San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina Overview

By Richard McColl

Deep in the southern section of the Caribbean, the Colombian islands of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina are located 800km from Cartagena and a mere 290km from Nicaragua. The department of San Andres which is comprised of three major islands, five atolls and several coral banks spans a total land area of 57km squared.

Given the islands’ relative proximity to mainland Central America they were used up until the 17th century as fishing grounds and minor settlements for Miskito Indians. None of this history remains as circa 1620 Europeans arrived in the form of god-fearing Puritans looking to create a religious society preferring the clement breezes of the Caribbean over that of the cold Massachusetts coast to cultivate tobacco, sugar cane and dyes.

After a decade of Puritan control their society largely faltered and became a major base for slavery and privateering. This opened the islands up to other opportunists of the time, namely the pirate Henry Morgan who used Providencia as his base for a period of years and planned and launched the sacking of Panama from here.

In time, given the islands’ closeness to Spanish territories in South America, they became Spanish possessions but remained for the most part ignored by their new lords. With the separation of Gran Colombia from Spain and then the subsequent independence of Colombia the territories of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina came with the package.

Despite continual claims by Nicaragua to the International Court of Justice claiming sovereignty, the islands remain as Colombian territory. From the 1950s the Colombian Government launched an intensive colombianisation of the islands to promote their growth and declared them a free trade zone.

As a result of these measures San Andres has become the package holiday and weekend break destination of choice for Colombians from all walks of life. Providencia and Santa Catalina, declared national parks, remain lesser visited protected Caribbean marvels.

The islands offer something for everyone from all manner of aquatic to sports to lounging and kicking back on a pristine beach, exploring pirate and puritan heritage, hiking through Providencia’s gnarled volcanic hills, or hitting the clubs of San Andres after hours of early evening retail therapy in one of the many duty free boutiques.