Page last updated on 14 July 2010.
If you have problems or difficulty arranging your trip to Providencia Island, I'm happy to help with some advice - you can contact me. I spend as much time as I can living in Providencia, and keep this comprehensive page very up to date (more so than any other pages on paisatours.com).
See the Map of Providencia I designed (see the Google satellite version). See also the tourist information pdf file that is designed to supplement the information below (it's a printable file designed for tourists to print and bring with them to optimize their stay and plan their days on Providencia Island).
Providencia Island (or Isla Providencia) is one of the few remaining Caribbean islands that has yet to see mass tourism (with just 13,000 visitors per year). There are approximately a dozen small hotels on the English speaking island, and various beaches that are beautifully unspoilt and largely devoid of both people and buildings.
Providencia is an empty, tropical, coconut palmed paradise, perfect for a relaxing few days beach vacation in Colombia. It's a fantastic island of beautiful beaches that are, on the whole, totally undeveloped. Mass tourism has yet to hit Providencia and the locals are determined to keep the island that way. The native language of Providencia is Creole, which is a kind of twisted form of Caribbean English (so almost all the locals speak proper English). The culture is similar to that of nearby Jamaica, and very different from that of mainland Colombia. That means Rastas, reggae and a very laid back lifestyle - this is how all the Caribbean was 50 years ago, before much of the region was spoilt by mega resorts and package tourism (neighbouring San Andres Island included). Providencia thankfully remains very unspoilt, and is a unique island to visit. Many people come to visit for a few days and end up staying weeks or even months, reluctant to leave this idyllic and peaceful paradise.
Providencia is also one of Colombia's best scuba diving destinations (in fact it's one of the top scuba destinations in all Latin America & the Caribbean). The snorkelling is also wonderful, and the sea a multi-shaded turquoise almost everwhere one looks.
Providencia Island is a year round travel destination, but special times to visit include late June (23-26 June 2010) for the island's carnival, or early May when the mountains change colour as the local black crabs descend en masse to lay their eggs.
Activities & Tours
Most people travel to Providencia to either experience the beautiful palm fringed beaches or to go scuba diving. The worlds third largest barrier reef is found in Providencia. The snorkelling is great and the sea almost always very calm - most hotels can organize snorkelling tours, plus various other excursions and activities. It's highly recommended to visit Crab Caye (Cayo Cangrejo), a spectacularly beautiful little island off the East coast of Providencia. Another great activity is to go kayaking in the calm, crystal clear waters - this is the best way to experience McBean Lagoon National Park, of which Crab Caye is a part.
It's also well worthwhile to spend a day visiting neighbouring Santa Catalina Island, which has a couple of lovely peaceful beaches, one of which can only be accessed by kayak / private boat. On Santa Catalina one also finds a couple of old forts, remnants from the days of piracy on the island. Rumour has it that the pirate Henry Morgan hid huge amounts of treasure on Santa Catalina, and it's easy to visit the cave where some of it was found.
Hiking is another great activity in Providencia - one could happily spend a few days hiking and admiring the amazing views. Towering volcanic peaks covered by lush rainforest descending into peaceful mangrove swamps and lagoons, combined with small offshore Cayes, an amazing multi-coloured sea and a distant reef with crashing surf make the views from the hills of McBean Lagoon National Park particularly unforgettable. A guide to hike around the National Park is free (yes free - do leave a tip though - ask at the Park office on the edge of the centre of town, or ask the park rangers at Cayo Cangrejo a day beforehand). Most tourists hike to El Pico (3-4 hours return - spectacular views from the top), which is the highest point of the island. However, the hike (3 hours) around the National Park is far more scenic.
It's best to allow 7 nights to fully appreciate the range of activities and tours available on Colombia's Isla Providencia.
