Trips to Colombia

TRIPS TO COLOMBIA: PROVIDENCE AND SANTA CATALINA

The archipelago of the Islands of Providence and Santa Catherine is to the West of the Caribbean Sea, about 240 km of the coasts of America Center, and to 80 km of the Island of San Andres.

Meetings cover an approximated area with 22 km2s, and comprise of the Colombian Archipelago that includes the island of San Andres. These two small islands, with volcanic origin with mountains and hills of beautiful forms and sizes, are covered with tropical dry forest, considered like one of the best one conserved of all the Caribbean.

The first establishments happened towards 1629 by English puritanos but they changed frequently of hands during the following 200 years. Spaniards, English and Dutch disputed their possession. Also they were occupied and besieged by bloodthirsty pirates, like Mansvelt, Morgan, Louis Aury, that was the person in charge of the dredging of the channel between the two islands, nowadays united by the floating bridge: The Bridge of the Enamored ones.

The pirate Henry Morgan, made of Santa Catherine his base during his more active years of piracy and some of their treasures, are said, are buried in their mountains. Some ruins of this anxious period remain in the Warwick Fort, where several guns can be found, under handle woods and the ebullient vegetation, of Santa Catherine. The islands comprise of the Republic of Colombia from 1822.

One of main attractive of the Old Providence and Santa Catherine, is their beautiful beaches: Manchineel Bay, Southwest Bay and Freshwater Bay. Another one of the favorite activities of the tourists is the ascent to the “Peak”, the highest point of the islands, located to 360 meters on the level of the sea, where it is possible to be enjoyed a spectacular panoramic view of the Islands, the multicoloured sea and the extensive coralline reef. The strolls to horse also are very popular.

Their spectacular structures and the wealth of their marine fauna and flora anywhere in the world attract the attention of divers, that get to explore and to marvel themselves at the cracks, caves and immense walls that conform the reef. The route in boat around the islands, is another one of the preferred activities of the visitors, where they are possible to be appreciated surprising formation geologic like the Head of Morgan, “Split Hill” and Key Basalt to the north of Santa Catherine.

In the National Park Old Providence McBean Lagoon are the exotic keys “Crab” and “Three Brothers”, ideal places to practice “snorkeling” and to enjoy the breeze of the sea.


Description of the area of the National Park:

Fauna:
There it is composed by small lizards and birds, do not exist poisonous reptiles, situation that east more attractive place to the tourism still does. The islands are step forced of near 56 species of migratory birds in Caribbean the western one.

Vegetation:
The Park is surrounded by a complex of mangrove swamps in the sector of McBean; the Red Mangle, mangle yellow and mangle predominate white.

The mangrove swamps are trees of different species that have adapted to live in coastal zones with marine influence and play an important role as reproduction places and raises of numerous species of fish, crustaceans and molluscs.

The vegetation in Iron Wood Hill is constituted by a dry forest with small trees where the Cock-spur predominates, species with conical thorns where the ant Pseudomyrmex Ferruginea, well-known resides by its aggressiveness and its painful puncture. Also it is the palm pactá, endemic subspecies of the Island, resbalamono and some cactaceous ones.

The Keys of the Park have a special vegetation; in Key Crab, for example, the scrubs of icaco and some palms of the Coco predominate, whereas in the keys of Three Brothers Rubber plant predominates that serves as anidación place of Mano- War or Fragata.

This vegetation provides abundant I oxygenate, food, support and refuge to many species, especially in its larval and youthful stages.

Climate:
Average of 25 Cs and the 1,500 is warm with annual temperatures precipitations near mm/año. The months of smaller precipitation January and June are concentrated between.
Information for the traveller:

Lodging:
In the Old Providence and Santa Catherine they are small, comfortable and of familiar atmosphere. These hotels count on all the services and are distributed around the islands. Also there are cabins, equipped with most necessary to a very accessible price. Without mattering what chooses, it will find comfort, good service, the amiable treatment, and most important, an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. The majority of these establishments is of property of the native ones and taken care of by they themselves. They are constructed mainly in wood, with the typical style of the Caribbean and their shining colors and pretty railings fit perfectly with the tropical atmosphere.

Restaurants:
The typical plate par excellence is “rondón”, elaborated with cooked fish, snail, yucca and dumplings in an exquisite milk sauce of the Coco. Also it is possible to be enjoyed plates with fish, crab, snail and lobster, made in the restaurants located in main beaches and tourist zones. The typical drink is local cane rum known popularly like “bushy”.