It’s going to be easier than ever to visit the remote island of St Helena

It’s going to get easier to visit the remote island of St Helena with a new weekly flight from Cape Town.

Until 2017, the only way to get to the British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic was taking a five-day journey on a Royal Mail ship from Cape Town, South Africa. Naturally, that kept many visitors from making the long journey there. However, change came when a new airport opened up, allowing the launch of commercial flights from Johannesburg and reducing travel time to just six hours.

Now, St Helena Tourism says a second-weekly flight will operate from Cape Town, running from December 2019 to March 2020. The flights will operate every Tuesday, while the weekly flight between St Helena and Johannesburg runs on Saturdays throughout the year. Both the routes are operated by SA Airlink.

St Helena is one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world – and is famous for being the spot where Napoleon spent his final days in exile. It boasts spectacular scenery and a true opportunity to get away from it all. Because of its remote location, the island is home to 500 endemic species, earning it the nickname ‘the Galápagos of the South Atlantic’. Visitors can hike through its incredible terrain, visit Napoleon’s final home, stop by a coffee plantation or even meet the island’s oldest resident, Jonathan the tortoise, who is more than 180 years old.

If you’re interested in making the journey, tickets can be purchased on the Airlink website.

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