Tristan da Cunha Travel Wiki

Travel to Tristan da Cunha

A visit to Edinburgh is easy but to Edinburgh of the Seven Seas is for the time being the hardest place on earth to get to.

Tristan da Cunha is a group of remote volcanic islands that is midway between Africa and South America is the most remote archipelago that is inhabited in the world today.  Its closest neighbor is the island Saint Helena, which is more than 2,000 km away. It lies 2,090 km from South America and 2,400 km off the African coast. About 300 people call this archipelago their home.

The archipelago is named after its discoverer, Tristao da Cunha, when the islands were first recorded in 1506. The United States once laid claim to the islands, including providing the first permanent inhabitants on them, but they have been occupied by the British since 1816. From 1909-1919, no ships visited these islands – and even then, the purpose of the visit was to inform the islands of the outcome of the recent world war.

Natural wonders are what draw visitors to this rustic island paradise. A population of rockhopper penguins calls one of the islands in the archipelago home. The terrain is quite mountainous and the primary summit, Queen Mary’s Peak, is covered in snow during the winter. Land is communally owned on the island, farming and fishing are a way of life, and everything operates at a slower pace. The archipelago didn’t even receive live television until 2001.

Tristan da Cunha is not the easiest place to visit, but those who make it will discover that the island offers an unforgettable adventure. Life really can be slower and simplified and this group of islands proves it.