It is a pristine and authentic paradise hiding in plain sight.
In a Caribbean that is increasingly dominated by massive, all-inclusive resorts and crowded cruise ship ports, the search for a truly authentic and untouched island paradise can feel like a hopeless quest. There is a place, however, that has managed to preserve its unique culture and its pristine natural beauty, a place that is so special that its own residents are hoping it stays a secret.
This is the Colombian island of Providencia, a real-life hidden gem that is the Caribbean as it used to be.
1. It is incredibly remote and difficult to get to.
The single biggest reason that Providencia has remained so pristine is that it is not easy to get to. There are no direct international flights. To get to the island, you must first fly to the more well-known Colombian island of San Andrés, and from there, you have to take either a small, 20-seater propeller plane or a stomach-churning, multi-hour catamaran ride to reach Providencia, Medium.com reports.
This two-step journey is a natural barrier that filters out the mass-market tourist, leaving the island to the more dedicated and adventurous travelers who are willing to make the extra effort to get there.
2. It has a unique, English-speaking Creole culture.
While Providencia is a part of the country of Colombia, it feels like a different nation entirely. The island was originally settled by English Puritans, and as a result, the local people, who are known as Raizals, have a unique, Afro-Caribbean Creole culture and speak an English-based creole language. This gives the island a very different and much more traditionally “Caribbean” feel than the Spanish-speaking mainland, as per The Cut.
This unique and proud local culture is a huge part of the island’s charm, and it is something the residents are fiercely protective of.
3. The “sea of seven colors” is a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
The waters that surround the island of Providencia are known as the “Sea of Seven Colors” for their incredible and varied shades of blue and turquoise. The area is home to the third-largest coral reef system in the world, which is a protected UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, as mentioned in The Guardian. This means that the snorkeling and the diving here are absolutely world-class and pristine.
The reefs are healthy and teeming with an incredible diversity of marine life, from colorful coral gardens to sea turtles and sharks. It is an underwater paradise that has been beautifully preserved.
4. There are no large hotels or chain resorts.
One of the most important things to know about Providencia is that there are no large hotels or all-inclusive resorts on the entire island. All of the tourist accommodations are in the form of small, charming, and locally owned guesthouses and inns, which are known as “posadas.” This has been a deliberate choice by the local community to preserve the island’s unique character.
This ensures that the tourism money stays in the local economy and that the island is not overwhelmed by the kind of massive, concrete resorts that have dominated so many other Caribbean islands.
5. The beaches are beautiful and almost completely empty.
If you are tired of fighting for a small patch of sand on a crowded beach, Providencia is the answer to your prayers. The island is home to a number of stunningly beautiful, white-sand beaches, and it is very likely that you will have them almost entirely to yourself, even in the middle of the day. Beaches like the beautiful Southwest Bay are long, calm, and incredibly peaceful.
It is a place where you can truly relax and enjoy the simple, quiet beauty of a pristine, undeveloped Caribbean beach, a rare and precious experience in the modern world.
6. The locals are wary of becoming the “next Tulum”.
The people of Providencia are warm and welcoming, but they are also deeply protective of their island home. They have seen what has happened to other, once-pristine destinations that were “discovered” and then subsequently ruined by overdevelopment and mass tourism. They are very wary of becoming the “next Tulum” or the “next Cancún.”
They are actively trying to manage the growth of tourism on their own terms, to ensure that it is sustainable and that it does not destroy the very culture and the natural beauty that makes their island so special. It is a secret they are hoping to keep for as long as they can.