the beaten path, the Caribbean’s most seductive island changed Natalie's perception the moment she touched its soil.
![Haiti's beaches are among the most beautiful in the world.](https://media-gadventures.global.ssl.fastly.net/media-server/dynamic/blogs/posts/admin/2015/12/natalie_haiti_beach.jpg)
Haiti's beaches are among the most beautiful in the world.
"So far I've been surprised by the diversity of Haiti,” the Melbourne native revealed, “we went from sitting in a jazz bar drinking Haitian rum cocktails, to navigating a busy city market, to swimming in warm Atlantic waters, to climbing a mountain and exploring a citadel and palace ruins”
![The Sans-Souci Palace was the royal residence of King Henri I of Haiti.](https://media-gadventures.global.ssl.fastly.net/media-server/dynamic/blogs/posts/admin/2015/12/natalie_sans_souci_palace.jpg)
The Sans-Souci Palace was the royal residence of King Henri I of Haiti.
"I can't pick a favourite thing about Haiti, everything I've seen I've loved. Haiti has so much to offer and a culture so different to anything I've seen.