Îles du Salut

Not one person on the ship had any idea what to expect when we arrived in French Guiana until we saw the movie Papillion the night before. The Viking Daily which lists all the excursions for the day was blank. All we knew was, we were anchored and should we choose to go, we would be tendered to a place called Devil’s Island for independent exploration. Devil’s Island is located in the Salvation’s Islands of French Guiana.

In the beginning, Devil’s Island was used as a leper colony. Later it was transformed into a much-feared penal colony for the most notorious French criminals. The prison system was opened in 1852 and became notorious for its harsh treatment of inmates. Over a period of 100 years, more than 70,000 convicts were sent there. More than 40% died in the first year on the island. Only 5,000 people survived to see their release date. The prison was closed in 1953.

Devil’s Island was the perfect prison. Escape was virtually impossible due to the treacherous rocks and strong cross-currents and sharks circulating the island. They waited for the bodies of prisoners, no matter whether they were alive or dead. The most popular escape is the one by Henri Charriere and Sylvain. Henri wrote about the prison and his escape in the book and later movie, Papillion, starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. A movie well worth seeing.