The Blue Almond guide to San Andrés

One ring road loops the island, so getting lost takes real effort. Local buses run the island routes, taxis are everywhere, and plenty of visitors rent a golf cart, a scooter or a bicycle for the day.

• Our listing puts the San Luis bus route a short walk from the hostel, and the La Loma route, which takes you to the west side, a little further.
• Agree the taxi fare before you get in.
• Foreign driving licences that are valid are accepted for tourists during their authorised stay in Colombia.
• On scooters, rider and passenger must wear a helmet; at night, bikes and motorbikes need reflective gear.
• Tell us your flight and we’ll try to match you with other guests to share a taxi from the airport.

It’s warm all year. Official sources broadly agree that the first months of the year are the driest and the end of the year the wettest, but they draw the lines differently. More important than the calendar is the sea: when it’s rough, boats to the cays stop and park activities can be suspended, even in the ‘dry’ season.

• ProColombia gives December to May as the dry season and June to November as the rainy season, with rain that’s neither heavy nor constant.
• The island’s tourism portal says December to April is the sunniest stretch, May to September is changeable, and October, November and early December bring rain, electrical storms and strong winds.
• The prevailing winds blow from the northeast.
• In February 2026 national park activities in the archipelago were briefly suspended because of strong north-northeast winds and rough seas.
• Leave a spare day or two for boat trips and Providencia.

The Raizal people are the archipelago’s native community, descended from enslaved Africans and English and Dutch settlers, and recognised by the Colombian state as an ethnic group since 1991. Their mother tongue is Creole (Kriol); many islanders also speak English and Spanish. The First Baptist Church on La Loma has been a pillar of the community since the 1840s.

• Learn a few words of Kriol — people notice and appreciate it.
• Greet people, and ask before photographing anyone or their home.
• Dress respectfully if you visit a church, especially for Sunday services.
• Emancipation Week, at the end of July and start of August, commemorates the end of slavery.
• Eat island food: rondón (run down), crab dishes and breadfruit — but skip black crab, conch and lobster during their closed seasons.

The whole archipelago was declared the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2000. Coralina, the regional environmental authority, names physical contact, boat anchoring and groundings among the things that damage coral and seagrass. The reef is the reason the sea has all those colours — treat it like it matters, because it does.

• Never touch, stand on or kick coral; snorkel and dive without touching wildlife.
• Don’t touch, feed or handle rays, sharks or fish — whatever the tour offers.
• Don’t take shells, coral, sand, starfish or sea urchins as souvenirs, and don’t buy souvenirs made from wild animals.
• Use biodegradable, reef-safe sunscreen, or cover up with a rash guard.
• Choose certified, responsible operators and take your rubbish home with you.

Colombia runs on pesos (COP), and on the island cash still matters: boat-dock charges, park entries and small vendors often want it on the spot. Cards work in many places, but not everywhere.

• Carry small notes; many small businesses can’t change large ones.
• Exchange money at banks or authorised exchange houses, never on the street.
• When paying by card, choose to be charged in pesos rather than your home currency.
• Beaches on San Andrés are closed to bathers between 6 pm and 6 am under a 2026 decree.
• The archipelago restricts plastic bags — bring a reusable one.