Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [163]
Tourist office ( 312 315 6492; Santa Isabel) Located in the Hotel Aury building next to the pier.
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Sights & Activities
Providencia’s beaches are pleasant, but relatively small and narrow. The main ones are at Bahía Aguadulce, Bahía Suroeste and (the best) at Bahía Manzanillo at the southern end of the island.
PARQUE NACIONAL NATURAL (PNN) OLD PROVIDENCE MCBEAN LAGOON
To protect the habitat, a 10-sq-km area in the island’s northeast was declared Parque Nacional Natural (PNN) Old Providence McBean Lagoon (foreigner/Colombian COP$9000/6000) in 1995. About 10% of the park’s area covers a coastal mangrove system east of the airport; the remaining 905 hectares cover an offshore belt including the islets of Cayo Cangrejo and Cayo Tres Hermanos. An 800m-long ecopath helps you identify different species of mangroves and the fauna that inhabit them.
SANTA CATALINA
Some tiny, deserted beaches exist on the island of Santa Catalina, worth a look if only to see Morgan’s Head, a rocky cliff in the shape of a human face, best seen from the water. An underwater cave is at the base of the cliff. The shoreline changes considerably with the tides; during high tide beaches get very narrow and some totally disappear.
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LOCAL VOICE: ELIZABETH TAYLOR
Age: 42
Occupation: General Director, Coralina (Corporation for the Sustainable Development of the Archipelago of San Andrés, Old Providence & Santa Catalina)
Residence: San Andrés
Favorite Caribbean Author: Derek Walcott
‘The culture of the San Andrés & Providencia is distinct from the rest of Colombia. Native islanders are still defined by their Anglo-African roots, English mother tongue, and Protestant religious background. Their language, folklore and cultural history have been conserved through oral tradition for more than 300 years.
‘My favorite spot in the islands is the top of Cayo Cangrejo (Crab Cay, Click here) in Old Providence [to] view the multicolored sea. This is one of the most beautiful, peaceful places in the islands.
‘Don’t miss hiking to the top of El Pico (The Peak, below) – a one-hour walk through the best-preserved tropical transitional forest on the islands culminates in a spectacular view of the hills of Old Providence spread out below, the island of Santa Catalina to the north, and the barrier reef stretching for miles to the east and north.’
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HIKING
The mountainous interior of the island, with its vegetation and small animal life, is attractive and provides pleasant walks. Probably nowhere else in Colombia can you see so many colorful lizards scampering through bushes. Beware of a common shrub with spectacular hornlike thorns; ants living inside have a painful bite. Mosquitoes also abound on the island.
Don’t miss a trip to El Pico Natural Regional Park for outstanding 360-degree views of the Caribbean. The most popular trail begins in Casabaja. Ask for directions as several paths crisscross on the lower part (further up there are no problems), or ask in Casabaja for a guide. Some locals will take you up for a small charge. It is a steady 1½-hour walk to the top. Carry drinking water because there is none along the way.
SNORKELING & DIVING
Snorkeling and diving are the island’s other big attractions. You can rent snorkeling gear in Aguadulce (COP$10,000). Diving trips and courses can be arranged with recommended local operators Felipe Diving Shop ( 514 8775; www.felipediving.com), run by a native Raizal, and Sonny’s Dive Shop ( 514 8231; www.buceoprovidencia.com), both in Aguadulce; and Sirius Dive Shop ( 514 8213; www.siriusdivecenter.com) in Bahía Suroeste. Each offers an open-water or advanced course for about COP$650,000 to COP$700,000.
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Tours
Paradise Tour Contact ( 514 8283; www.oldprovidence.com.co; Aguadulce; 8am-noon & 2-6pm Mon-Sat) This small agency offers tours and a range of other services including bicycle rental (per day