//
Visit the former maximum security prison areas and see how convicts did hard time on the island. The cells are dark and gloomy and inmates were allowed just 15 minutes a day outdoors. The prison housed several notorious drug cartel figures in the early 2000s.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Old salt works where prisoners once worked the lagoons and salt flats to harvest salt. Scenic views.
Cristo Rey
High atop a bluff overlooking the town and harbor below is a statue of Jesus with his arms outstretched, similar to the famous statue of Christ overlooking Rio de Janeiro. Stairways let visitors climb up the pedestal to the base of the statue. Access is provided only by guided tours departing from Puerto Balleto. Independent hikes to the monument are not permitted.
Perched atop a ridge at one end of Puerto Balleto is a red and white lighthouse above a large, single-story contemporary lighthouse keeper's house. The lighthouse is not open to visitors, as of 2024. The lighthouse is a 10-minute hike from downtown and offers spectacular sunrise views.
Small historical museum with exhibits charting the history of the island and its famous prison. Imagine what it was like to be sentenced to years on the island, without visitors, working under the hot sun.