The Abandoned Prison on the Island of Gorgona, Yes, You Can Visit

Twenty-eight miles off the Pacific Coast of Colombia sits an island that is 5.6 miles long and 1.6 miles wide and has a total area of 10 square miles. Gorgona Island once housed some of Colombia’s most notorious criminals, seven out of ten of whom were lifers.

The prison opened in 1959 and was modeled after Nazi concentration camps. A monotonous routine and secured with 120 guards on the inside and the natural environment outside the prison.

Gorgona Island History

Before the island was a prison, it was inhabited by the Tumaco-Tolita culture, leaving archaeological remains dating back to 1300 AD. However, in 1524, Spanish conquistador Diego de Almagro discovered the island.

Three years after Diego found the island, another conquistador named Francisco Pizarro settled on it after fleeing from indigenous people who lived on the island of Gallo; he stayed on Gorgona while waiting for supplies.

Pizarro also named the island Gorgona, as he considered the island an inferno and lost most of his men to snake bites. The name Gorgona in Greek Mythology means any of three snake-haired sisters in Greek mythology whose appearance turns the beholder to stone.

Prison Life

Eventually, the men left the island and continued their conquests further south. A few indigenous tribes inhabited the island until 1679, when Bartholomew Sharp took over Gorgona, staying for about a month. The island exchanged hands again when Simón Bolivar gave Grogona to Federico D’Croz; however, what was on the island was eventually destroyed by the Thousand Days´ War.

Life inside the prison was routine and monotonous for the inmates. Work detail was only permitted to one hundred lucky inmates. The rest remained inside the prison.

The inmates eventually turned on each other, inmates killing inmates. When an inmate got caught for a crime inside the prison, solitary confinement was initiated, in a cell that only permitted the inmate to squat; the ability to stand or lie down was impossible.

Inside the prison, inmates were referred to as numbers. Stripped of everything, including their name. However, reports state that the guards were thieves, corrupt, and took revenge on the prisoners; the last director, Migues Dario Lopez, also stated:

¨They often cried, they all had mental problems … they killed each other with makeshift blades or strangled each other with simple rags.”

¨Torture, mistreatment, infected food … when I arrived, Gorgona was a hellhole.¨

At least 150 inmates died while imprisoned. Lopez also reported that a few escaped; it is thought that a boat passing picked them up by the island. A famous inmate, ¨The Colombian Papillon, ¨ ran in 1969 but was caught three years later.

Closure

The closure of the prison was in 1984 after pressure from human rights organizations, ecologists, and scientists who wanted to restore the island’s natural fauna. It is estimated that 70% of the jungle was destroyed to create the prison.

Can I Visit Gorgona Island?

Since the prison’s closure, the island has become a National Nature Park.

What to see on Gorgona Island

Anyone willing to take a boat ride out can visit the island home to three venomous snakes. Scuba divers can witness some of the most beautiful corals, and a rare blue lizard lives on the island.

Gorgona National Nature Park

The Nature Park comprises two islands, Gorgona and Gorgonilla, three islets, and the surrounding marine areas. Gorgona National Nature Park is famous for its ecotourism activities, such as bird watching, hiking, diving, and cultural heritage tours.

The park includes 17 species of mammals, 14 species of amphibians, 56 species of reptiles, 148 species of birds, and 12 different kinds of snakes.

Guided Hiking

Hiking is available on the island with a local guide. Guided tours are available on the park’s official website.

Cultural Heritage Museum

On the island, there is an Archaeological Museum where you can explore the culturual heritage of the area. Here you can learn the pre-Columbian history of the area, including tools used in daily life, and a collection of artifacts used on the island.

Diving on Gorgona Island

If you are a diving enthusiast Gorgona Island is the second best diving spot in the Colombian Pacific. The marine biodiversity and underwater topography makes it one of the best underwater destinations in South America.

Whale Watching

Whale watching occurs during the months of June and November.

Entrance to Isla Gorgona

• The entrance fee to the Isla Gorgona National Natural Park is 22.000 COP for adults and foreign residents of Colombia. For nationals and foreign residents between 5 and 25 years of age, it is 13.500 COP. For foreign tourists, it is 53.000 COP. Entry is free for children under 5 and adults over 65.

How to get to Isla Gorgona?

You have three options to reach Isla Gorgona.

• You can take a boat from Guapi to Isla Gorgona, Guapi, which will take around an hour and a half. Alternatively, you can take a bus from Cali or Popayan.

• The second option is to take a speed boat from Buenaventura to Isla Gorgona.

• The third option is to take a boat from Buenaventura to Gorgona Island; this is a slow boat and will take around 12 hours.