Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport (ADZ) — Airport Guide 2026
Every tourist arriving in San Andrés owes 153,000 COP before they board — a Tarjeta de Turismo set by Governor’s Decree in January 2026, up from 146,000 COP the year before, and the single most reliably missed cost on the trip.
Quick Reference
ADZ / SKSP
Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport
Northern edge of San Andrés town (El Centro), ~1.5 km from Spratt Bight beach
One passenger terminal, domestic and international combined
Single, 06/24, 2,375 m asphalt, elevation 6 m
~5 min by taxi; walkable in 15–20 min from El Centro hotels
Colombian peso (COP); ~3,690 COP/USD, ~4,240 COP/EUR (late May 2026 — verify)
Visa-free up to 90 days for most nationalities
Tarjeta de Turismo — 153,000 COP in 2026, bought before boarding
Officially deprecated Jan 2025; airlines still request it — fill it (free)
AeroPrime, domestic departures, near Gate 4, Priority Pass, 07:00–21:00
Avianca, LATAM, Wingo, JetSmart
Copa to Panama City (scheduled); WestJet to Canada (seasonal)
SATENA to Providencia
Not safe — bottled only
Not required; island is a low-risk zone
🏗️ Terminal, Runway, and a 1954 Presidential Project
ADZ is a single-terminal, single-runway airport. There is no airside train, no satellite concourse, and no second building to navigate between. From the kerbside to the gate is a short walk, and that brevity is the whole design. The airport’s volume problem is peak crowding — Sunday afternoons, when the mainland-holiday return wave hits — not complexity.
The runway is 2,375 m of asphalt, designation 06/24, sitting 6 m above sea level. It comfortably handles the 737 and A320 families and rules out widebody intercontinental service, which is why there is no direct flight to Europe or the United States. The island sits roughly 720 km from the Colombian mainland and about 230 km off the coast of Nicaragua — closer geographically to Central America than to the country that governs it — and the runway length reflects its role as a leisure spoke, not a transit hub.
The airport was built under President Gustavo Rojas Pinilla and opened in 1954, originally named Sesquicentenario before being renamed for him after his death in 1975. He ordered it built to physically tie the archipelago to the Colombian economy. The free-port status that followed in the same era is why El Centro remains wall-to-wall duty-free shops seventy years later.
Traffic is almost entirely domestic leisure — Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, the Caribbean coast cities — and the airport handled over two million passengers in 2018 on the back of that demand. On days when a Copa departure to Panama and a seasonal Canadian flight combine with the domestic peak, the immigration hall backs up fast. If you are flying internationally out of ADZ, treat the published check-in window as a hard deadline, not a suggestion.
⚠️ Tourist card: buy it before you board, not on arrival
The Tarjeta de Turismo control point on arrival is a verification desk, not a sales counter. Sorting out a missing card on the island side is slower and sometimes costlier than buying it at the departure airport. Bogotá’s El Dorado, Medellín’s Rionegro, and Cartagena all have dedicated card desks near the San Andrés gates. Budget ten minutes.
One more practical note: airside at ADZ is basic. The gate-hold areas are small, air conditioning struggles on hot afternoons against crowd and climate, and charging points are oversubscribed at peak. Bring a power bank rather than planning around a free socket.
🛂 Border, Tourist Card, Check-Mig, and Currency
Visa
Citizens of the US, Canada, the UK, the EU, Australia, and most of Latin America enter Colombia visa-free for up to 90 days as tourists, extendable once to 180 days per calendar year through Migración Colombia. Your passport must be valid for the duration of the stay. San Andrés is Colombian territory, so the same national entry rules apply — plus one additional island-specific layer on top.
The Tarjeta de Turismo — 153,000 COP in 2026
💳 153,000 COP — the card that catches first-timers
The tourist card breaks into two parts: 2.22 UVT (~116,000 COP) for the card itself and 0.71 UVT (~37,000 COP) for a public-infrastructure contribution. The 2026 figure was set by Decree 0010, signed by the Governor on 8 January 2026, up 7,000 pesos from the 146,000 COP charged the previous year. Children under 7, island residents, and raizales holding a current OCCRE card are exempt. A family of four pays four cards.
