Devil's Island is one of the three Salvation Islands 10 miles off the coast of French Guiana. The cluster of three islands were all used as a French prison from about 1850 to 1947. They were a horrific place of exile. All told, 80,000 prisoners were sent to the islands, but only about 30,000 survived.
Today, only the largest of the Salvation Islands, Ile Royale, is open to tourists. Devil's Island is a short distance away, and was connected to Ile Royale by a cable and basket system used to transfer food and water. Today the three Salvations Islands are covered with palm trees and vegetation. However, during the century the islands were used as a prison, they were stripped of trees because the inmates might make boats and escape. During those times, the islands were just rocky outcroppings surrounded by shark-infested seas. Walking around Ile Royale and seeing the horrific facilities such as a huge water cistern dug with teaspoons was sobering for all of us, and confirmed what we had heard.
We sailed at mid-afternoon for the Amazon River.
