Where the ocean touches the soul

For the relaxing part of our trip to Colombia, we initially chose San Andres. The 26 square kilometer island is located 770 km off the coast of Colombia and just a stone's throw from Nicaragua. 30 degrees, sunshine, palm trees, and white beaches garnished with 85% humidity. This paradise in the Caribbean Sea will host us for the next 5 days.

The island is shaped by Afro-Colombian influences, which are reflected in its culture, music, language, and way of life. The food offered here has more Creole influences and resembles less the offerings on the Colombian mainland. A Cuba Libre, Coco Loco, or freshly mixed Piña Colada goes particularly well with the fantastic seafood. The local hop flower tea named Club Colombia is, of course, always welcome in these temperatures as well.

The island is manageable in size, but exploring everything on foot is not an option, especially given the described climatic conditions. While taxi transportation is possible, the condition of the vehicles is rather concerning. We felt that only the closed doors of the vehicles prevented the cars from falling apart into their individual parts. For safety-conscious types like us, that's not ideal. The suitable option for us is golf carts, which can be easily rented on the island. Once you get used to the anarchic conditions on San Andres' roads, you can move around well with the carts.

In November 2020, a hurricane swept over the island and caused significant damage. So if one wants to find a flaw, it would be the somewhat outdated infrastructure, which has suffered additionally due to the tropical storm during the pandemic.

After our arrival at the hotel, we first took the day to explore the island in our Mule, as the islanders call the golf carts. We visited several beaches and enjoyed the island vibes in wonderful weather. What else the island has to offer, we will explore in the coming days...and of course report back.