Page last updated on 28 Jan 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, as I now live here in Providencia.
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.
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 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. Providencia is also one of Colombia's best scuba diving travel destinations.
Providencia is a year round travel destination, but special times to visit include late June 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. Every afternoon, dozens of turtles come to feed around Crab Caye, and it's easy to swim with them while snorkelling. 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 - Sonny's 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 & a new fast boat service
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 from 300,000 to 360,000 pesos (approx US $150 - US $180) for a return ticket. You can book these flights with Aviatur, who are Colombia's largest travel agency (a good guy to contact at Aviatur is Mauricio Plata, who speaks good English - email mauricio.plata@aviatur.com.co or call Aviatur in Bogota on 0057 1 382 1616 and ask for him - he's used to dealing with references from this website). To pay for the flights 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 these flights 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).
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 200,000 pesos. One way tickets cost 100,000 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.
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 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.
The Sol Caribe (also in Freshwater Bay) is the most expensive hotel in Providencia - in my opinion it's very overpriced at US $240 for a double. It's a distinctly average chain hotel that needs renovation and has little style. It's swimming pool is a cloudy colour - far from attractive.
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 Maru or 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 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. 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. 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.
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 live 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.
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.
Booking a Trip to Providencia - Decameron worth it?
A few years ago, the hotel chain Decameron forced themselves into the Providencia tourism market by affiliating themselves with many of the independently (locally) owned hotels. Tourism levels have slightly increased as a result, but it's not all good news for the locals. In 2008 Decameron doubled their prices and as such the packages are now unreasonably expensive. When one books these hotels in Providencia with Decameron, the company only give a very small percentage to the local hotel owners. It's a case of Decameron trying to monopolize Providencia's tourist industry and make money. I carried out a brief study of prices in November 2008 (and various others since) that demonstrated that it is unreasonably expensive to book with Decameron.
I called Decameron and essentially got a break-down of their package prices - details follow. Prices are per person based on a double room in early December 2008 staying at Miss Elma (prices are the same for most of the Decameron hotels, and converted into dollar prices as of 2008):
3 nights room only + breakfast = $298 per person.
Package including return (charter) flights from San Andres to Providencia plus 3 nights room + breakfast = $869 per person.
Return flights from Bogota to San Andres, plus return charter flights from San Andres to Providencia, plus 3 nights including breakfast = $1267 per person.
This can be compared to booking the individual sections yourselves:
3 nights room only = $70 per person in a double (eg. staying at Posada CocoBay, or a similar price booking a Decameron affiliated hotel upon arrival on the island.)
Return Satena flights from San Andres to Providencia = $160
Avianca flights from Bogota to San Andres = $300 (this price at other times will be highly variable, and very much dependent upon dates)
What do all these figures mean? Basically, you can pay Decameron $1267 per person for a 3 night package from Bogota, or you can book the 3 parts yourself independently for about half the price. It's no contest - Decameron is now an extremely expensive means of travelling to Providencia.
How to Book a Trip to Providencia
Well the easy option is to book a package with Decameron, but don't expect a good deal (as explained above) and don't expect good service when you phone them (clueless sales folk always answer when I test call them). It 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. Generally speaking, you can't use international credit cards on their websites, but if you phone the airline you should be able to book without problems. All these airlines have English speaking reservation staff. Alternatively, you can book flights to San Andres on websites such as Expedia.com or travelocity.com - this is may well be the simplest option for many, and often the price is very similar to booking direct. I find that a 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).
2. Book your onward flight or boat from San Andres to Providencia. For flights to Providencia, you'll almost certainly need to book via a travel agency , because booking flights with the airline Satena is impossible unless you actually visit one of their numerous offices in Colombia. Try using Viajes Insular or Aviatur (see earlier section on flights/ getting there for the best contact details). Alternatively - take the new fast catamaran service that connects San Andres with Providencia - see earlier section for details. This new fast boat makes it much much easier to access Providencia. There's always afternoon flights (leaving between 3 and 4 pm) from San Andres to Providencia - so if you land before 12:30pm in San Andres, it's very simple to make the connection in one day. Once you've been to Providencia, you'll realize that there's almost no point in spending any time in San Andres.
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 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 8868, or email them providencia.pva@decameron.com - they're helpful people. 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. You'll need to be in Colombia to book flights only with Decameron - it's too complicated to do from abroad. As of February 2010, the cost of these return flights is just 285,000 pesos.
