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mircaskirca Says: Located off the coast of Providencia's north-eastern end, Parque Nacional McBean Lagoon is a 2.450-acre conservation zone which was declared a national park in 1995. Tha park includes largest and best preserved mangrove of Providencia, in addition to the lagoon inside the...
mircaskirca Says: Facing Santa Isabel is a tiny volcanic island of Santa Catalina, separated from Providencia by the narrow Canal Aury. A brightly coloured pedestrian bridge known as the Lover's Bridge links the islands. From Providencia it's a pretty, scenic walk to it's neighbouring island....
mircaskirca Says: Lover's Bridge connects Providencia with the smaller neighbouring island of Santa Catalina. The picturesque bridge helps the 200 inhabitants of Santa Catalina to cross the sea to get to Santa Isabel, 'the capital' of Providencia. It was built after the pirates made an...
mircaskirca Says: Santa Isabel is a little town situated at the island's northern tip. The town has a lovely malecón with colourful parapet decorated with figures of sea horses, small wooden benches and street lights. It is connected by a raised boardwalk known as Lover's Bridge to a tiny...
mircaskirca Says: One of the most famous attractions of Santa Catalina is Morgan's Head, a large rocky cliff which resembles a human head when seen from a special angle. The rock was carved by the sea and it's best seen from the water. It is named after the famous Welsh pirate Henry Morgan...
mircaskirca Says: A great way to see the island is taking a boat tour around the island's 20 km of coast. Boat normally leaves from Aguadulce and also load people on Suroeste. You can appreciate spectacular views of mountainous landscape. The trip allows you to take in various sights and...
mircaskirca Says: From Aguadulce it's a 20-minute walk to Bahía Suroeste (South West Bay) with Providencia's longest beach. It is more deserted and much more beautiful, and the water is exceptionally calm. There are a couple of small hotels and posadas and various beachfront restaurant...
mircaskirca Says: Along the main road where you turn to the side road leading down to Manzanillo Beach, is Manzanillo village. There you find a supermarket but most of the houses are off the main road. The day before I left Providencia I had to confirm reservation of my hotel in Cartagena....
Richards Place: Cold Drink Right on the Beach
mircaskirca Says: I was so excited about Providencia, so after my arrival to Aguadulce I did not loose time and started to explore the island as soon as I left my luggage in the posada. I decided to take a walk to Bahía Sureste, the first bay after Aguadulce. You follow the main (and the...
Roland Roots Bar: Typically Caribbean Chill Out Beach Bar
mircaskirca Says: Roland Roots Bar is a very atmospheric open-air hangout set on the most beautiful beach in Providencia. Shaded and sheltered homemade tables and chairs clustered in palm grove with views of Providencia's incredible Manzanillo Beach make it a place to come at lunch and stay...
Helpfulness
Providencia is not famous for its nightlife but there are a few places where you can have a beer or enjoy your favourite coconut/rum cocktail (coco loco - crazy coconut :) or piña colada) in the rhythm of reggae music. Rolands Bar on Manzanillo Beach (run by a friendly local Rasta named Roland) is a reggae paradise and a place to go. Sometimes a live band plays in the evening and usually a central campfire is on at night burning old palm wood in order to keep mosquitoes at bay. I spent most of the evenings here, including the New Year's Eve. Quite enjoyed the atmosphere and met some really interesting locals.
Another cool spot to hang out is Richards Place found in Bahía Sureste (run by another friendly Rasta, named Richard). Hi makes best mojitos and piña coladas on the island. While you'll need your own transportation to visit Rolands you can walk to Richards Place (it's a 15-minute walk from Aguadulce).
On the weekend evenings many of the locals hang out around the bar in front of Lover's Bridge in Santa Isabel. Occasionally there is live music in Pizzas Place in Aguadulce. The best thing to do is just ask the local people what's going on.
