In San Salvador, Savoring History on the Sand

By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

Here at Caribbean Journal we’re always encouraging readers to go beyond the beach to explore the history and culture of the destination they’re visiting. But what if you could do that without even leaving the sand?

You can on San Salvador, a 63-square-mile island in the Bahamas, where two historically significant sites are right on the pristine beaches for which the archipelago is famous.

Driving north on the eastern side of the island you’ll first come to a memorial for the Olympic torch. Back in 1968, when the Games were held in Mexico, the torch arrived here from its starting point in Greece, and was carried around the island by relay runners before continuing on its way. The beachfront edifice commemorates the event, and although its flame is lit only for special occasions, the waterfront marker is still worth seeing.

Just a few stops further up the beach is San Salvador’s most-visited and photographed attraction: the stretch of sand now known as Landfall Park. A white concrete cross, starkly contrasted with the striated turquoise seas just behind, it marks the auspicious spot where Christopher Columbus is said to have made his first landing in the New World in October 1492.

And then, after you’ve absorbed these Bahamian history lessons, there’s still one more thing to soak up: A few hours of sunshine on this idyllic curve of coastline where the island’s past meets its present and where, just for a moment, your future looks perfect.