Exploring Crab Caye By Kayak | Providencia Colombia

Crab Cay was certainly one of the highlights of our Providencia trip. Crab Cay is a really small stone island, which is located about 1 km off Providencia and can only be visited by boat or kayak. Alternatively, it would of course also be possible to swim across, but I would really not advise anyone to do that because of the strong current.

Even from a distance, the island looks spectacular as it towers there like a small stone pyramid in the middle of the turquoise-blue sea. If you fly with a drone over the island you see of course much more blue tones and it looks even more fantastic, because in a wide radius around Crab Cay is really nothing but beautiful blue water!

How to get to Crab Cay?

The easiest way to get to Crab Cay (Cayo Cangrejo) is certainly a motorboat that you can hire directly at the Hotel Deep Blue (Google Maps Link). You’ll pay 35,000 – 50,000 COP (about 9-12 €) per person for the round trip, depending on your negotiating skills. With luck you will also get free snorkeling equipment. Alternatively, you can rent a kayak and paddle there yourself. It’s a lot of fun and very fast.

Also at the Hotel Deep Blue you can rent a kayak for about 30,000 COP (about 8 €) and you will be on Crab Cay in about 20-30 minutes. You should make a small detour to the yellow buoy, which is located a few hundred meters to the right of Crab Cay. There you can fasten your kayak and snorkel at the surrounding corals. The current is quite strong, but the various colorful fish and the great corals compensate for the small effort.

Alternative Point to rent a Kayak to Crab Cay

Alternatively, there is another point to rent a kayak to go to Crab Cay. We rented our kayak there and would only recommend it if you are physically fit and want to do some real sporting activities. You start below the airport and then drive through the national park Old Providence McBean Lagoon.

Here you can find the starting point on Google Maps. For our kayak we paid 60,000 COP (about 16 €) for the whole day. The equipment was no longer in top condition and when we returned, the rental company was no longer on site, so we had some trouble getting our backpack back, which we had locked in his cottage.

Crab Cay, Providencia

It took us a total of over an hour to get to Crab Cay, fighting the current and wind the entire time. More than once we thought about giving up and when we arrived we were totally exhausted. On this route you will also pass Tres Hermanos Island. These islands are very beautiful to look at, but you are not allowed to enter them. We would therefore advise you to start directly at the Hotel Deep Blue and not to make the detour via the National Park Old Providence McBean Lagoon.

Additional Tip to the National Park Old Providence McBean Lagoon

In this national park directly at the airport you can also go hiking. You hike there between the ocean and the airport and from the kayak the area looked really nice. We didn’t really find out if you have to pay an entrance fee or if you need a guide. I would expect you have to hire a guide here as well.

How much is the Entrance Fee to Crab Cay?

You pay 18,000 COP (about 5 €) entrance fee per person and can stay there as long as you want. There is a big discount for students. So you should take your international student card with you.

What to do on Crab Cay?

First of all, enjoy the beautiful island. The water is really crystal clear and shimmers in a great turquoise-blue. Also Crab Cay itself shines in a lush green with the blue sea around the bet. Although there is no beach on Crab Cay you can spend half a day or a whole day here. You can chill for hours on the big jetty and let the sun shine on your belly. Jump into the water from time to time and the day is perfect. But of course you can do other things here.

Snorkeling

You have to go snorkeling on Crab Cay! Since the water is so clear and not really deep, snorkeling is a wonderful experience. If you’re lucky, you’ll also see sea turtles and stingrays. On our two visits to the island (once by kayak and once by motorboat) we were lucky to see turtles both times. An incredibly great experience. But you should also swim around the island.

For safety reasons (due to the strong current) this is only advisable with fins. You can rent fins and a snorkel mask for 10.000 COP (about 3 €) per person. You can store your valuables in a locker on the jetty. By the way, you cannot lock this locker. But a little trust is necessary.

Hike to the Top of Crab Cay

You can also hike to the top of Crab Cay in about 3 minutes and then climb on a small rock. Then you really have a wonderful 360 degree view over the sea to Providencia. Also the sea shimmers from up here in a completely different blue.

Beer and Snacks

There is also a small stall with beer, coke and other snacks on the island. The prices are not even much higher than on Providencia. For a Coke you pay 3000 COP (1 €). Of course you can also bring your own food.

Our Accommodation on Providencia

Posada Miss Portia

Our Complete Guide to Providencia

If you want even more info on the Caribbean dream of Providencia, you should read our trip report. Here we have put together a complete guide listing all the things you need to know before traveling to Providencia.

Providencia Colombia | The Complete Travel Guide

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Do you have more info about Crab Cay or questions about the small island off Providencia? Then just write us a comment!