Saint Helena – DARWIN200 Add On Trips
Saint Helena’s long list of attractions include breath-taking scenery, the history city of Jamestown (which bristles with points of interest), unique animals and plants, and of course, the legacy of the exile of the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who spent the last six years of his life on the island. Saint Helena’s community (known as ‘Saints’) are warm and friendly, and the island is renowned for its unique seafood dishes. To visit Saint Helena is to fall in love with the island!
Key Facts
COST: £930 (British Pounds) per person (twin or double room) for 4 day / 3 night itinerary. Single room supplement upgrade £250
START POINT: Jamestown, Saint Helena
END POINT: Jamestown, Saint Helena
TERMS: £500 deposit required to book. The balance is due 12 weeks prior to departure.
Participants of Voyage Leg 29 disembark Oosterschelde in Jamestown, Saint Helena, on 10th May, 2025 (at the end of Voyage Leg 29).
Participants of Voyage Leg 30 embark Oosterschelde in Jamestown, Saint Helena, on 18th May, 2025 (to begin their sailing adventure to Ascension Island).
The following add on trips have been specifically designed so that participants of Voyage Legs 29 and 30 have the opportunity to enjoy the wildlife and sights of Saint Helena.
The following itinerary will take place twice. Once on May 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th, 2025 (for participants of Voyage Leg 29 after they arrive at Saint Helena) and again on January 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th, 2025 (for participants of Voyage Leg 30 before they depart Saint Helena aboard Oosterschelde).
These add on trips are operated independently of the Darwin200 Global Voyage by Redfern Adventures, please see www.redfernadventures.com
Itinerary
Saint Helena Add On Trip 1 (for members of Voyage Leg 29)
May 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th, 2025
(intended for participants of Voyage Leg 29 after they arrive at Saint Helena, but open to all).
This add on trip is deliberately planned so that participants of Voyage Leg 29 can transfer directly from the Oosterschelde to accommodation on May 10th. The Add On Trip activities take place on May 11th, 12th and 13th. We will check out from the accommodation on the morning of May 13th, but you can leave your luggage in storage for the day (while we undertake the tour activities). If you are staying longer on Saint Helena, please book accommodation directly for the night of May 13th and beyond. When we return at the end of our tour during the evening of May 13th, you can be dropped off at any hotel in Jamestown.
DAY 1 (May 10th, 2025)
Pick up on your disembarkation from Oosterschelde and transfer to hotel in Jamestown. Check in and have lunch at a Saint Helenian restaurant near the waterfront (the line-caught tuna steaks are incredible).
We begin our journey around Saint Helena with a guided tour of the historic city of Jamestown, the island’s capital. Often described as a ‘living museum’ Jamestown is brimming with fortifications, old barracks, quaint churches and traditional Saint Helenian stone houses Dinner in a local restaurant and accommodation in Jamestown.
DAY 2 (May 11th, 2025)
In the morning, we have the option of climbing Jacob’s Ladder (an iconic set of 699 steps up the steep cliffs overlooking Jamestown). A vehicle will drive anyone that does not want to climb the ladder to the top! From clifftops above Jamestown, we will visit a 19th military barracks and enjoy spectacular views along the island’s dramatic cliffs.
After lunch, we visit Fort High Knoll, a Victorian defensive fortification with impressive stone walls, and we will then drive across the island, noting the rapid change from Saint Helena’s parched, rocky coasts to its luxuriant, green interior. Back in Jamestown, we can visit the island’s fascinating museum (home to some of the few surviving specimens of the Saint Helena giant earwig). Dinner and accommodation will be in Jamestown.
DAY 3 (May 12th, 2025)
This morning, we join local conservationists to spot Saint Helena’s unique wirebird (a species of plover that occurs nowhere else on Earth). Once critically endangered, intensive conservation efforts have helped the number of wirebirds to recover.
We visit Government House to see Saint Helena’s most famous resident: Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise, brought to the island over a century ago. Jonathan is believed to be the oldest known living land animal and is thought to have hatched around 1832!
After lunch, we walk to Sandy Bay. This trek takes us through some of Saint Helena’s most beautiful scenery. We pass the Bay Ass’s Ears and Lot’s Wife (huge volcanic plugs that tower over the coastal landscape). The volcanic rock formations vary immensely in colour as we walk down to one of Saint Helena’s most remote beaches. Along the way, we can observe many of Saint Helena’s unique plants, as well as many spectacular masked boobies that nest on the ridge tops.
