Providencia

23 February 2020 | From San Andres to Providencia…. WOW!
We didn’t book our flight to Providencia before arriving in San Andres, and it took us a fool day to get tickets… Passing from one flight company to the other, waiting for offices to open. Basically, book in advance or go to the travel agency in the morning.
We managed thanks to a travel agency. The fight is worth it!
Providencia airport already put you in the mood of the island_:

Welcome to a Row Paradise

All you need:

A place to stay: Jumping in a pickup taxi we reached our new house: Posada Ocean View. Everything is in the name: a nice bedroom with an ocean view!
Water: On the island, tap water is not drinkable (for tourists), and overall luxury, so to limit our plastic impact we bought a 10L bottle to fill up our smaller recipients.
Transport: Cheep and cool the scooter is a must. There is anyway only one main road around the island. You can not get lost. It should cost around 60/day.
You never drove a scooter before, honestly, it is easy! One of us learned on the island!
Keep in mind that you are on an island, so the internet is slow, and the cash machine gets refilled once or twice a week and you will need cash.

Local culture

Providencia and San Andres share common languages: Creole (English based) English and Spanish, history: piracy (the famous Morgan), culture/ music/ food. Providencia is more difficult to access, they all know each other, they are aware of the beauty of their island and protect it is as much as possible.
When it comes to food go for the fish always fresh and in quantity (El Divino Niño a classic on the beach with beautiful sunset). For a more culinary experience go to Cafe Studio, we loved it both dish and dessert!
Wanna taste the traditional dish: Rondón (listen to the song, it will give you an idea about the local Creole). Rondón needs to be prepared the day before, our guide called his ante who has a small restaurant called Big Mama. It was delicious! You should try earth crab as well.
There are plenty of other nice places to eat, above is just our favorites.

Discover

Cayo Cangrejo_ you reach a small island by boat (there is plenty of captain offering their services in front of the island), you pay for a return ticket. On the island, the very small island the main attractions are the breathtaking view from the top and snorkeling around the island. On the Cayo there are only tourists, that’s where we met our Argentinian friends! On our boat ride back our captain did a little detour to see sea turtles on the neighbor island. The area is a national park. We all agree to meet Albort captain of Anash (the boat) and his Second: Jorsey the day after for a boat tour around the island.

Tour of the island_ Albort and Jorsey showed us all the great places on the island form 9 in the morning to the sunset!
We started with a nice snorkeling sport with massive sea stars. Were we spotted lobsters and they cached them.
We chill a bit in Playa Manzanillo (beautiful) before going for lunch in the famous Divino Nino.
The adventure continues to La Cabeza de Morgan for coconuts and cliff jumps! Such a Day!

Diving_ If you are into diving, Providencia is a great spot with clear water, school of fish, ray, sharks, and morays. We went to Sonny Dive and were happy.

Sunrise Hike to el Pico_ Jorsey leads us to the highest point of the island. We started early 5h, hiked to see the sunrise and view of the island and surrounding 7color water. It was hard to wake up, but hiking while it is still fresh is really pleasant! And you have the full day to chill on the beach after!

Santa Catalina_ it is a small island accessible thanks to a bridge. Great to walk around, you can easily reach a small ann beatiful beach, or la Cabeza de Morgan (where you can jum jump in the water). The rocks are sharp so take shoes that can go in the water.

And Chill_ The beach of Manzanilla is like a postcard, the sunset on the Southwest Bay is amazing, the night sky is impressive. The Lighthouse Cinema had a documentary about the island.

Well, we loved it! Make sure you have sufficient time to enjoy the vibe of the island and slow down.