Why the remote island of St Helena is going to become 2016's hottest holiday destination
If you tried to visit the island of St Helena today, you’d need to take a very long boat journey and three weeks off work. But that will all change when the new airport opens.
St Helena is one of the most remote places in the world
The tiny island of St Helena is just 10 miles long and 1200 miles off the coast of Africa.
St Helena isn’t the best choice for a quick weekend break. Currently the only way to reach the island is to board the last commercially operating Royal Mail ship, HMS Helena, and that departs from Cape Town just once every 3 weeks. The boat’s schedule means that you’ll need to spend more than a week on St Helena.
When the airport has finally opened (after a delay it’s looking like flights will take taking off in May), this incredible tropical paradise will open up to tourists.
Flights will take around four and a half hours from Johannesburg and it's possible that there will also be some direct flights from the UK.
Beautiful St Helena Island
The island was discovered by the Portuguese navigator João da Nova in 1502.
History-lovers will be very interested in St Helena, largely due to its links to Napoleon. He was exiled here and remained on the island until his death in 1821 (you can pay a visit to his tomb). The island also played a part in the Anglo Boer War in South Africa - 6000 Boer prisoners were exiled to the island.
This remote heart-shaped waterfall will soon be accessible to tourists
Here are some of the lesser-known secrets that are waiting to be discovered on St Helena:
The heart-shaped waterfall
Thanks to a dip in the land, a beautiful waterfall in James Valley takes on the shape of a heart. Expect to see a lot of marriage proposals.
Jacob’s Ladder
For incredible views of the island, make sure you take a trip up the 699 steps of Jacob’s ladder.
The landscape of the remote St Helena island is lush and unspoilt
Deadwood Plain
This is the site of the Boer Prisoners of War Camp and it’s also home to the wirebird – the island’s only endemic bird.
Millennium Forest
To mark the Millennium almost 5000 gum wood trees were planted on the island. As part of the conservation project, you can help by planting your own gumwood tree in the forest.
Jamestown is the capital of St Helena
St Helena Distillery
Being so remote, St Helena definitely takes care of itself when it comes to creating a tipple or two. They create their own gin with ermuda juniper. You can see how it’s made at the distillery, as well as having a taste of the Tingy Spirit and their own White Lion rum. They’ve also created their own coffee liqueur called Midnight Mist.
Wildlife
Nature is such a huge draw for the island. There are 45 species of plant that are endemic to the island. Several species of dolphin live around the island as well as humpback whales. The island also boasts 22 endemic species of spider, but luckily for everyone, the giant St Helena earwig is almost certain extinct.
You'll find dolpins off the coast of St Helena
Where to stay
There are plans for a swanky hotel to be built on the island, but there isn’t really much call for it at the moment. Instead you’re better off going local and booking into a guesthouse.
When to go
Despite being in the tropics, St Helena doesn’t really have a change of seasons. It stays warm all year round and the hottest months are between January and March, it’s coldest in June and July.
St Helena Airport is due to open in May 2016 For more information about flights and travelling to the island, visit the St Helena tourist board.