The island charges the levy because San Andrés is a fragile reef ecosystem under sustained tourism pressure, and the revenue funds public infrastructure on a territory that imports almost everything. The OCCRE exemption reflects a longer tension: the native Creole raizal community has watched mainland-Colombian tourism reshape the island over decades, and the OCCRE registry that gates residency is part of the framework designed to protect it. None of that changes the practical position — 153,000 COP, bought before you fly, kept until you leave.
Check-Mig
Colombia’s online migration form sits in an awkward interim state. Migración Colombia formally deprecated the obligation in January 2025, yet many airlines still request confirmation at boarding and some gate agents still ask for it. Fill it out anyway. It is free, takes under ten minutes, and is submitted between 72 hours and 1 hour before departure — for both entry to and exit from Colombia.
Currency
The Colombian peso, trading at roughly 3,690 to the US dollar and 4,240 to the euro in late May 2026 — the peso moved in a 3,470–3,700 band through the month, so check the week you travel. Notes run 2,000 through 100,000 COP; coins 50 through 1,000. Island prices are commonly quoted in thousands: “veinte” from a taxi driver means 20,000 COP. There is no meaningful parallel exchange on San Andrés — use ATMs in El Centro or pay by card. Airport-area ATMs are limited; the duty-free shops and larger restaurants prefer plastic, but anything involving transport or a beach kiosk wants cash.
💵 Pay in pesos, not dollars
Tourist shops sometimes accept US dollars, but at rates that will cost you more than the ATM. Draw pesos in town and pay local prices in local currency.
Yellow Fever
San Andrés is classed as a low-risk zone and requires no yellow-fever certificate to enter. Colombia declared a health emergency in 2025–2026 after confirmed cases and deaths in interior risk zones, and vaccination is required for many mainland national parks — but the island is not one of those zones. If your trip also includes the Amazon or the coffee region’s protected areas, get vaccinated for those legs separately. The island sits at sea level, so altitude is not a factor here.
🚖 Getting to Town
The airport is close enough to El Centro that transport is mostly a question of pesos and minutes. The only real decision is how much luggage you are carrying.
Taxis
🚖 Taxi to El Centro: ~20,000 COP, ~5 minutes
Fares are fixed by island zone, not metered — agree the number before you sit down. Daytime zone fares run roughly 11,300 to 45,000 COP depending on destination; El Centro hotels land around 20,000 COP. Night fares run higher: roughly 15,200 to 60,700 COP across the same zones. A driver quoting “veinte” means 20,000 COP. There is no airport surcharge of note, but an unconfirmed fare tends to land at the top of the zone band.
The higher fare to a hotel in San Luis (the east coast beach strip, roughly 15–20 minutes from town by road) is the published tariff working as designed, not a tourist premium. Ask which zone your hotel is in if you are unsure; a straightforward driver will tell you.
Coobusan Buseta
🚌 Buseta: ~3,600 COP one-way
The Coobusan public minibuses run the main loop roads through El Centro from early morning until around 20:00. They stop on the main road rather than at the terminal forecourt, so a short walk is required. For one or two people with light bags heading to El Centro, the saving over a 20,000-COP taxi is real. For a family with luggage, the taxi wins on practical grounds.
Service thins after dark and stops around 20:00 — do not plan a late-evening airport run around it.
Moto-Taxis
Pillion rides on motorbikes undercut even the buseta for short hops. There is no fixed published tariff and no meaningful helmet culture for passengers. For a solo traveller with a daypack, it is a reasonable confirm-the-price, accept-the-risk option. For an airport run with bags, it is not.
Rentals
The island’s signature rental is not a car but a golf cart (carrito de golf) or scooter. The ring road is about 30 km and speeds are low; a full circuit takes well under an hour. Rental stands cluster in El Centro rather than at the airport. A car is excess for an island you can circle before lunch. Drive on the right; navigation on a single ring road is not a challenge.
📸 Golf cart rental: photograph the cart before you drive off
Many rental contracts require a deposit. Some quotes exclude the fuel top-up. A few stands push damage claims at return. Photographing the full exterior before departure removes the argument at the end.
Walking
If you are staying in El Centro with a carry-on only, the terminal is a 15–20 minute walk.
🛋️ Lounges
There is one lounge at ADZ.
AeroPrime San Andrés is airside in the domestic departures area, near Gate 4. Open daily 07:00–21:00. Access is via Priority Pass, with walk-up pay-in entry also available regardless of airline. Cardholders may bring guests. House rules: a maximum three-hour stay, children under five free, complimentary alcoholic drinks capped at two per adult. Amenities are modest and honest — air conditioning, seating, basic food and drink, and Wi-Fi. It reviews at around four stars.
