Santa Catalina Island

Santa Catalina is separated from Providencia by a narrow channel crossed on the Puente de los Enamorados, a wooden pedestrian bridge about a hundred metres long - no cars go over. The island was fortified by the English and later contested repeatedly; Fort Warwick's ruins and old cannon remain on the height, from a period when this was a base for privateering against Spanish shipping and Henry Morgan operated in these waters. Morgan's Head is a rock formation on the western shore that reads as a face in profile from the sea, with a small cave beneath reachable by swimming. The archipelago is a Seaflower Biosphere Reserve. Hurricane Iota devastated Providencia in November 2020 and rebuilding has taken years.

What you actually see

• A wooden footbridge - about a hundred metres, no vehicles.
• Fort ruins and cannon - from the privateering period.
• Morgan's Head - a rock profile with a cave beneath.
• A biosphere reserve - the Seaflower designation.

When to go

January to April, the drier months. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Getting to Providencia takes a flight or a rough catamaran crossing, both weather-dependent. Hurricane Iota in 2020 caused severe damage and recovery is ongoing. Services are limited. The Morgan connection is loosely attached.

Nearby

Providencia is over the bridge; San Andres is south-west.