Caye Sable (or Cayes Sable) is a tiny, inhabited sandbar or cay in the shallow waters off the southern coast of La Gonâve Island in Haiti’s Gulf of Gonâve. Covering just 0.16 hectares (1,619 m²), the island is home to roughly 250–300 residents, making it one of the most densely populated islands in the world, with an astonishing density of around 156,000 people per square kilometer (404,000 per square mile). The settlement consists of 30–40 tightly packed structures perched on a fragile platform of sand, coral fragments, and marine sediments. Surrounded by the translucent turquoise waters of shallow reef environments, the cay is visually striking despite its minuscule footprint, so small that it can reportedly be circled on foot in under a minute. Access is only possible via small motorized boats from Petite Anse or other points on La Gonâve, emphasizing the isolation and precariousness of this remarkable Caribbean settlement. The cay's name, meaning "sand key" or "sand cays" in French, accurately reflects both its composition and vulnerability, as the entire landmass consists of accumulated sand, coral fragments, and marine sediments with virtually no elevation above the high tide line and no visible vegetation beyond perhaps the most salt-tolerant grasses or shrubs.
Neighboring regions[]
| Further Northwest 6e Petite-Anse Petite Gonâve Island |
Further Northeast Simple Plaisir Island | |
La Gonâve |
〰️East〰️ Port-au-Prince Bay | |
|---|---|---|
| 〰️South〰️
Canal de La Gonâve |
Further Southeast Ville de Léogane |
Caye Sable, Gulf of Gonâve, Haiti
Caye Sable is inhabited almost exclusively by fishing families, many of whom maintain secondary homes on the nearby island of La Gonâve. Residents frequently commute back and forth depending on fishing schedules and family needs. The settlement occupies nearly every available square meter of dry land, with small houses pressed tightly together in an organic cluster that maximizes every patch of solid ground while leaving only narrow passages between structures. In recent years, some families have even expanded the island’s edges by piling conch shells, coral fragments, and other debris along the shoreline—a slow, ongoing act of resistance against erosion that allows the cay to reclaim a little land from the sea. Housing consists of closely spaced dwellings built from local materials, and freshwater is drawn from small wells dug directly into the sand—surprisingly drinkable despite the surrounding saltwater.
The surrounding shallow waters shimmer in shades of blue and green, revealing extensive reef systems and sandbars that sustain the community’s livelihood and provide limited protection from wave action. Fishing is the main economic activity, with lobsters, crabs, and other seafood forming the residents’ primary diet. Live lobsters are often kept in makeshift tanks before being transported to the mainland for sale. There is no electricity grid, though a few solar panels and small generators testify to the islanders’ ingenuity and resilience. From above, maps and aerial images reveal the cay’s complete isolation—a tiny cluster of roofs surrounded by the turquoise expanse of the Gulf of Gonâve, with no land bridge or connection to La Gonâve or the Haitian mainland.
Residents of Caye Sable represent perhaps the ultimate expression of maritime adaptation in Haiti, living entirely from the sea and depending completely on boats for fresh water, food supplies, building materials, and any link to the outside world. The decision to inhabit such an exposed and resource-poor location likely reflects some combination of excellent fishing access, historical refuge functions, family ties to the place, or simply the extreme land scarcity that characterizes much of Haiti, where even a sandbar becomes valuable real estate when mainland options are constrained by poverty or population pressure.
Caye Sable thus stands as an extreme point on the continuum of Haitian coastal adaptation—more isolated and vulnerable than even Petite Gonâve—yet it embodies the same remarkable human capacity that allows people to create community under the most challenging environmental conditions imaginable.
Tourism and Popular Culture[]
Although not a traditional tourist destination, Caye Sable has drawn significant attention for its extreme density and resilience. Travel vloggers, including ThatboyLENS, have documented the journey to the island from Petite Anse, highlighting the turquoise waters, sandy beaches, and close-knit community. Visitors are often struck by the astonishing density, the ingenuity of the residents in managing water and food resources, and the stark contrast between the island’s tiny size and the bustling life it supports.
References[]
Caye Sable - Wikipedia [1]