⚠️ AeroPrime is on the domestic side — check your gate first
The lounge sits near Gate 4 in the domestic departures area. If you are departing internationally — the Copa flight to Panama City, or a seasonal Canadian service — you may clear into a part of the terminal where this lounge is not reachable. Confirm your gate’s location relative to it before counting on access.
There is no Avianca or LATAM branded premium lounge at ADZ. No oneworld or Star Alliance flagship. The carriers treat this as a leisure spoke, and their premium-cabin passengers use AeroPrime like everyone else. Priority Pass is the ceiling here, not a special tier.
🍽️ Food Before You Fly
Rondón — the dish to eat, and where not to eat it
🫕 Rondón: eat it in town, not at the airport
The archipelago’s signature plate — fish, queen conch (caracol pala), cassava, green plantain, and yam slow-cooked in fresh coconut milk — is a sit-down, slow-cooked dish. It comes from the raizal Creole community; the name is an anglicisation of “run down.” It is served in posadas nativas and town restaurants, not at airport gates. A full rondón plate in town costs well under what a far smaller airside snack costs. Eat before you head to the airport.
Beyond rondón: grilled or fried red snapper (pargo rojo), queen conch when in season, lobster in the high months, patacones (fried green plantain), arroz con coco, crab empanadas, and crab soup on the comfort end. The raizal coconut bread and “duff” pudding are British-Caribbean inheritance you will not find on the mainland. Drinks: coconut water straight from the shell, Colombian beers (Águila, Club Colombia, Costeña), and coco loco, a coconut-shell rum cocktail sold on the beach.
Airport food is captive-market pricing — coffee, empanadas, sandwiches at a noticeable markup. The steepest premium in the building is bottled water. Fill a bottle or buy in town before you head to departures.
Duty-Free — the Puerto Libre angle
🛍️ The whole island is a free port — the airport store is the fallback, not the first stop
San Andrés has operated as a Puerto Libre since the 1950s, a customs status still in force under Colombia’s DIAN regime in 2026. El Centro is full of competing duty-free shops selling fragrances, liquor, tobacco, electronics, and jewellery. The terminal has a Duty Free Americas store near the gates for last-minute purchases, but the town shops generally offer better selection and sometimes better prices because they compete with each other. Buy what you want in town, carry it, and check your home country’s customs allowances before you fill a bag.
💡 The Island Beyond the Terminal
San Andrés is a stay-destination. Almost nobody connects through ADZ; people fly here and stay for four to seven days. Everything below is reachable from the airport-side town.
Spratt Bight
The town beach, a 15–20 minute walk from the terminal — white sand fronting El Centro. Convenient. It is the closest swim to arrivals, not the best water on the island.
Johnny Cay and El Acuario
Johnny Cay (also called Cayo Sucre) sits about 1.5 km off the north coast — a 10–15 minute boat ride from Spratt Bight. There is a small entrance fee of around 15,000 COP and it gets crowded with day-trippers by midday. Go early.
El Acuario and Haynes Cay sit roughly 1.6 km off the eastern shore, about 10 minutes by boat. The water here is some of the clearest in the archipelago. Combined Johnny Cay + Acuario boat tours are the standard half-day offering.
The Ring Road — 30 km, Half a Day by Golf Cart
🛺 Ring road loop: half-day by golf cart, clockwise from El Centro
The coast road is roughly 30 km. Moving south and east from town: Hoyo Soplador near the southern tip, where wave pressure spouts seawater through the rock; West View, a swimming spot with a slide over clear water; La Piscinita, a sheltered natural pool about 7 km from town with reef fish you can feed; and Morgan’s Cave (Cueva de Morgan), a pirate-legend grotto around 8 km along. Big Pond, inland on La Loma, is a freshwater pond with resident caimans a local keeper feeds for visitors — a brief stop on the circuit, not a destination in its own right. These are short-stop attractions; the full loop with all of them is a comfortable half-day.
The west coast’s Cove is the deepest natural harbour on the island and one of the better shore-snorkel and dive entry points. The west side generally has clearer water and the dive operators; the east and north have the beaches and the crowds.
