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Saint Helena Island is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and is one of the world's most isolated islands. If you start crossing the Atlantic Ocean at the border between Namibia and Angola, Saint Helena Island will appear just less than halfway to Brazil.
Because of this extreme isolation, Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled here from Oct 1815 until his death on 5 May 1821.
It is the most populous of the United Kingdom's territories in the South Atlantic.
Main Street of Jamestown is described as one of the best examples of unspoiled Georgian architecture anywhere in the world and the whole island has been officially proposed to the UK government as a mixed World Heritage site.
Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, Saint Helena was garrisoned by the British during the 17th century (to be used as a refreshment station for ships traveling to... Read more
Saint Helena Island is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and is one of the world's most isolated islands. If you start crossing the Atlantic Ocean at the border between Namibia and Angola, Saint Helena Island will appear just less than halfway to Brazil.
Because of this extreme isolation, Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled here from Oct 1815 until his death on 5 May 1821.
It is the most populous of the United Kingdom's territories in the South Atlantic.
Main Street of Jamestown is described as one of the best examples of unspoiled Georgian architecture anywhere in the world and the whole island has been officially proposed to the UK government as a mixed World Heritage site.
Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, Saint Helena was garrisoned by the British during the 17th century (to be used as a refreshment station for ships traveling to and from the East). It acquired fame as the place of Napoleon Bonaparte's exile, from 1815 until his death in 1821, but its importance as a port of call declined after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Saint Helena has three smaller dependencies: Ascension Island is the site of a US Air Force auxiliary airfield; Tristan da Cunha is home to a very small community reliant on fishing for income; Gough Island has a meteorological station.
Saint Helena's most famous resident, of course, was Napoleon, who was exiled there by the British. Apparently, Elba was not far enough away. He died there, and you can visit his beautiful gravesite in a flower-laden glade, but his remains were disinterred and are now at Les Invalides in Paris. You can visit his two residences on the island. He stayed at The Briars for about two months and lived the rest of his life in aThe grandest house on the island, however, is that of the governor. It looks like it was lifted straight out of 18th century England. There are marvelous land tortoises on the grounds, including one purported to be the oldest living vertebrate in the world.
The flora and fauna of the island are marvelous. Though many endemic species have become extinct, there are some left to be seen. Cabbage trees, gum trees, and the local ebony can all be seen. The ebony was thought to be extinct until a local botanist found a specimen hanging off a cliff. It is being propagated and planted around the island. The islanders have also begun to restore the native forests of the island. The Millennium Forest has been planted by many volunteers and consists largely of local gum trees. Native, old growth forests can be found on the highest peaks of the island. High Peak and Diana's Peak have beautiful natural areas.
Two animals are of note. The giant earwig was the largest in the world: between two and three inches long. The species was made extinct by researchers who collected them all. The second species is a happier story: although endangered, with only about 300 remaining, the Saint Helena Wirebird is a plover-like bird with long beak and legs. It is a land bird and can be found in open areas. The playing fields behind the high school are a particularly good place to look without having to take a longer hike. The Wirebird is Saint Helena's national bird.
Jamestown is the capital and main town of Saint Helena. It is located in a narrow valley between steep 500 ft (150 m) cliffs which mean that it is quite a struggle to climb out of this V-shaped slot onto the surrounding plateau by any of the three access paths. All visitors to Saint Helena arrive at "The Wharf" in Jamestown. There is pretty much only a single road about one mile long.
The Tourist Office is in a quaint building with a beautiful bow window at the top of Main Street where it branches into Napoleon and Market Streets. Staff there can help you book tours and give you all kinds of advice about what to see and do on the island.
Official island tourism information can be obtained from St. Helena Tourism.
The tourist office's telephone is +290 2158.
St Helena has a very limited public bus service. Introduced only in 2003, the routes and timetables are designed primarily to satisfy the needs of locals. Buses are rare, usually going once or twice only on some weekdays. Visitors can, with some planning use the bus service to reach some of the island's attractions and walking opportunities. Check timetables carefully and allow sufficient time to catch the return bus otherwise you may face a long walk back to Jamestown! Stops are well marked, but a nice wave will also get the driver to stop.
Taxis are also available in Jamestown (the rank is behind the Tourist Information Office).
