Saint Helena is probably best known as the place where the greater military leader Napoleon spent his final years after he was sent there by the British.
Today, it is still possible to visit the site where he died, and the place where he was laid to rest before being transported to France.
That’s not all Saint Helena is known for, however. It is also known for being extraordinarily far away from anything. It’s around 1,000 miles from the nearest shoreline in South Africa and nearly 5,000 miles from the UK.
No surprise then that it takes ages to get to, or rather took ages to get to. After the construction of an airport on the island, it is now possible to fly there from South Africa rather than spend five nights on a boat.
The result is a growing tourism economy that is introducing new people to this famous British Overseas territory.
Saint Helena isn’t the largest island in the world. In fact, according to the local government’s official website, it is one-third the size of the Isle of Wight and about the same size as Orlando’s Disney World.
For a different comparison, it is the same size as the US city of San Francisco but has half a percent of the famous city’s population with just under 4,500 people living on an island which has its own currency.
Despite this, the normal British pound is still legal tender which negates the need to do a currency exchange once on the island. Confusingly, while the British pound is legal tender in Saint Helena, the Saint Helena pound can’t be used on the UK mainland.
The Government said: “While the official currency is the St Helena pound, sterling bank notes are accepted in all shops and bars and the US base will accept US dollars, sterling or St Helena currency.
“The Saint Helena Pound is linked at parity to the British Pound (Sterling). Notes and coins are similar in denomination and appearance to their UK counterparts. You will need to change back any surplus local currency before leaving, as it is not possible to exchange St Helenian notes or coins once back in the UK.”
With your money, there are plenty of things to see and do. As well as visiting Napoleon’s last and temporary resting place, people can climb Jacob Ladder’s 699 steps that take people up 600 feet.
Elsewhere is Plantation House. Originally built by the British East India Company, it is now home to the world’s oldest living land animal, tortoise Jonathan who is 192 years old.
Speaking to the Independent, one of his caretakers Teeny Lucy said: “If you come to St Helena, people usually know two things: Jonathan the tortoise and Napoleon Bonaparte. I just think he’s the most amazing creature.”
Venture into the island’s capital Jamestown and a bustling community awaits, one with DVD shops, high-speed WiFi, and one of the highest-quality coffee scenes in the world.
Wrangham’s coffee has become famous around the world. It carries such weight that it costs £119.15 per pound of weight to transport.
Speaking to the media, Neil Fantom, who runs the plantation with his wife Debbie, said: “Is it the best in the world? I couldn’t tell you. Is it coffee that we enjoy producing and drinking? One hundred percent. We’ve got the perfect climate for it, and we do it ourselves.”
The climate is sure to attract more and more tourists to the island as it sits year-round between 15 and 28 degrees. The Government website explained: “While the four seasons are not recognised on St Helena, the ‘cooler months’ are generally June to September and the ‘hotter months’ are December to March.
“St Helena is free from extreme weather events, with even thunderstorms only occurring perhaps once a decade. However, the wealth of microclimates created by St Helena’s mountainous terrain, coupled with the Southeast Trade Winds, mean St Helena’s weather can shift minute-to-minute and district-to-district, cool raindrops shifting into strong sunshine.”
