A tiny island the size of Disneyland has been named one of the best places to visit in 2024.
Saint Helena, in the South Atlantic Ocean, has been named as one of the best places to visit in Africa.
They describe it as a British overseas territory with a population of around 4,500.
For years the island could only be accessed by boat until flights began landing in 2017.
The island is known for its rich history and world-class scuba diving offering ample opportunity for adventure.
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In the rankings of best places to visit in 2024, Conde Nast’s expert said: “The reason to go? To get that remote island feel, while still taking advantage of the infrastructure –which rivals the neighbouring islands of Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.”
They added: “On land, trails cut through lush forests and up rugged hillsides; at the end, you might find a distinctive British red postbox with a notebook in which to leave a comment.”
One of the most popular things to do in Saint Helena is to go diving to see the life that lives beneath the waves.
The Saint Helena website said: “Dive site habitats vary from rocky reefs with caves and areas of boulders to cobbles and sand, all teeming with marine life and all within easy reach of the wharf in Jamestown. The wrecks dotted around the coast present popular dive and snorkelling sites.”
They added: “Dives vary between 40 and 130 feet (5 to 30m+) and offer a range of diving opportunities. There are a number of local laws for divers to abide by, including no wreck penetration and rules.”
Above ground, the Saint Helena cloud project is forming a key part of a project to preserve the local ecosystem. The project forms part of the island’s national park and holds around 250 species that aren’t found anywhere else on the planet.
Visitors can walk through the national park and admire the natural beauty and thousand-mile views of the surrounding Atlantic Ocean in front of them. It is known as the cloud forest because of the mist it captures and the water it supplies to the island of which it supplies the majority.
Alongside the rainforest and Jamestown, Saint Helena also has Jacob’s Ladder, a narrow set of stone steps out of the island’s capital Jamestown, which has built up a fanbase online.
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On TripAdvisor one person said: “I suffer from vertigo but if you’re in Jamestown, this is one of those things you must do. 699 bone-crunching steps – going up is hard work. Ignore the pressure to set a new record. Take it at your own pace and don’t look down.
“Going down is worse in many ways. I was told later the secret is to go backwards as it means you step down on your toes rather than on your heels, which means you’re also putting pressure on your calf and thigh muscles – and boy I felt it for a couple of days afterwards! I went one step at a time very resolutely not looking straight down!”
Another visitor commented: “Very steep but a must-do when on Saint Helena. Make sure you attend the museum and have a look around along with submitting your time.”
While Saint Helena is known for its natural beauty and range of things to do has been in the public’s consciousness once again after Ridley Scott’s epic about Napoleon was opened in cinemas earlier this week. The famous military leader spent his last years in exile on Saint Helena after he surrendered to the British in 1815.
Today, visitors can visit a restored Longwood House and the site of Napoleon’s original tomb on the island. On Napoleon, the Saint Helena Island website said: “In 1815 the British Government selected Saint Helena as the place of detention of Napoleon I of France. He was brought to the island in October 1815 and lodged at Longwood, where he died in May 1821.”
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