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Report: SAINT HELENA

06 Dec 2017 - by Dave Marsh
Comments | 0

…and now for something completely different

DON’T expect any

similarity between a

beach holiday on an

Indian Ocean Island with that

of a tropical island in the

South Atlantic. Forget coral

reefs and white beaches

sloping gently into the sea.

St Helena’s topography is

typically volcanic mountains

with sheer cliffs rising out of

the sea bed.

It is the most populated

island in the South Atlantic

and, until now, was only

accessible by sea. With

only one regular ship serving

the island, a visit meant

a commitment of at least

18 days.

When St Helena Tourism

staff attended a two-day

London trade show this

year in February it took nine

weeks for them to get to

London and back.

Then in October all that

changed when the new

airport put out the red carpet

for the first air service in the

island’s history.

Reasons to book St Helena

Of people who are

looking for something

quite different or a new

incentive experience,

South Africans are in

a better position than

anybody to experience and

enjoy the uniqueness of

St Helena, probably

the world’s most remote

and unspoilt tropical

destination.

History

St Helena is Britain’s

second oldest colony

and played a key role

in building the British

Empire. Its location was

ideal for the sailing ships

using the trade winds,

and sometimes up to

1 000 ships called there

in a year. The island was

the English East India

Company’s answer to the

rival Dutch East India

Company’s Cape Colony.

St Helena has a rich

history that remains

preserved.

Napoleon Bonaparte

was banished there after

his defeat at Waterloo

and Longwood House,

where he stayed for six

years and died in 1821,

has been painstakingly

maintained by the French.

St Helena was also the

centre of British efforts to

end slavery and, in 1840,

a naval squadron was

based at the island to

intercept slave ships.

Some 25 000 rescued

slaves were brought to

the island, most of them

continuing to the West

Indies as indentured

labourers.

The Zulu king, Dinuzulu,

lived on the island in exile

for 10 years and later

25 Zulu chiefs were sent

there for opposing the

poll tax in Natal. Dinuzulu

fathered children while

on the island and his line

continues today. Soon

after the departure of

Dinizulu, Boer general,

Piet Cronje, and 5 000

of his men were

imprisoned there during

the Boer War.

In Jamestown, the

capital, nearly every

building is heritage listed

and the main street is

an excellent example

of unspoilt Georgian

architecture. Visits to

extensive old fortifications,

the Governor’s Plantation

house and a museum

bring its history to life.

Walking and hiking

The 122sq km island rises

almost to the height of

Table Mountain. It has a

spectacular and diverse

landscape with mistenshrouded

forests quite

close to ancient desert.

Islanders have devised a

series of 21 walks called

the Post Box Walks, with a

range of difficulty from one

to 10. The most famous is

Lot’s Wife’s Ponds, where

you wind along the coast

before descending for a

swim in the ponds that

teem with sea life. Guides

are available.

Diving and marine

Swimming with a docile whale shark

up to 12m long is on the wish list

of every diver. They can count on

such an experience in the first

three months of the year, when the

water temperature, never less than

19°C, rises to 25°C. Humpback

whales are seen from June to

December and throughout the

year pods of up to 500 dolphins

are evident. Visibility is up to 40m

and two dive operations offer PADI

courses, excursions and tours.

Apart from the biodiversity of the

sea life, there are eight wrecks

close to Jamestown, which is in

the lee of the island with no strong

currents.

Birding and wildlife

The endemic wirebird and its peculiar

behaviour is a source of national pride.

The advice to birders is to take time

to explore the island to observe the

rare and reclusive moorhen, songbirds

and the inquisitive fairy terns. It is

worth taking one of the boat trips to

observe colonies of noddies, boobies,

petrels and terns along the coastal

stacks and cliffs.

Need to know

 Don’t be surprised when you are

greeted by complete strangers. You

should greet everyone you pass,

even engage in a short conversation,

before repeating the process with

the next passer-by.

 Cars coming downhill should make

way for cars going up on the many

single-lane roads. Otherwise drive

on the left.

 Get details about mobile services

and WiFi vouchers from the tourist

office at the airport, which opens

for each arriving flight. As a British

Overseas Territory, St Helena’s

currency is linked to the British pound.

There are no ATMs on the island but

the Bank of St Helena will exchange

rands and major currencies for the

St Helena pound.

 Don’t be surprised when you are

greeted by complete strangers. You

should greet everyone you pass,

even engage in a short conversation,

before repeating the process with

the next passer-by.

 Cars coming downhill should make

way for cars going up on the many

single-lane roads. Otherwise drive

on the left.

 Get details about mobile services

and WiFi vouchers from the tourist

office at the airport, which opens

for each arriving flight. As a British

Overseas Territory, St Helena’s

currency is linked to the British pound.

There are no ATMs on the island but

the Bank of St Helena will exchange

rands and major currencies for the

St Helena pound.

Photocap: Dawn of a new era

Airlink inaugurated the island’s first air service in October. For the time

being, trips must necessarily be arranged around Saturdays when Airlink’s

new flagship aircraft, the Embraer 190 E-jet, makes its weekly flight. This

is not a mass tourism destination and air tickets for the 76 seats available

each week from Johannesburg via Windhoek are expensive. 

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