View of San Andres town and Johnny Key from La Loma, the highest point on San Andres
San Andres and Providencia are a well-kept secret from most Americans, though not from Colombians, who go especially to San Andres in droves. What is unique about these islands is that while the Colombian ruling government is Spanish-speaking, the San Andres and Providencia natives also speak Creole English like their counterparts in Jamaica and elsewhere. This duality makes for an interesting cultural mix. They sit out in the western Caribbean, closer to Nicaragua than to Colombia.
San Andres is touristy in the extreme but still has plenty to interest the visitor aside from beaches: like some other islands, it has an area in the coral and limestone rock where the ocean's fury funnels into a small hole (known as "Hoyo Soplador" or Blowing Hole) and squirts water and sea spray into the air. It also has some underground caves and a few English Caribbean architectural points of interest such as its Baptist church, which sits on the highest point on this relatively flat island. Until tariff restrictions in the rest of Colombia were listed, San Andres was known as the country's only free port, and the cheapest place to buy electronics and other items that were expensive on the mainland. Tourists also like to take a short trip to the tiny island of Johnny Key to relax on its small beach and have lunch. The water there is a phenomenal aquamarine, though none too comfortable for swimming because of the unpredictable tides.
Providencia is smaller and much less visited perhaps because, unlike San Andres, its small airport cannot accommodate jets, just prop planes. The way of life is much quieter and the friendliness of the people was a pleasant surprise. Providencia also is different in that it is a volcanic island, not the coral and limestone island that is San Andres. Hiking and horseback riding are possible on the island's surprisingly varied landscape. Providencia is connected to a smaller sister island named Santa Catalina by a floating pedestrian bridge. Another smaller offshore island called Cayo Cangrejo (Crab Key) is part of the Old Providence McBean Lagoon National Park.
Beach in San Andres Town
Boats on San Andres beach; Johnny Key is in the distance
Eastern shore of San Andres, near Rocky Key (Cayo Rocoso)
Sol Caribe Providencia hotel
Sweetwater Bay (Bahía Aguadulce), on the western shore of Providencia
Copyright 2012 by Michael Esposito. All rights reserved. Todos los derechos reservados. E-mail: meesposito@gmail.com This site updated October 9, 2011/Este sitio fue ampliado el 28 de abril de 2012 Santa Fe Travel: a division of L & M Travel - Michael Esposito: IC Travel Specialist of L & M Travel - CST# 2043262-40 L & M Travel IC Agent