Updated Jul 23, 2010
Return Flight from San Andrés to Providencia
mircaskirca Says: I arranged with my taxi driver Wilmar to pick me up at at 06:00am to drive me to the airport. To my pleasant surprised he arrived even 15 minutes earlier and was patiently waiting for me in his car. After a week I returned to San Andrés and then took another flight to...
mircaskirca Says: The chiva (old artisan modified bus) is an easy way to navigate the island but not all the places can be reach by it. You can rent a car and drive around the island's 20km circuit of roads. Ask for car rental at the airport or in Aguadulce, the centre of island's tourist...
Rondón - Most Famous Traditional Dish
mircaskirca Says: Rondón (meaning 'run down') is a rich fish and conch casserole with yucca, yam, green plantains and dumplings, slowly cooked in coconut milk. It's most delicious dish, very popular in the Caribbean. The recipe varies depending on what ingredients you happen to 'run down', it...
mircaskirca Says: Providencia has its own gastronomy related to its natural resources and seafood appears almost in all meals. Native cuisine represents an important part of the island's culture and Providencia dishes have a strong Afro-Caribbean flavour which is result of the process of...
mircaskirca Says: Traditional music and dance of Providencia is the result of an eclectic mixture of influences, including European, polka, mazurka and waltz, combined with strong Afro-Caribbean influence, now mixed with calypso, socca and reggae music. Locals think of themselves as fully...
mircaskirca Says: The Providencian culture is the result of a mixture of inhabitants who came to the region over the period of past centuries. Most of today's native population (approximately 5.000 people) share a blended ancestry derived from English, Spanish, African and Colombian...
mircaskirca Says: One of the most noticeable traditional activities of the natives is fishing. They are practised masters and never come to shore empty-handed. It is not uncommon to see children free diving the 10 m reefs for fish with a handmade pointed stick. Little wooden boats bob up and...
mircaskirca Says: Islanders have an unusual connection with the black land crab. It's an important symbol of native cultural identity and generations have celebrated the link between crab and human through story, folklore and song. They even organize an annual crab festival. However, there is...
Helpfulness
With the world's third largest barrier reef (at about 255 square kilometres) Providencia is Colombia's top diving destination. This area is relatively unknown, yet offers some of the best snorkeling and diving in the Caribbean, with an immense amount of underwater biodiversity, warm tropical waters and excellent underwater visibility for almost all the year. The waters around Providencia have been designated a protected area by UNESCO and are now known as the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve. There are more than 30 dive sites and over 20 snorkeling sites, and none of which are spoiled by overcrowding.
There is a great diversity of different dive sites - cliffs, caves, blue holes and many sunken pirate ships. Providencia is suitable fol all divers, whether novice or experienced. The local diving operators are professional and equipment is of a high standard. Apart from the sites around the offshore belt near the islets of Cayo Tres Hermanos and Cayo Cangrejo, most of Providencia's finest dive spots are located on the island's western side. Almost all of them are easily accessible by boat, no more than half an hour away, several even only 5 to 10 minutes away. Divers are likely to spot turtles, lobsters, rays, barracuda and red snappers.
Snorkeling can be done on just about any part of the island where you can access the water. The snorkel areas are comprised mainly of rocky cliffs where you can find crevices and caves full of fish and coral formations. Some of the better spots to snorkel are Santa Catalina and Morgan's Head, Mc Bean Reserve, Cayo Tres Hermanos and Cayo Cangrejo.
Snorkeling and scuba tour companies primarily operate out of Aguadulce, with a choice of half and full-day tours.
Equipment: In case you don't bring your own snorkeling gear you can always rent some. Usually it is necessary to wear water shoes because at some places there are lots of rocks and coral formations. You can rent them as well.
Crystal clear waters make underwater photography popular so bring at least a disposable waterproof camera to capture Providencia's stunning seabed views.
Updated Jul 14, 2010
Old Providence & Santa Catalina
Part of San Andres and Providencia Archipelago, Providencia and Santa Catalina are two small islands of volcanic origin, located in the Western Caribbean Sea, around 90 km north of San Andrés....
Life changing experience - Paradise!
Quiet, laid-back, friendly, incredible diving, deserted beaches. I will write down the whole experience later. Almost 10 years later and I still think about it once a month... that good!!!
Build your own Isla de Providencia page
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