St Helena Island

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Accommodation seems higher than expected.
From Airbnb.

little tourist activity to their little island,
very little flights compared to somewhere tropical and warm.

same anywhere else in the world, when their are tourists, prices are adjusted, especially off-season.
where there aren't many tourists, why would you go there? so prices reflect that.

 

[Monkeyz]

An interesting documentary on the new airport

 

[pb41]

Reunion island in the Indian Ocean also looks like an unusual and interesting destination. Even though it is a region of France, South Africans don’t need a visa for short visits.

 

[Candystore]

Reunion island in the Indian Ocean also looks like an unusual and interesting destination. Even though it is a region of France, South Africans don’t need a visa for short visits.

Created separate thread to ask for comparisons Reunion versus Seychelles.

 

[shinji]

St. Helena also great for sports fishing especially Blue Fin Tuna IRC.
Super diving as well, though cold.

Curiously, when the locals say "hang out" they mean 'knocking boots'.

The guys on SV Delos spent some time there sailing via Namibia to St Helena and then onto Brazil. They spent quite some time there.

 

[Cage Rattler]

Definitely no white sandy beaches ... there is only one beach (around Sandy Bay) which has black sand - volcanic. They have a race every year up Jacob's ladder - I was there watching .. technique of the fastest guys is not what you would imagine - it is quicker going up on all fours as the steps are far larger than normal.

Another island - Sao Tome - was also pretty interesting when I went. How it was before those all those other mentioned islands became commercialised. 3rd least visited tourist destination. You have perfect beaches all to yourself all the time. Also some of the best coffee and chocolate on the planet.

 

[Jam Sandwich]

Has anyone of you been to St Helena (the island, NOT St Helena Bay) and is it worth a visit?

I know very little about it other than the link to Napoleon but thought it may be worth checking out.

Mate of mine worked there for a while..he was a surveyor when they started the airport project..
He loved it. Said there wasnt much to do other than fish, hike and drink...His kinda life...
He gave me a book calleds Exploring St Helena: A Walkers guide...Looks nice.

Exploring St Helena : A Walker's Guide: Carter, Laurence, Matheson, Ian: 9780904614497: Amazon.com: Books

Exploring St Helena : A Walker's Guide [Carter, Laurence, Matheson, Ian] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Exploring St Helena : A Walker's Guide

www.amazon.com

 

[OhYeah84]

Cold, Grey, miserable little island in the middle of the Ocean,

why not fly East to somewhere in the Indian ocean, where its Warm, and tropical,
like Seychelles or Comoros or Mauritius.

For historical purposes and because some would want to check out the island. Simple...

 

[OhYeah84]

No thanks

View attachment 1373489

Fark me...no!

 

[Candystore]

Definitely no white sandy beaches ... there is only one beach (around Sandy Bay) which has black sand - volcanic. They have a race every year up Jacob's ladder - I was there watching .. technique of the fastest guys is not what you would imagine - it is quicker going up on all fours as the steps are far larger than normal.

Another island - Sao Tome - was also pretty interesting when I went. How it was before those all those other mentioned islands became commercialised. 3rd least visited tourist destination. You have perfect beaches all to yourself all the time. Also some of the best coffee and chocolate on the planet.

View attachment 1373585

Sounds fascinating.

 

[Oldfut]

Mate of mine worked there for a while..he was a surveyor when they started the airport project..
He loved it. Said there wasnt much to do other than fish, hike and drink...His kinda life...
He gave me a book calleds Exploring St Helena: A Walkers guide...Looks nice.

Exploring St Helena : A Walker's Guide: Carter, Laurence, Matheson, Ian: 9780904614497: Amazon.com: Books

Exploring St Helena : A Walker's Guide [Carter, Laurence, Matheson, Ian] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Exploring St Helena : A Walker's Guide

www.amazon.com

I think the airport job helped bankrupt Basil Read. First flights had a very quiet cabin.

 

[Cage Rattler]

Accommodation seems higher than expected. Cheapest options are a room in a house.
From Airbnb.

View attachment 1373491

Not quite the right spot .... a little bit more in the middle of the Atlantic would be better...

 

[paul5186]

My grandfather was born there. He left at age 15 to go fight in the second world war. Pretty much sums up what there is to do there Jokes aside, I would like to visit it as well, but not very high up on my list. I can imagine 3 nights would be enough.

 

[Drifter]

Flights there are VERY expensive. 3 years ago it was R42K per person, economy. Not worth it.

 

[PaulNOTsaul]

I thought the Island is empty by now with all of the original citizens emigrating to the Netherlands to work at au pairs/ maids and such.

It is on my list as well, on my 50 year wedding anniversary tour I will be there!

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

For historical purposes and because some would want to check out the island. Simple...

what history is there, besides Napoleon's prison,
people can go to Robben island as well ,see Mandelas Prison as well, and then go back to Skaapstad.

If I had to visit a Cool Island, I would head far Further East, Midway island, or dare I say it Bikini Atoll,
many much cooler islands to visit than a island in the middle of nowhere, with only one globally famous Ex-resident.

 

[Sideshow Bob]

Accommodation seems higher than expected. Cheapest options are a room in a house.
From Airbnb.

View attachment 1373491

look ok considering kind of remote novelty aspect. what are ticket costs from SA ?

 

[Corelli]

Very windy - dress appropriately. They recently built an international airport - before you could only go there by ship - and the wind was a big challenge in finding an appropriate spot and doing all the test flights. SA Airlink flies there via Windhoek, I think.

Some useful info:

Introduction ⋅ Saint Helena Island Info ⋅ About St Helena, in the South Atlantic Ocean

Adventures In Photography

The best of St Helena, photographs and stories. WTSDN includes the people of the island, the rolling landscapes, colourful flora and gorgeous sunsets. Plus we have travel and adventure photo-stories from around the world to browse.

whatthesaintsdidnext.com

St. Helena was also the site of one of the [url"http://sainthelenaisland.info/boerprisoners.htm"]British concentration camps[/url]. I've always wanted to go there since one of my great grandparents were held there. Haven't gotten around to it yet though.

Yip my great grandfather had about 12 escape attempts from there before it was closed down. He survived all the attempts only to die from Spanish Flu while visiting friends years later in South Africa. He was one of the Dutch Commanders that came to fight with the Boers. Many didnt know but about 4000 Dutch troops came to fight with the Boers but so did French, Russian, etc.

 

[Corelli]

Its a nice historical place to visit.

 

[OhYeah84]

what history is there, besides Napoleon's prison,
people can go to Robben island as well ,see Mandelas Prison as well, and then go back to Skaapstad.

If I had to visit a Cool Island, I would head far Further East, Midway island, or dare I say it Bikini Atoll,
many much cooler islands to visit than a island in the middle of nowhere, with only one globally famous Ex-resident.

That's your opinion which is fine. Anyways...