Costa Rica converts island prison into tourist attraction
MARCO SIBAJA
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Isla San Lucas, Costa Rica / Fri, October 9, 2020 / 08:08 am
Tourists visit the former prison at Isla San Lucas in Puntarenas province, Costa Rica, on September 26, 2020. (AFP/Ezequiel Becerra)
Despite the country's coronavirus lockdown, Costa Rica's island of San Lucas, a former penal colony with a dark history, has been newly converted into a tourist paradise, albeit with strict pandemic protocols in place.
Something of Costa Rica's own version of Alcatraz, the island was once home to one of the most notorious prisons in the country's history.
Since its August reopening however, it has also become a picturesque destination for hiking, wild beaches and abundant fauna -- thanks in no small part to several government agencies opening up walking trails and renovating infrastructure to the tune of $2.4 million.
Located in the Gulf of Nicoya off the country's Pacific coast, the formerly abandoned San Lucas served as a penitentiary between 1873 and 1991, known for its torture and subhuman conditions.
More:
https://www.thejakartapost.com/travel/2020/10/08/costa-rica-converts-island-prison-into-tourist-attraction.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
