Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [159]
Mundo Marino (Map; 512 1749; www.mundomarino.com; Centro Comercial New Point Plaza, local 234, San Andrés Town; 8am-noon & 2:30-6:30pm Mon-Sat, 8:30am-noon Sun) Operates the Captain Morgan party boat, a two-hour evening boat ride (departing at 8:30pm Tue, Thu & Sat) with live music and all-you-can-drink national spirits (per person COP$58,000) as well as the Semisubmarino Nautilus.
Semisubmarino Nautilus (Map; 2hr tour COP$43,000) If you are not planning on scuba diving or snorkeling, this trip is probably the next best option for viewing the rich marine wildlife. The Nautilus is a specially designed boat with large windows in its hull, roomy enough for everyone to comfortably sit while it plies the coral beds northeast of the island. Tickets are sold at Mundo Marino.
Snorkeling, Sting Rays, Sunset & Beer (Map; 316 240 2182; 3hr tour COP$55,000) The name says it all, really. Jaime Restrepo runs a slightly flexible tour to swim with the sting rays at Haynes Cay, and throws in some deep-water snorkeling and brews on top of the package. It’s somewhat casual and limited to groups of 10. The tour leaves at 3pm from Tonino’s Marina.
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DIVING ON SAN ANDRÉS & PROVIDENCIA
Divers will delight in the underwater viewing opportunities off both San Andrés and Providencia. While the courses may be cheaper at Taganga, the richness of the corals and variety of the marine life rivals almost any place in the Caribbean.
Both San Andrés and Providencia have extensive coral reefs – 15km and 35km respectively. The reefs on both islands are notable for their sponges, which appear in an amazing variety of forms, sizes and colors. Other aquatic inhabitants include barracudas, turtles, lobsters, rays, groupers and red snappers. Wreck divers will want to check out the two sunken ships, the Blue Diamond and Nicaraguense, off the coast of San Andrés.
The top five dive spots are:
Palacio de la Cherna A wall dive southeast of San Andrés that begins at 12m and drops off some 300m more. Midnight parrot fish, tiger fish, king crab, lobster, and even nurse and reef sharks are common sightings.
Cantil de Villa Erika Southwest of San Andrés. Depths range from 12m to 45m along this colorful reef full of sponges, soft and hard corals, sea turtles, manta and eagle rays and sea horses.
Piramide A shallow dive inside the reef on San Andrés’ north side, this is a haven for sting rays. The quantity of fish, octopus and moray eels make it one of the most active spots on the island.
Tete’s Place Large schools of midsized goat fish, grunt fish, schoolmasters and squirrel fish frequent this aquarium-like site 1km offshore at Bahía Suroeste in Providencia.
Manta’s Place Despite its name, there are no manta rays at this Providencia site but rather southern sting rays with wingspans of up to 5m. As you survey the sands between coral mounds, you pass over fields of ghost feather dusters, where brown garden eels withdraw into the sand for protection as you pass.
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Sleeping
The overwhelming majority of the island’s accommodations can be found in San Andrés Town. There are some hotels in San Luis, but elsewhere there are few places to stay. For the most part, accommodation on the island is more expensive than on the mainland. Rates rise during high season.
SAN ANDRéS TOWN
Cli’s Place (Map; 512 6957; luciamhj@hotmail.com; Av 20 de Julio, San Andrés Town; r per person from COP$30,000) This Raizal-run lodging is part of the island’s posada nativa program, where you bed down with locals. Cli has four homey rooms, some with kitchenettes. It’s reached via the alley next to the park across from Pollo Kikiriki.
Hotel Mary May Inn (Map; 512 5669; jfgallardo@gmail.com; Av 20 de Julio No 3-74, San Andrés Town; s/d COP$40,000/60,000; ) This small and friendly place offers nine simple but cozy