Saint Helena

Saint Helena is a remote volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean and part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. It is best known for its role as the place of exile of Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 19th century.

The island’s attractions are focused on steep, rugged landscapes, colonial-era architecture in the main town, and a network of walking routes that access endemic flora and viewpoints. The capital sits on a narrow coastal plain with steep ridges rising inland to higher plateaus.

The island was occupied and administered by the British from the 17th century and later became more famous internationally because of Napoleon’s exile from 1815 to 1821. Since the late 20th and early 21st centuries the island has been managed as part of its wider Overseas Territory, with efforts to conserve its native species and historic sites.

Saint Helena lies roughly 1,900 km west of the west coast of southern Africa and about 2,800-3,000 km east of South America; the main settlement is Jamestown on the northwestern shore.

• Napoleon connection: Longwood House is maintained as a museum and is the main site associated with the island’s most famous historical exile.
• Transport: Air access was re-established in 2017 via a commercial airport; sea services continue to operate but are less frequent.

What to See#

• Jamestown: Historic port settlement on the island’s sheltered northwestern coast that serves as the administrative and commercial centre.
• Longwood House: Early 19th-century residence where a deposed European emperor lived during exile; now preserved as a museum and heritage site.
• Diana’s Peak: Interior high point rising to about 818 m, located within a national park that contains endemic flora and walking routes.