Gorgona remained mostly uninhabited until 1960. By then island-based penal colonies, such as Coiba in Panama, San Lucas in Costa Rica and Islas Marías in Mexico, were in vogue.

Gorgona Island, once a brutal high-security prison in Colombia, is now a national park teeming with deadly wildlife. Surrounded by shark-infested waters and dense jungle, the island was notorious for ...

At the end of October, a presidential candidate stirred up old memories when proposing to send corrupt politicians to Colombia’s notorious former island prison of Gorgona. No one took the threat ...

What's more, the sea lanes around Gorgona are used by drug smugglers to ship Colombian cocaine. In 2014, drug-trafficking rebels attacked the island and killed a police agent.

What's more, the sea lanes around Gorgona are used by drug smugglers to ship Colombian cocaine. In 2014, drug-trafficking rebels attacked the island and killed a police agent.

Guides hand out knee-high rubber boots before leading visitors on hikes around Gorgona National Park, an island 21 miles off Colombia's Pacific coast. The boots provide traction in the mud — and ...