San Andres, Colombia, a paradise!!!

 Aruba, Jamaica, Cancun, or Hawaii are just a few of the most popular places North Americans choose to have their vacations. The beaches are gorgeous, the sea wonderful and food excellent, but realisticly these places are too crowded, noisy and expensive. If you really want to relax, save money and feel out of this world, consider visiting the pacific Caribbean islands of San Andres.  Identified by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve, San Andres is an archipelago located 480 miles North-West of Colombia, 150 miles East of Nicaragua and 528 miles from Jamaica; it is made of the three main islands of San Andres, Providencia, and Santa Catalina which are tiny islands sorrounded by several islets, cays and banks that make your vacation a real heaven of peace and tranquility. San Andres, the largest island of the archipelago, has an area of 26 square km; about 70,000 habitants and a huge variety of tourist attraction that make this island an appealing place to have the best vacation ever. The archipelago of San Andres is Colombian territory but it is distant from the country and from the main government in Bogotá; it is safe, peaceful, and a very friendly island to enjoy a family vacation. The official language is Spanish but the islanders also speak Caribbean English; the shopping is duty-free, and the money is Colombian peso (1 Canadian dollar = 2003.40 Colombian pesos). The beauty of this island and its culture is shown through its varied cousine; the contrast between their colorful wooden houses and the modern buildings; people friendliness, history of pirates, slaves and missionaries; the beautiful coconut palms everywhere on the island; its sandy white beaches; and its coral formations and reefs that give the sea an unbelievably beautiful array of colors.
 
Called also El mar de los siete colores (the sea of the seven colours) San Andres’ waters are a mix of  gorgeous green-blue-turquoise colors that invites swimming, snorkling, scuba diving, boating, and fishing. But if you really want to feel transported into the past and want to experience the feeling of being alone in an uninhabited island, visit: Bolívar and Albuquerque islets; Cotton, Haynes, Johnny, Roncador, Serrana, Serranilla, Quitasueño, Rocky and Crab cays; Alicia and Bajo Nuevo sand banks which surround San Andres. This is a unique experience you will never forget since in these tiny places you are not going to find any cars, malls and buildings, but a breath taking and gorgeous view of the sea from such a tiny spot in the middle of the caribbean.

On the other hand, Providencia and Santa Catalina (the sisters’ islands of San Andres) are located to the north-east of San Andres and are the perfect  spot for a real retreat and solitude that today you are not going to find in any other Caribbean island. Providencia, the second largest island of the archipelago, is 7 km long and 4 km wide and it is located 90 km north of San Andres. Santa Catalina, separated by 100 meters from Providencia and connected to it by Lover’s Lane—a floating wooden bridge; has an area of  1 square kilometre  and has 300 inhabitants approximately. Both islands have no shopping malls or high-rise buildings; just a few cars, but instead, the islands offer comfortable small hotels and cute colorful-woodsy cabins, which are mostly owned by the islanders and you will feel like you are in another world.
Providencia and Santa Catalina have so many attractions: abundant vegetation, fruit trees, an exquisite cuisine made of red snapper and other fishes, conch, lobster and crab, and history and legends about pirates. Morgan’s head, located in Santa Catalina, is an enormous rock naturally formed in the figure of a human head; The Peak, one of the most beautiful places on the island and the highest point; Manjaneel Bay, a beautiful white beach with placid waters to be with your kids; Crab Cay, the favorite haunt  for snorkelers because of its crystal clear water, and finally a wonder that is a must to see: The Dam, which is 300 meters long, 100 meters wide, 40 meters deep and it has a capacity of 200,000 m³ of water.

Yes, there are many beautiful and exotic holiday destinations to choose from in the world, and if you truly want to experience something extra special, consider visiting the islands of San Andres. Walk on the same beaches where pirates once roamed! Enjoy the various natural activities these tropical islands have to offer, or enjoy mingling with the native hosts of the island rather than competing with other tourists for a small spot on overcrowded mainstream beaches. With the splendor and variety San Andres has to offer, you will feel that you have been transported in time and space to another world; a paradise that has been all but lost to the rest of vacationers. Buen Viaje! By NohraCeciliaLeschyson.Visit San Andres online http://www.sanandres.gov.co/