Scuba Diving in Providencia
There's various scuba dive operators on the island. Sonny Dive Shop (PADI certified) is found in Aguadulce - the owner Gerardo has recently got a big new boat that's kitted out to take divers to the distant Northern Cayes such as Serranillo, Serrano and Quitasueno. Also in Aguadulce (right on the beach) is the highly rated Felipe Diving. In South West Bay, Hotel Sirius specializes in scuba diving packages and have their own scuba dive centre called Sirius Dive Centre. In Old Town Bay, a 20 minute walk from the town centre, is Scuba Town (no website - tel 0057 8514 8481 or 0057 3134186493), who are PADI certified. My understanding is that only two of the operators are PADI certified (Sonny and Scuba Town) - however all of them are very professional and I only hear good things about them all.
Getting There - Flights
All flights are from San Andres Island, with either Satena or charter flights operated by Searca / Decameron, who are now affiliated with many of the hotels on the island. There are at least 4 flights from San Andres to Providencia every day, and they cost between 225,000 to 360,000 pesos (approx US $110 - US $180) for a return ticket.
In July 2010, government owned airline Satena joined the 21st century by developing a proper website whereby one can simply and easily book flights to Providencia online. At last! No need to go via a travel agent any longer. The Satena website is in Spanish - if you don't speak Spanish you can very easily translate it all, page by page, at a click of a button, if you install the free Google Toolbar on your computer.
Getting to San Andres Island & Same Day Onward Flights to/from Providencia
There's flights to San Andres from most places in Colombia - and booking them is a very simple affair . Internationally, there's flights to San Andres from Panama City, plus during the North hemisphere's winter there's flights from Canada and Prague. See the section on San Andres for details of such flights to San Andres.
If your flight from the Colombian mainland arrives in San Andres before 2pm, it's easy to easy to catch an onward flight to Providencia the same day. No need to hang around in San Andres - Providencia is far more beautiful and is without hordes of tourists! Every day Searca (ie. Decmaeron charter flights) has a flight departing San Andres for Providencia at 3pm (the other Searca flight is in the morning - at about 8am). In addition, every day Satena has a flight departing San Andres for Providencia at 3.30 / 4pm (the other Satena flight is at 7am). Check-in for these flights to Providencia opens one hour before departure - so you've plenty of time to make the connection.
Likewise, when you return to the mainland, it's easy to do so in one day - no need to spend the night in San Andres if you don't want to. Almost all the flights from San Andres to the mainland (or to Panama) depart in the afternoon. Every day, Searca has a 9am flight from Providencia to San Andres (you'll arrive at 9.30am), plus Satena has a daily flight from Providencia to San Andres that departs at 8am. So just catch one of the morning flights from Providencia to San Andres, and your onwards flight from San Andres to wherever will be in the afternoon. (NB. There are also two afternoon flights, departing Providencia at 4pm and 5pm (approx) - you'll almost certainly need to spend a night in San Andres if you're on these later flights).
Getting There - a new fast boat service
In September 2009, a catamaran service began operating that connects San Andres and Providencia. Previously there were slow boats that accepted passengers and took 8 hours to make the journey. The new catamaran service takes just over two hours, and currently operates on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It is highly probable that frequencies will soon increase - so watch this space. Departure is from San Andres in the morning (about 8am normally - depending upon when the boat gets full) - the 30 seater boat departs from the Nene Marina pier in front of the government buildings near the centre of town. Departure from Providencia is on the same days - Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays - in the afternoon, between 3 and 4pm. The catamaran, called El Sensacion, is smart and modern, with a capacity for 30 people. The cost for a return trip is 210,000 pesos. One way tickets cost about 120,000 pesos. At the moment, you can't book this catamaran service more than 3 days in advance - so just turn up in good time on the day and you'll be fine - or better still buy your ticket the evening before. For more info call (0057) 3125672713 to speak to the representative in Providencia. The catamaran operator also offers day trip return tickets from San Andres to Providencia - this is a totally pointless trip, as you'll spend at least 5 hours on the boat, and only get a few hours on the island, and hardly see it properly. Most day trippers complain - don't bother with this option, if you want to see Providencia, I highly advise you to stay at least a night. Take note that it can be a bumpy ride. When it's windy, bad weather or when the seas are choppy, the boat doesn't depart - though this isn't a particularly common occurrence.