San Luis
The east-coast beach strip is calmer and less commercial than Spratt Bight, about 15–20 minutes from town by road. Shallower water, thinner crowds, and more local food — posadas nativas serving rondón to guests rather than tour-bus restaurants. For one swim away from the day-tripper circuit, this is the stretch.
La Loma
The island’s central ridge is the heart of the raizal community — the Creole-English-speaking islanders whose presence on San Andrés predates the Colombian administration. The First Baptist Church on the hill is the cultural anchor of that community. The island’s identity is Caribbean and Anglo-Creole as much as it is Colombian; La Loma is where that is plainest.
Providencia — Not a Day Trip
⚠️ Providencia needs an overnight, not an afternoon
The smaller sister island is reachable only by SATENA’s short flight (roughly 20–30 minutes) or a weather-dependent catamaran ferry that is frequently suspended in rough seas. Flights sell out. The ferry is unreliable. Providencia rewards two or three days; it does not work as an afternoon excursion. Treat it as a separate extension, booked in advance.
The Layover Math
ADZ is a terminus. Almost nobody connects through it. If you have a genuine multi-hour gap, the only thing realistically reachable is Spratt Bight — a 15–20 minute walk each way, an hour on the sand, and back. The round trip plus a sensible return-security buffer consumes most of a three-hour window. Under three hours, stay airside. The cays require a boat and a half-day minimum. Providencia requires a flight and at least one night. If you came to see San Andrés, book at least three nights.
🔧 Practical Notes
Connectivity. Terminal Wi-Fi exists and is adequate for a boarding pass; unreliable for video. On the island, buy a Colombian SIM (Claro and Movistar have the best island coverage) from a town shop with your passport — eSIM plans also work. Data drops off on the cays and remote ring-road points; download maps before you ride.
Safety. San Andrés is a tourist economy and broadly relaxed by Colombian standards. Ordinary precautions apply: petty theft on crowded beaches and in El Centro at night, drink-spiking risk in bars, and the standard advice against visibly carrying cash or expensive phones. The cays get rowdy with day-tour drinking by mid-afternoon. Swim where others swim — currents around Hoyo Soplador and the exposed western points are real.
Water. Tap water is not safe to drink. Use bottled, sold everywhere. The airport markup on bottled water is the steepest in the building — buy in town.
Tipping. Around 10% in restaurants, often added as a voluntary “servicio voluntario” line on the bill — you can decline it. Fixed-fare taxis are not tipped as a rule; round up if you like.
Budget beyond the ticket. The 153,000-COP tourist card, boat-tour fees to the cays, and cay entrance charges (around 15,000 COP for Johnny Cay) add up to more than first-time visitors expect. None of it is hidden — it simply does not appear on the airline ticket.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
📊 At a Glance — ADZ 2026
| Item | Detail (2026) |
|---|---|
| Airport | Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International (ADZ / SKSP) |
| Opened / named for | 1954, under President Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (1900–1975) |
| Terminals | 1 passenger terminal (domestic + international) |
| Runway | Single, 06/24, 2,375 m asphalt, 6 m elevation |
| Distance to El Centro | ~1.5 km; ~5 min taxi, 15–20 min walk |
| Island distance | ~720 km from mainland Colombia, ~230 km from Nicaragua |
| Taxi to El Centro | ~20,000 COP day (fixed zone tariff, no meter) |
| Coobusan buseta | ~3,600 COP one-way (verify) |
| Currency | Colombian peso; ~3,690/USD, ~4,240/EUR (late May 2026) |
| Tourist card (Tarjeta de Turismo) | 153,000 COP; set by Decree 0010, 8 Jan 2026 |
| Visa | Visa-free up to 90 days (most nationalities) |
| Check-Mig | Deprecated Jan 2025; airlines still ask — fill it (free) |
| Yellow fever | Not required; island is low-risk |
| Lounge | AeroPrime, domestic departures Gate 4, Priority Pass, 07:00–21:00 |
| Premium branded lounges | None (no Avianca/LATAM lounge) |
| Main international route | Copa to Panama City; WestJet seasonal to Canada |
| Free-port status | Puerto Libre in force; duty-free island-wide |
| Signature dish | Rondón (fish, conch, root veg, fresh coconut milk) |
| Top day-trips | Johnny Cay (~10–15 min boat), El Acuario (~10 min boat), ring-road loop (~30 km) |
| Tap water | Not potable — bottled only |
