JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
“Napoleon's exile, whale sharks and one of the most remote inhabited islands on earth.”
Saint Helena is a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, 1,950 kilometres from Angola and 2,900 from Brazil, and until 2017 the only way there was a five-day voyage on the RMS St Helena from Cape Town. The airport opened after a long saga involving wind shear that briefly made it famous as the world's most useless airport; a weekly flight from Johannesburg now runs successfully and has changed the island completely.
Napoleon was exiled here in 1815 and died in 1821 at Longwood House, which is French property and open to visitors. Jonathan the giant tortoise, hatched around 1832, lives on the Plantation House lawn and is the oldest known living land animal. Whale sharks aggregate offshore from December to March in unusual numbers, the endemic wirebird exists nowhere else, and Jacob's Ladder climbs 699 steps straight up out of Jamestown. The population is about 4,500 and everyone waves at passing cars.
Highlights
Longwood House
Napoleon's residence in exile from 1815 to 1821, along with his original tomb in the valley below — both French government property, maintained by a resident French consul, on a British island.
Jonathan the tortoise
A Seychelles giant tortoise hatched around 1832 and brought to the island in 1882 — the oldest known living land animal, grazing on the lawn of the governor's residence at Plantation House.
Whale sharks
From December to March whale sharks aggregate offshore in unusual concentrations, with adults of both sexes present, which is rare elsewhere. Snorkelling with them is run under a strict local code.
Jacob's Ladder and the Post Box walks
699 steps climbing straight out of Jamestown up a 180-metre cliff, and a network of 21 waymarked Post Box walks across the island, each with a stamp and a book at the end.
Entry requirements for Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Checking your passport…
We don't hold entry details for this passport group yet.
Before you fly
The detail
- Passport validity
- Most destinations want validity beyond your stay, and some want six months. Check yours against the return date.
- Onward travel
- Airlines may ask for a return or onward ticket at check-in.
- Health
- One hospital in Jamestown handling routine care. Anything serious means evacuation to Cape Town, which is why medical insurance covering repatriation is a condition of entry. No malaria, no dangerous wildlife.
- Money
- The Saint Helena pound is pegged one-to-one with sterling and both circulate. Cards are accepted at a growing number of places but cash still matters; there is one bank and it is not connected to international card networks in the usual way — bring sterling cash and expect to use it.
When to go
BestDec–Mar.
Warmest month; whale sharks offshore.
The band above each month is our editorial verdict - it weighs crowds, prices and access as well as weather. The line is average daily temperature, the bars are monthly rainfall. Select a month for the figures. Climate figures: ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2005–2024 normals.
What it costs
A day in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Comfortable · sample day
≈ $151
Line items are real prices we track. The daily budget is an editorial estimate for this level, not their sum.
Where this sits among 244 countries we have costed
The whale shark window from December to March is the busiest, and with a weekly flight and limited beds it books out well ahead.
Updated Aug 2026 · Editorial synthesis — St Helena Tourism published tariffs and accommodation sampling (2025–2026) · confidence medium
Excludes international flights - they depend on where you fly from.
Regions to know
5Jamestown
The narrow Georgian capital wedged in a valley, the castle, the museum and Jacob's Ladder above it.
The centre
Plantation House and Jonathan, Diana's Peak's cloud forest and the Post Box walks radiating out.
Longwood
Napoleon's house, the original tomb and the flax-covered plateau around them.
The east
Prosperous Bay Plain and the airport, the desert-like Millennium Forest restoration and the wirebird habitat.
Sandy Bay and the south
Dramatic volcanic spires, Lot and Lot's Wife, and the most remote corner of an already remote island.
Practical guide
Getting there
Airlink flies weekly from Johannesburg via Walvis Bay to St Helena Airport at Prosperous Bay Plain, about 20 minutes from Jamestown. The MV Helena cargo ship from Cape Town carries a small number of passengers on a longer schedule.
Getting around
Hire cars are available and are the practical option; the island is small but the roads are steep, narrow and single-track in places. A public bus service runs on a limited schedule. Taxis exist and can be booked for the day.
Money & costs
The Saint Helena pound is pegged one-to-one with sterling and both circulate. Cards are accepted at a growing number of places but cash still matters; there is one bank and it is not connected to international card networks in the usual way — bring sterling cash and expect to use it.
Safety
One of the safest places anywhere; crime is negligible. The hazards are the cliffs, the sea and the remoteness — there is no decompression chamber, and evacuation takes days. Do not take risks you would take at home.
Health
One hospital in Jamestown handling routine care. Anything serious means evacuation to Cape Town, which is why medical insurance covering repatriation is a condition of entry. No malaria, no dangerous wildlife.
SIM & internet
Sure South Atlantic provides mobile and internet. A subsea fibre cable landed in 2023 and transformed connectivity from satellite-era to genuinely usable. Coverage across the settled parts of the island.
Driving
Left-hand traffic, a 30 mph island-wide maximum and roads that are steep, single-track and blind in places. Local custom is to wave at every driver you pass, and it is noticed if you do not.
Rules change - verify with an official source before you rent.
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Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaFrequently asked questions
How do I get there?
A weekly Airlink flight from Johannesburg, about six hours, usually on Saturdays with a stop at Walvis Bay. There is also a cargo ship from Cape Town that takes a few passengers. Because it is weekly, a visit is effectively a multiple of seven days — plan for that from the start.
Do I need a visa?
No visa is required for most nationalities, but everyone needs an entry permit, which is issued on arrival for around £20 provided you have proof of accommodation, a return ticket and medical insurance covering evacuation. The insurance requirement is checked and is not a formality — medical evacuation from here is by ship or charter.
Can I visit Ascension or Tristan da Cunha too?
Ascension Island is part of the same territory and is reachable by the Airlink flight on some rotations or by RAF airbridge, with a separate entry permit. Tristan da Cunha is 2,400 kilometres further and reachable only by occasional ship from Cape Town, with a lengthy permission process — it is one of the hardest places on earth to visit.