SALVATION ISLANDS PRISON - ISLAND OF ST. JOSEPH

Île Saint-Joseph was chosen as a site for solitary confinement: where strong heads were sent to serve their sentences. The "man-eater" and the "dry guillotine" were among the island's sinister nicknames. Today, tropical vegetation has invaded the stone ruins: roots and creepers intertwine between the bars of the abandoned dungeons. A walk that can be a little chilling, but not without a touch of the dreamlike.

From the landing stage, there are two paths: one circles the island, the other splits it in 2 at its summit, where you'll find the Reclusion camp. Once in the camp, you'll discover the dormitory, then the cells. The cells had openings only in the ceiling, enabling the guards to keep an eye on the prisoners from above. Convicts were subjected to hard labor for 10 hours a day, and were allowed one walk a day within the camp walls. They were not allowed to communicate with each other, hence the nickname "Island of Silence". There were also a number of totally dark cells, where the most difficult convicts were locked up in absolute darkness, sometimes for several years.

As you head for the shore, you'll come to the warden's family quarters, then the staff cemetery, overlooking a small beach of volcanic rock where a swim is in order. A path leads to the pontoon, where you'll find the janitor's quarters, now converted into a rest station for the French Foreign Legion.