Old Providence McBean Lagoon Park is the only National Natural Park, of the 59 in Colombia, located in the insular Caribbean and is part of the Seaflower Man and Biosphere Reserve, established by UNESCO in 2000. Know more about the biosphere reserves of Colombia in our entry Next Travel Ideas? Visit the Biosphere Reserves of Colombia.
In this blog I offer you a brief review about everything you need to know before visiting Old Providence McBean Lagoon National Natural Park in the Colombian Caribbean.
Discovering Old Providence McBean Lagoon National Natural Park
This protected area in unique and is the only one in the insular oceanic Caribbean of Colombia. It is located northwest of the island of Providencia archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina. The park has an extension of about 9,95 km² of land area of which 9,05km² are marine area.
The small part of its land area is known as Iron Wood Hill, which has the second largest barrier reef in the Caribbean, after Belize, protecting the coasts of the island of Providencia. Thanks to the large coral reef in this area, its waters turn from a dark blue to a translucent turquoise blue; that is why it is known as “the Sea of 7 colors“.
Ecosystems at Old Providence McBean Lagoon
The park has 4 ecosystems of the archipelago that can be appreciated during the traveler’s visit: mangrove forests, coral formations, seagrass meadows and a small extension of dry forest.
The Park’s Ecosystems
Old Providence McBean Lagoon National Park encompasses just 995 hectares — one of Colombia’s smallest national parks — yet packs extraordinary ecological diversity into its compact boundaries. The park protects four distinct ecosystems: mangrove forests lining the lagoon, volcanic dry forest on Iron Wood Hill, seagrass meadows in the shallow waters, and living coral reef extending offshore.
The mangrove system provides critical nursery habitat for juvenile reef fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. Red, black, and white mangrove species create a complex root architecture where dozens of fish species shelter during their vulnerable early life stages before moving to the open reef as adults.
Marine Life
The reef systems within and adjacent to the park support over 100 coral species and 400 fish species — among the most diverse in the western Caribbean. Hawksbill and green sea turtles forage in the seagrass beds and rest on the reef, while nurse sharks, spotted eagle rays, and large grouper species patrol the reef channels.
Snorkeling directly from shore provides access to healthy reef formations teeming with parrotfish, angelfish, surgeonfish, and schools of blue tangs. The park’s protected status has allowed fish populations to recover to densities rarely seen elsewhere in the over-fished Caribbean.
Iron Wood Hill Trail
The park’s terrestrial trail climbs Iron Wood Hill through volcanic dry forest — a rare habitat type in the Caribbean. This short but rewarding hike (approximately 45 minutes) passes through forest sheltering endemic lizards and offers panoramic views over the lagoon, reef, and the famous “Sea of Seven Colors” created by varying water depths over the reef platform.
The Providencia Black Crab, endemic to the island, undertakes dramatic annual mass migrations during the breeding season, crossing roads and beaches in vast numbers to reach the sea — one of the Caribbean’s most spectacular natural events.
Visiting the Park
The park is located on the southwestern coast of Providencia Island, accessible by boat from the main settlement of Santa Isabel. Park infrastructure includes marked trails, a visitor center, and designated snorkeling areas. Entrance fees support conservation management of this globally significant reef system.
Sara Colmenares holds a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in Ecology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and a Master’s degree in Botany from the same institution. Her doctoral research focused on palm ecology in the Atlantic Forest, supported by the Rufford Foundation conservation grant.
A published researcher in the Brazilian Journal of Plant Physiology and a member of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC), Sara has presented her work at international conferences across Latin America and beyond. She was awarded the COLCIENCIAS “Virginia Gutiérrez de Pineda” fellowship, one of Colombia’s most competitive academic distinctions for young researchers.
Sara founded the Sula nature tourism brand in 2018, applying her scientific expertise to develop birding and wildlife experiences across Colombia’s six natural regions. Her fieldwork took her from the cloud forests of the Andes to the Amazon basin, the Pacific coast, and the plains of the Orinoquía. She combined deep ecological knowledge with firsthand experience to create content that is both scientifically accurate and practically useful for nature travelers.
She holds a B.Sc. in Biology from the National University of Colombia, where she also taught plant ecophysiology. She speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and English.