Getting Here

How to travel to St Helena

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.{b}

Despite its isolation, St Helena is not quite as difficult to get to as you might imagine

To find accommodation here please see our page Where To Stay.

How to get here

The primary route to St Helena is the scheduled commercial air service. If you own or can charter a ’plane you can Fly Yourself Here. Otherwise you can come here on your yacht, on a Cruise Ship, or maybe one of a few other more creative ways.

For entry requirements see our page Visitor Information.

More ‘creative’ options

Alternatively, cheaper ways to get here include:

• Joining the Royal Navy, Marine Nationale (French Navy) or (to a lesser extent) United States Navy, whose ships often call in here during tours of the South Atlantic.

• Becoming a crew member on one of the many ‘sail-around-the-world’ vessels, which usually call on their journey northwards from Cape Town (as did the sailing ships of old).

• Get yourself sent here! See our page Jobs on St Helena for jobs with the Government of St Helena that include free travel, etc. Maybe you could become The Governor of St Helena…☺

Can I bring my pet dog/cat/parrot/elephant?

It’s not impossible, but because of disease control the process is rather complicated - too much so to summarise it here. If you really can’t be separated from your furry/scaly friend, you are best to contact the Senior Veterinary Officer at the Agriculture and Natural Resources Division - Tel (+290) 24724.

Of course, Governor Gurr (2007-2011) had no trouble getting permission to bring his family dog, Stanley…☺(right)

Travel Advice

Travel advice for St Helena is available from various sources:

• The UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

• The St Helena Tourist Information Office.

• The Government of St Helena also provides information on local medical facilities and insurance requirements.

More visitor information

For more useful visitor information see our page Visitor Information.

This from 1961:

Unless transportation and accommodation are improved, it seems to us that the best St Helena can hope for is an occasional off-beater to whom time and comfort are minor considerations{c}

And the good news is…they now have been, although it did take 56 years!

Read More

Below: Article: Commercial Service ‘Takes Off’ at St Helena Airport Article: Tourism

Article: Commercial Service ‘Takes Off’ at St Helena Airport

Press release by Government of St Helena 14th October 2017{2}

Today began an exciting new chapter in St Helena’s history when the first ever commercial flight from South Africa touched down at St Helena Airport at 1:59pm.

Using their Embraer E190-100IGW aircraft, Airlink brought in this inaugural flight from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, following a six hour journey incorporating a fuelling stop in Windhoek, Namibia. Airlink will now operate a weekly service between St Helena and Johannesburg and St Helena and Cape Town (via the stopover at Windhoek International Airport).

72 passengers comprising returning Saints and invited guests - Tour Operators from East Cape Tours, Get Africa Travel, Springbok Atlas and Island Holidays, International media - BBC, ITV, The Times, Thomson Reuters, Associated Press and other publications - were greeted by HE Governor Lisa Phillips on arrival and then by a full St Helenian welcome in the packed Arrivals Hall.

Speaking about today’s flight, HE Governor Lisa Phillips, said:

For St Helena, today is the start of a bright new future. We are determined to make sure that air services work to benefit all St Helenians and bring about a higher standard of living for those on the Island. We are open for business and investment and we know tourists will marvel at the beauty of the Island. We are happy to welcome our visitors to the ‘secret of the South Atlantic’.

Sales and Marketing Manager in Airlink, Karin Murray, added:

This is a momentous historic occasion for St Helena, its citizens and its stakeholders. On behalf of all of us at Airlink, the staff, the Board of Directors and the Shareholders of Airlink, I hereby express our absolute joy and pride at having accomplished this inaugural flight and for having established this scheduled public air transportation air bridge for St Helena. This is indeed a privilege for Airlink and we congratulate St Helena on achieving this auspicious milestone which has been many years in the making.

To mark today’s momentous occasion, guests will undertake a full itinerary of visits to key tourist attractions on St Helena. A reception at Plantation House is also being hosted by Governor Lisa Phillips for all passengers onboard today’s flight and for key people involved in the arrangements leading up to today.

The flight will depart St Helena tomorrow, Sunday 15th October 2017, at 2:30pm.

The commencement of a commercial air service is St Helena’s link to the rest of the world and will transform the Island’s tourism industry. The growth of the tourism industry will have a positive knock-on effect for other sectors including, agriculture, fisheries and construction.

The weekly air service on a Saturday will make it cheaper, quicker and easier to travel to and from St Helena, and will help ensure the Island’s long term prosperity.

Airlink will also operate a monthly charter service between St Helena and Ascension Island. This service will commence with the first flight from St Helena on Saturday, 18 November 2017, and returning on Sunday, 19 November. Thereafter the flight will take place on the second weekend of every month.

Article: Tourism

Published in the St Helena Wirebird{5} October 1960{2}

We have received information to the effect that under the leadership of the Honourable J. A. Thorpe OBE, a Tourist Committee composed of the following people has been set up:

John A. Thorpe OBE, Organiser; Inspector P. Truebody Secretary; Gilbert Martineau{4}; Mr. H. S. George; Mr. S. C. Flagg; Mr. A. F. George; Mr. E. J. Benjamin; Mr. J. R. Charlton.

In these days when passenger ships calling at the Island are few and far between, any increase in tourism would be greatly welcomed by the Island, which could well be a delightful popular holiday resort but for its remoteness.

St Helena which is one of Britain’s oldest possessions, and once described as An Emerald set in Bronze, has much to offer its visitors. Boats with outboard motors manned by excellent crews, modern taxis, colas surfaced roads and a wonderful scenery which is extraordinary for a small Island. St Helena handicrafts including aloe fibre work, handsome lacework and embroidery, seed work and cabinet work, cannot escape the visitor’s interest.

Historically, the argument is that without St Helena there would have been no British possessions in the Far East. Be that as it may, today when St Helena is mentioned the first great name which comes to mind is that of Napoleon, who was exiled here from 1815 until the time of his death in 1821. His place of residence and his tomb, although now empty (his remains were removed to France in 1840), are among the places of interest which few visitors, if any, ever leave the Island without seeing. Longwood Old House where he lived is full of Napoleonic relics and the Pavilion at the Briars where he resided for a time while Longwood was being prepared for him, is now being set up by the French Government as a Museum.

Geographically St Helena, which lies in the South Atlantic Ocean, has a mild and healthy climate influenced by the southeast trades. It is perhaps one of the few places in the world which can boast of having no serious diseases.

Many Royal Visitors have honoured the Island with a call. The last such visit was paid by H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh in 1957.

And so Wirebird wishes the new Tourist Committee every success in its efforts to encourage visitors to this beautiful and historic land which has much of interest to offer.