Providencia Hotels
Most hotels in Providencia will try to sell you a package including all your meals - avoid such packages as the best restaurants are those not attached to the hotels. See the latter section on restaurants for some tips on where best to eat.
There's about 20 hotels and guesthouses on the island of Providencia. Just about all of them have air conditioned rooms. The greatest concentration of hotels (and restaurants) are found in the "tourist zone" of Freshwater Bay (Bahia Aguadulce), though there are places to stay all over the island. My recommended hotels are Posada del Mar, Posada CocoBay and Posada Nativa Sunshine Paradise.
Hotels on islands are always more expensive than those on the mainland - and the same is true for Providencia. You have to pay a premium to visit paradise....
Expensive Hotels
There are many decent hotels in Isla Providencia, though none of them could be considered to be luxury hotels. Many of the better hotels are now affiliated with Decameron (a hotel chain based in Colombia), through whom you can book them. Unfortunately, these Decameron affiliated hotels are now very expensive (see the later section) - and I wouldn't advise you to book through Decameron if you seek value for money. It is often better to turn up without a reservation, and book the same hotel upon arrival (it'll often be about half the price compared to booking through Decameron!). However, turning up without a reservation during the peak tourism seasons of Christmas to mid January, Easter Week and (to a lesser extent) mid June to mid July is not recommended as many hotels will be full. The rest of the year it's fine to turn up without a reservation though.
Of the Decameron affiliated hotels, I think that the best is the 30 room Posada Del Mar. I say best because the rooms are of the highest standard, and the hotel is right on the coast in Freshwater Bay (no beach though). Second best of the Decameron affiliated hotels is Miss Mary, primarily due to it's great beachfront location in South West Bay. My third choice would be Miss Elma - decent hotel, and right on the coast near the beach at Freshwater Bay. There are other Decameron options too: Cabanas Aguadulce, El Recreo (which has a lovely beachfront location) and Cabanas Relax all cost a little less than the previously mentioned 3 Decameron affiliated hotels, and all are found in Freshwater Bay.
All these Decameron hotels are good options - in many ways, these 6 Decameron affiliated hotels are amongst the best hotels on the island. Try to book them directly with the hotel though - you'll save a lot of money in the process.
The Sol Caribe (also in Freshwater Bay) is the most expensive hotel in Providencia - in my opinion it's overpriced at US $240 for a double. Room standards are rather variable, with some in need of renovation. It's swimming pool is a cloudy colour - far from attractive. Having said all this, it is one of the few hotels in Providencia which has hot water.
Better Value Hotels
I am far from convinced that the expensive hotels mentioned above are really worth the premium prices charged by Decameron and Sol Caribe. For that reason, I'd recommend to everyone to either turn up at the Decameron hotels without a reservation, or alternatively book (in advance) a better value option listed below - in many ways these cheaper hotels are better than the more expensive hotels anyway!
To book these independently owned hotels you'll need to either email or call them (they all speak English on this Colombian island).
A great, new little hotel is Posada Nativa Sunshine Paradise (tel: 0057 8 5149031 or 0057 3112270333; email: franciscarobinson@yahoo.com). This little posada is found on Santa Catalina Island (Santa Catalina is connected to Providencia Island by a 50 metre footbridge) and has a beautiful setting overlooking Providencia Island. It's one of my recommended accommodation options on the island because the air-conditioned rooms are of good quality, the hotel has a lovely location and the price is great - at just 60,000 Colombian pesos (US $30) per person, this is one of the islands cheapest hotels, yet at the same time it's a far better option than many other hotels that cost two or three times the price. This 2 bedroom posada opened in late 2009.
