The hike on The Peak is one of the highlights of Isla Providencia and actually the only real hike on the island. You hike to the highest elevations of the entire island and have a wonderful panoramic view of all of Providencia. We had already informed ourselves in advance about the hike and wanted to do it in any case. The hike on The Peak is also done relatively quickly and so you have enough time to enjoy the view at the top.
What is The Peak anyway?
The Peak (sometimes The Hill) is a hike up the highest mountain on the island of Providencia, which gives you one of the most spectacular views on the entire island. The trail is a total of 7 kilometers long and is really well built, as evidenced by wooden bridges and shelters scattered throughout the trail. Even if you are surprised by a storm or heavy rain, you can safely shelter.
The way to the top takes about 1.5 hours and is not really steep at first. Only later it gets really steep and you realize that you will probably soon have a pretty good view. Most of the time you walk through dense forest and at first even past meadows and fields and pass wonderful landscapes.
We were followed all the time by 3 sweet dogs that did not leave our side. The dogs did not belong to our guide, but were simply stray dogs, which were at home on the trail. And apparently they took every opportunity to walk with the tourists. In any case, it was a pleasure to walk through the forest with the three strays and see them chasing through the thicket and across the wide meadows.
We kept running through the forest, over the modern wooden bridges and fighting our way up the hill through the dense vegetation and past lots of little blue lizards. Along the way we even passed some mango trees where we picked up some delicious mangoes from the ground.
The Peak
Shortly before the actual peak, there is a large seating area, which also offers a great view. But if you follow the path a little further, you will get a few meters higher and then you will really reach the highest point (about 360 meters above sea level). There, a truly magnificent 360-degree panoramic view opens up and you can’t get out of your amazement.
We spent over an hour up there, flew around with our drone and simply enjoyed the beauty of nature. The descent went quite quickly and we also met some other hikers. When we arrived back at the starting point, we had to fill out a small survey about our guide and the hike itself. We then drove with our scooter to the next beach and had to rest for a while.
Our Accommodation on Providencia
Posada Miss Portia
How to get to the start of the hike?
The starting point of the hike on The Peak is pretty easy to find. It is located on one of the few side streets on the island at the southern end of Providencia. You can find it here on Google Maps.
What are the opening hours of The Peak?
The trail is officially open from 7am to 4pm in the afternoon. However, if you are there earlier, your guide may be able to take you up before the trail officially opens, giving you the opportunity to get to the top earlier and escape the midday heat.
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Does The Peak have an Entrance Fee and do I need a Guide?
There is no entrance fee for the hike on The Peak, but since mid 2019 you have to have an official guide with you. That was different in the past and we have actually adjusted to that. We much prefer to hike alone and on our own anyway. But when we arrived at 06:30 in the morning at the starting point of the hike, we were already approached by a nice gentleman.
He would be a certified guide and could bring us up to the summit. When we said that we prefer to walk up without a guide, he only referred to a note in a small house at the entrance to the trail. There was indeed an official letter attached to it saying that from June 1, 2019, a hike on The Peak is only allowed with an official guide.
After some discussion with the guide, we had finally agreed with him and paid him 50,000 COP (about €13) per person to take us up to the top. He told us quite a bit about flora and fauna, but we still felt the whole thing was a bit of a rip-off. Besides, we would have preferred to pay the entrance fee and hike alone.
What to consider during the Hike?
Be there early in the morning. In our opinion, this is the most important tip. Since you are not allowed to hike alone without a guide, you should at least make sure that you can enjoy the view alone at the top. Since we were already there before the opening we started very early and were all alone up there for the first hour.
But even during the descent we met only a few other hikers. So you don’t have to worry about meeting masses of other hikers on your way to the peak. Even if you start later in the day. Another reason to start early is of course the heat, which makes it quite exhausting from midday on. No matter when you start, you should definitely take enough water and some snacks with you. On the way there are shelters, but of course nothing to buy.
Our Complete Travel Guide to Providencia
If you want to know more about the Caribbean dream Providencia, you should read our travel report. Here we have put together a complete guide listing all the things you need to know before traveling to Providencia.
