The indigenous Kuna or Cuna of Urabá (Colombia) and San Blas (Panama), have the tradition of being the first settlers of the island.

Pizarro and thirteen of his men remained for seven months on Gorgona waiting for the arrival of provisions, preparing for a continuation of his efforts to conquer Peru.

The island, rich in fresh water and valuable wood, served as a supply station for ships en route from Panama to Peru and back.

During the 1820s, after the independence of Colombia from Spain, Simón Bolívar gave Gorgona to Federico D'Croz, as thanks for his military service during the Battle of Vargas Swamp.

It became a state high security prison housing Colombia's more violent criminals, generally those convicted of murder and rape.

Convicts were dissuaded from escaping by the venomous snakes in the interior of the island and the sharks patrolling the 30 km to the mainland.

On the feast of the Virgin of Mercy, patron of the inmates, Camargo hid in the bushes on the island evading the authorities.

The penal colony was closed on 25 June 1984 during the presidency of Belisario Betancur, and the last prisoners were transferred to the mainland.

The island was established as Gorgona Natural National Park in 1984, in order to preserve its endemic species, the richly varied wildlife of the tropical forest and the coral reefs offshore.

Camping is not allowed, and the only housing available is the one provided by the park administration in El Poblado, the only settlement area of the island.

Since Gorgona is a tropical environment known for its venomous snakes, visitors are not allowed to set foot anywhere unaccompanied and not wearing boots, except for the beach in front of the rooms.

The terrain of Gorgona is mountainous with the highest peak, Cerro La Trinidad, at a height of 338 m (1,109 ft).

As well, the backbone of the island consists of the peaks Los Micos, La Esperanza and El Mirador.

On the eastern (continental) side of the island there are white sand beaches made up of coral reef detritus.

With an average 90% humidity, intense rainfalls and misty days are frequent; with a calculated rain fall of 6,948.5 mm annually.

Thanks to the frequent rains and high humidity, Gorgona has a rich hydrographic system that includes a large amount of water currents flowing towards the ocean.

[3] A marine sedimentary succession spanning the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary with a horizon containing numerous glassy spherules generated by the Chicxulub impact is found on the southern tip of Gorgonilla.

Unfortunately, this species is in danger of extinction due to forest clearing during the times of the prison and by predation from the introduced western basilisk.

[5] Terrestrial mammals include the introduced Colombian white-headed capuchin, brown-throated sloth, Gorgona spiny rat and the Central American agouti.

The island is well known for the yearly passage of the humpback whale and their newborn who visit its shores from August to October during their southward migration.

The island has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant populations of brown pelicans, magnificent frigatebirds and blue-footed boobies.