San Andrés, Columbia

750km (470mi) off Columbia's north coast lies the tiny Colombian island of San Andrés nestled in the Caribbean Sea. Andreas and I stayed in a secluded jungly hotel with open walls and mosquito nets. As we were the only guests, the owner Diego spent a lot of time showing us around the island and his favorite dive spots. He told us about his time as a teenager smuggling drugs into the US through Miami in the 80s and the hardships that came with living in Columbia during that time.

A two minute walk from our hotel produced some of the best snorkeling we have ever done. In the bathtub warm waters, we saw coral forests, hundreds of fish of varying sizes and colors, and dove through caves. We also had one of our top SCUBA diving experiences. We again saw hundreds of fish, dove through caves, posed with underwater statues, saw an old shipwreck, and were startled by a huge barracuda (all with no wetsuit)! We spent our last day riding bikes around the island with another couple, stopping along the way for cold beers and dips in the ocean. The island is truly a beautiful tropical getaway.Read more