A second recommendation of mine is the beautifully located Posada CocoBay, found on the East side of the island at Maracaibo Bay. Cocobay has a stunning setting overlooking Cayo Cangrejo (Crab Caye) and the multiple shades of turquoise waters that surround it. It's a beautiful setting, however the only drawback is that there is no restaurant nearby (it's a 15 minute walk to the average local restaurants in the main town - a little further to the excellent restaurant Bamboo on Santa Catalina). So you'll almost certainly need to hire a golf buggy or moped if you do stay (golf buggy hire costs about 100,000 pesos or US $50 per day - mopeds costs about 50,000 pesos per day). The 3 room family run hotel Posada Cocobay has simple but spacious rooms (nothing fancy) and costs about 80,000 pesos (US $40) per person (breakfast costs extra). To book Posada CocoBay you'll need to call - (0057) 311 804 0373 or (0057) 8 5148903, ask for Atanasio.
There are other independently owned hotels on Isla Providencia that are not affiliated with Decameron, and provide good value for money. Hotel Pirata del Morgan (their website is now bust) is found above a tiny supermarket in Freshwater Bay, and has a small swimming pool and pleasant rooms (about 30 in total), some of which are overlooking the sea. Also in Freshwater Bay is Hotel El Encanto, a brightly coloured hotel with pleasant, well furnished rooms (some have a sea view - so request one) that are short walk from the beach. Hotel Sirius is a good, economically priced option and specializes in scuba diving packages and is located just back from the beautiful beach at South West Bay. South West Bay Cabanas is another reasonably priced larger hotel located in South West bay, about a 5 minute walk from the beach. Travellers on a tight budget should consider staying at Hostal Flaming Tree (tel: 0057 8 5148049), which has simple but clean air conditioned rooms for just 40,000 Colombian pesos (US $20) per person, and is found in the centre of town.
There's also various other independently owned small hotels and posadas in Freshwater Bay - such as Cabanas Sonny, Mr Mac and Posada Miss Orfe (the same is true for South West Bay). In addition, there's a couple of small, simple little apartment style houses that are rented out to tourists. In total, there's about ten different places to stay in Freshwater Bay (including 5 of the Decameron affiliated hotels), all of which are within 5 minutes simple walk of eachother. If you don't want to book your hotel in Providencia in advance, Freshwater Bay is the best place to turn up without a reservation to see which place best suits you.
In addition, there's many other simple small posadas/guesthouses that I haven't mentioned in this limited space...There are places to stay scattered all over the island.
Rather than staying in a hotel in Providencia, you might prefer to rent a house/cottage. There's a handful of options - try emailing Clemencia, who owns Il Postino restaurant (sancle8@gmail.com; tel: 0057 3153898862; English, French, Italian and Spanish spoken). She has 3 small neighbouring sea view cottages (double bed + extra bed in each cottage) in San Felipe that she rents to tourists. Prices are from 150,000 pesos (US $75) per night. She also helps her neighbour Mac rent out his beautiful cottage, which has a really cosy almost Mediterranean feel to it - great option at 200,000 pesos per night and the sea views are particularly lovely. San Felipe is about a 10 minute walk from the "tourist centre" of Aguadulce.
Photos of Providencia Hotels:
Miss Elma, Providencia, Colombia.
Miss Mary Hotel - beachfront location.
Sol Caribe Hotel, Providencia, Colombia.
Restaurants
On PaisaTours.com I don't normally offer advice about restaurants, but as I spend so much time in Providencia I will do so in this case. Our favourite restaurant is Bamboo, which is on Santa Catalina Island (turn left after the footbridge from Providencia). The prices are very reasonable, and the local food always excellent, as is the service. Ask for a table on the small pier in front of the restaurant - the views of the harbour and Providencia are wonderful. Bamboo is one of the few restaurants in Providencia when you can normally ask for a vegetarian dish (ask for one - they won't appear on the menu).
Another favourite of mine is Il Postino, an Italian Restaurant found in San Felipe. It's only open 4 months of the year though - if it's open you'll see the sign on your right on the main road if driving from Aguadulce towards the town centre. The speciality here is pasta.
Caribbean Place (aka Donde Martin) is the best restaurant in Aguadulce. There's a very wide variety of dishes on offer - I normally opt for the coconut prawns. Pizzas Place in Aguadulce also is a good option - they do great pizzas for a remote little island like Providencia!
