Total Isolation
South Atlantic Ocean
The nearest land is 2,816km away. 250 people chose to live here. Every generation makes that choice again.
The Forgotten Atlas — Field Report
The nearest land is 2,816km away. 250 people chose to live here. Every generation makes that choice again.
Tristan da Cunha sits in the South Atlantic, equidistant from South Africa and South America, surrounded by 3,000 kilometres of open ocean in every direction. There is no airport. The only way to arrive is on the RMS St Helena or a research vessel — a journey of six days from Cape Town, crossing open ocean in weather that is rarely gentle. The island has one settlement, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, named after Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, who visited in 1867. The 250 residents live under a volcanic peak that last erupted in 1961 and required a temporary evacuation.
Tristan da Cunha is the answer to a question most people never ask: what does it feel like to be truly, completely alone from the rest of the world? The 250 people who live there can tell you. They chose it.
The Forgotten Atlas
The Tristanians are descended from a small number of original settlers — a British garrison left after Napoleon's exile to Saint Helena, a few shipwrecked sailors, and a handful of women brought from Saint Helena. The surnames of the original settlers — Glass, Green, Lavarello, Repetto, Rogers, Swain — are still the only surnames on the island. Intermarriage is not the crisis it sounds like — the gene pool is small but the community is healthy and functional, with its own government (an Administrator appointed by the British government) and its own economy based on fishing and the sale of postage stamps.
The RMS St Helena makes irregular calls at Tristan da Cunha, with roughly five to seven visits per year depending on weather and cargo needs. The crossings are not comfortable — the South Atlantic is one of the roughest stretches of ocean on Earth. Visitors must apply for permission to land and must have a specific reason for visiting. Tourism is possible but must be arranged months in advance through the island's administration. There is limited accommodation. There is no hotel.
Apply through the Tristan da Cunha island government website. Allow 6-12 months for planning. The journey itself is part of the experience.
The only settlement. The museum, the post office, the single pub, the community centre. The entire social world of 250 people in a handful of buildings.
The volcano that dominates the island. It last erupted in 1961. Guided walks to the crater are possible and are among the most extraordinary hikes accessible to ordinary visitors.
Communally farmed potato fields on the coast. Every family has a patch. The potatoes are a major part of the island's diet and its identity.
Accommodation typically includes meals with the host family. This is part of the point. You eat what the islanders eat, at their table.
Tristan rock lobster (crayfish) is the island's primary export. Eating it here, freshly caught, is an experience available nowhere else on Earth.
Quick Facts
Ready to Go?
Everything you need to book this destination, in one place.
Find Hotels
Browse stays via Booking.com
Book Tours & Experiences
Guided tours, day trips & local experiences via GetYourGuide
Get a Travel eSIM
Stay connected without roaming fees via Airalo
Travel Insurance
Coverage for the places most travelers never go via SafetyWing
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through them, The Forgotten Atlas earns a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps keep the site independent and ad-free.