…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.