South West Bay has a variety of beach front restaurants, including El Divino Nino and Mr Arturo. I'm a particular fan of El Divino Nino's "mixed plate", an enormous dish that offers lobster, conch, crab and fish at a remarkably reasonable price. On the road between South West Bay and Freshwater Bay, Cafe Studio is another good restaurant with reasonable prices.
Generally speaking, all the best restaurants (whether defined in terms of value for money, quality of food, or a mix of the two) are the independent ones not attached to the hotels. Hence, your best off avoiding those all inclusive packages.
How to Book a Trip to Providencia
Well the simple option is to book a package with Decameron, but don't expect a cost effective deal and don't expect good service when you phone them (clueless sales folk always answer when I test call them). It often costs half the price to book the following segments for yourself, as I'll explain:
1. See the Aires, Avianca or Aerorepublica websites for details and prices for flights from Colombia's mainland (or Panama) to San Andres Island. You can pay online with a foreign credit card with no problems now (previously you couldn't). All these airlines have English speaking reservation staff if you prefer to call (no need though - Avianca and aerorepublica websites are in English now). Alternatively, you can book flights to San Andres on websites such as www.Travelocity.com 
- this may well be the simplest option for many, and often the price is very similar to booking direct. I find that a return flight from the mainland of Colombia to San Andres normally costs between 500,000 and 700,000 pesos (US $250 - $350) - if you're flexible with your dates it helps reduce the price, likewise if you book well in advance - remember that this is a 2 hour flight from most places - hence the price. You are, after all, flying to the middle of the Caribbean!
2. Book your onward flight or boat from San Andres to Providencia online with Satena.
Note re flights to Providencia - it's actually very simple to book these locally, a few days before you plan to travel. When you arrive in Colombia, head for a Satena office (Satena is the government owned airline, and they have offices absolutely everywhere - in every city, in almost every airport and in almost every major shopping centre in the larger cities there is a Satena Office). You can pay on the spot with a credit card easily. Even in the high season (Christmas to mid January, Easter week and mid June to mid July) there's almost always space - in the low season it's a real rarity that the flights are full. And if the ideal flight is full, just book the subsequent one - you'll get here!
3. Decide which hotel you want to stay in and call or email them - they all speak English as Providencia's first language is English. They normally will ask you to make a deposit into their bank account to confirm the reservation, or they might ask for credit card details.
Footnote - booking Searca / Decameron Flights Only
Contrary to what Decameron tell you on the phone, it IS possible to book just flights (ie. no hotels) with them. To do so, you'll need to get in touch with the Decameron office at Providencia's airport. Call them on (0057) 8 514 8071 or (0057) 3143932632, or email them providencia.pva@decameron.com - they're helpful people (tell them I sent you and they'll be even more helpful!). Once reserved, they'll give you a bank account number where you need to deposit the pesos. Once deposited, you need to email or fax them a copy of the consignacion (deposit receipt from the bank) to prove payment (their fax is pretty rubbish at printing so much better to scan and email). You'll need to be in Colombia to book flights only with Decameron - it's almost certainly far too over-complicated to do so from abroad. As of May 2010, the cost of these return flights is just 320,000 pesos.
Travel Agencies Dealing with Providencia
Most Colombian travel agencies can book trips to Providencia for you. On this site I've recommended a couple for a while now - mainly for the purpose of booking flights (which as of July 2010 can be booked online though). Try Aviatur, who are Colombia's largest travel agency (a good guy to contact at Aviatur is Mauricio Olarte, who speaks good English - Mauricio 's used to dealing with references from this website - email olartem@mayatur.com.co - NB MayaTur is a subsidiary of Aviatur - or call Aviatur in Bogota on 0057 1 382 1616 and ask for an English speaker). To pay for the flights or a hotel with an international credit card from abroad, you'll need to fill out and sign a form, plus email a scanned copy of your credit card as standard practice). Alternatively, you can try to book flights and hotels with Viajes Insular, a San Andres based travel agency who accept online payments with international credit cards (please email me your feedback when dealing with these agencies).
