Juan Convers

Last month, I had the chance to explore a place that many people don’t even realize belongs to Colombia: The islands of San Andrés and Providencia, located in the Caribbean Sea. Even though they are closer to Nicaragua than to mainland Colombia, they’ve been part of the country since colonial times, when they were administered from the Viceroyalty of New Granada (today’s Colombia) rather than from Central America.

We spent a few days on San Andrés, the largest island, and it was a wonderful experience. The water has more shades of blue than you could ever imagine, and the Raizal culture gives the island its own unique rhythm. This is definitely Colombia, but a very different part from the mainland. When I was flying out of the island, I managed to take the snapshot you see above, showing the downtown and northern part of San Andrés — and, of course, the incredible sea that makes this place so special.