San Andres Island, Colombia: A Travel Guide

Colombia’s San Andres island offers visitors turquoise waters, sandy beaches, and boatloads of beach bars.

I first learned about this small Caribbean island in 2009 from my Lonely Planet guidebook, which I bought in Madrid days before flying to Colombia.

San Andres has long been a popular vacation destination for Colombians as the beaches, and crystal-clear waters are among the best in the country.

In recent years, as tourism to the country has grown, so too have the number of foreigners adding San Andres to their Colombia travel plans.

In February 2015, while still living in Medellin, I finally went for myself and thought it similar to Cancun, Mexico for many reasons:

• Pretty waters
• Sandy beaches
• Developed infrastructure and tourism services
• Watersports, snorkeling, and diving
• Family-friendly
• Easily accessible by air from within Colombia
• Relatively inexpensive (by Caribbean standards)
• Cheap shopping
• Lots of alcohol and beach bars
• Mass tourism appeal

But, please,…