Rental cars are probably the more practical method of travel, but be sure to reserve one in advance. There are not too many, and when the boat arrives with its twenty tourists or more, the travel industry can be overwhelmed, and don't expect your rental car to be a recent vehicle (Ford Escorts are common).
Saint Helena drives on the left, as in the United Kingdom. Likewise, the traffic signs in Saint Helena resemble those of the United Kingdom.
Walking is wonderful, but mostly in the highlands in the center of the island. The 21 Post Box Walks, a series of graded trails are a good way to explore much of the island. The walks and routes with maps are available in a book written by the island's Nature Conservation Group, available at the Tourist Office. The cliffs all around the perimeter make it impossible to walk along the coast at most points, access to the sea is normally by the descent of the numerous steep valleys that cut through the volcanic landscape. Though small, however, don't be deceived, distances can be great for a walker. Bring water and sunscreen, but the Saints on the way will be happy to provide a refill if your water bottle runs dry.
It is very hard to walk out of Jamestown. The city is in a deep canyon coming from the highlands down to the shore, and there are three roads out, one up either edge of the canyon and the third, Barnes Road, an old track that leads to Francis Plain, perched on a plateau 500m above Jamestown. The other way to get to the highlands is via the vertiginous Jacob's Ladder, an extremely tall 699-step staircase, built as an inclined plane to bring goods in and out of town. Walking on the roads out of town would mean sharing narrow switchbacks with cars, lots of dust, and no pavements. If you walk, even once you climb Jacob's Ladder, you still aren't halfway to the green spaces at the top and have to walk through the beautifully named, but not so beautiful to look at, Half-Tree Hollow. A rental car or the bus are much better options.
The main local fish on sale is tuna (a wonderful, deep red tuna) and Wahoo. "Pilau" (pronounced "ploe") is a specialty of the island. It is "peasant food" in the best sense. A combination of rice, bacon and other ingredients, it is delicious and greasy.
There are several shops in central Jamestown selling gifts and souvenirs, including locally hand-made items, and there are also interesting things to buy at Longwood House and the island museum.
The St Helena Distillery makes a range of local spirits that can be purchased in several of the shops in town. Of particular note are Tungi, a high-proof liquor made from local cactus, and Midnight Mist, a liqueur made from the highly regarded Saint Helena coffee.
Locally-produced items include woodwork, fine lace, jewelry and items woven from flax, which grows all around the island. A wide range can be purchased at the Arts & Craft Centre in The Canister building, next door to the Tourist Office.
Purchases are made in Saint Helena Pounds. Saint Helena Pound is held at parity with the British pound sterling and British currency can be used interchangeably on the island. Some shops may also accept US Dollars and Euros.
There is a bank on the island which opens weekdays and Saturday mornings but has no ATM, so be sure to plan ahead. The bank can use your ATM or credit/debit card to give you money. Cash can be changed on the ship on the way to the island, but St. Helena money is rarely available in banks outside the St. Helena / Ascension / Tristan area so don't worry about changing in advance.
LOCAL TIME
6:33 pm
June 26, 2022
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At the moment of my visit to Saint Helena Island in 2013, there hadn't been airport yet. It was built in 2016. It seemed to me that nothing changes since my last visit. I saw the same vallum and a moat that protect Jamestown from the bay. There were the same admiring sunsets... Here's the... |
This is the last part of the review's series. The previous parts can be found here: P1, P2, P3, P4.
On Fridays, the nightlife of St. Helena is in full swing. On Fridays, young people all over the island are stuffed in the city, so there is nowhere to park. During my stay there, I heard lots of... |
Here you can find the previous parts of this review:
Saint Helena Island, P1. Acquaintance With The Island, Jamestown
Saint Helena Island, P2. Napoleon Museum
Saint Helena Island, P3. RMS, Royal Mail, Jamestown, Jacob's Ladder
Saint Helena Island is the UN member country, the powerful empire... |
Here you can find the 1st and the 2nd part of this review.
This is the British mail office on the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic. Mail correspondence was sent only a few times per month by ship RMS St Helena (RMS = Royal Mail Ship) till the airport was open in 2016 on the island.... |
This is the continuation of the article, which can be found
here
.
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