Dinner and accommodation will be in Jamestown.
DAY 4 (May 13th, 2025)
Saint Helena is perhaps best known as the island to which Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled. Today, we follow in the French Emperor’s footsteps and visit the Briars (where he first stayed on reaching Saint Helena), then Longwood House (his residency for most of his six year stay on the island). We visit the very room where Napoleon died (some say as a result of poison-laced wallpaper) and lastly, we visit Napoleon’s Tomb (the location where he was initially buried before his remains were taken to France).
After lunch, we visit Saint Helena’s famous heart-shaped waterfall and we drive to the island’s ‘Millennium Forest’ (an incredible project to replant native trees). We can contribute to this important conservation work by planting young trees to expand the effort.
Lastly, we undertake the enjoyable walk to Diana’s Peak, which at 818 m is Saint Helena’s tallest outcrop. Along the way, we walk through beautiful forests filled with tree-ferns, birdlife and the island’s unique invertebrates, including the golden sail spider. In all directions, the views from the summit across the island are absolutely breath-taking.
We return to Jamestown for drop off at the end of our tour.
Saint Helena Add On Trip 2 (for members of Voyage Leg 30)
May 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th 2025
(intended for participants of Voyage Leg 30 before they depart Saint Helena aboard Oosterschelde, but open to all).
Starts with pick up of participants in Jamestown on the morning of May 15th. The tour activities take place on May 15th, 16th and 17th. Accommodation is included for the nights of the May 15th, 16th and 17th, with check out on the morning of May 18th to allow participants of Voyage Leg 30 to transfer aboard ready to start their sailing adventure.
DAY 1 (May 15th, 2025)
We begin our journey around Saint Helena with a guided tour of the historic city of Jamestown, the island’s capital. Often described as a ‘living museum’ Jamestown is brimming with fortifications, old barracks, quaint churches and traditional Saint Helenian stone houses. We have a delicious lunch in a Saint Helenian restaurant near the waterfront (the line-caught tuna steaks are incredible).
After lunch, we have the option of climbing Jacob’s Ladder (an iconic set of 699 steps up the steep cliffs overlooking Jamestown). A vehicle will drive anyone that does not want to climb the ladder to the top! From clifftops above Jamestown, we will visit a 19th military barracks and enjoy spectacular views along the island’s dramatic cliffs. We will visit Fort High Knoll, a Victorian defensive fortification with impressive stone walls, and we will then drive across the island, noting the rapid change from Saint Helena’s parched, rocky coasts to its luxuriant, green interior.
Back in Jamestown, we can visit the island’s fascinating museum (home to some of the few surviving specimens of the Saint Helena giant earwig). Dinner and accommodation will be in Jamestown.
DAY 2 (May 16th, 2025)
This morning, we join local conservationists to spot Saint Helena’s unique wirebird (a species of plover that occurs nowhere else on Earth). Once critically endangered, intensive conservation efforts have helped the number of wirebirds to recover.
We visit Government House to see Saint Helena’s most famous resident: Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise, brought to the island over a century ago. Jonathan is believed to be the oldest known living land animal and is thought to have hatched around 1832!
After lunch, we walk to Sandy Bay. This trek takes us through some of Saint Helena’s most beautiful scenery. We pass the Bay Ass’s Ears and Lot’s Wife (huge volcanic plugs that tower over the coastal landscape). The volcanic rock formations vary immensely in colour as we walk down to one of Saint Helena’s most remote beaches. Along the way, we can observe many of Saint Helena’s unique plants, as well as many spectacular masked boobies that nest on the ridge tops.
Dinner and accommodation will be in Jamestown.
DAY 3 (May 17th, 2025)
Saint Helena is perhaps best known as the island to which Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled. Today, we follow in the French Emperor’s footsteps and visit the Briars (where he first stayed on reaching Saint Helena), then Longwood House (his residency for most of his six year stay on the island). We visit the very room where Napoleon died (some say as a result of poison-laced wallpaper) and lastly, we visit Napoleon’s Tomb (the location where he was initially buried before his remains were taken to France).
After lunch, we visit Saint Helena’s famous heart-shaped waterfall and we drive to the island’s ‘Millennium Forest’ (an incredible project to replant native trees). We can contribute to this important conservation work by planting young trees to expand the effort.
Lastly, we undertake the enjoyable walk to Diana’s Peak, which at 818 m is Saint Helena’s tallest outcrop. Along the way, we walk through beautiful forests filled with tree-ferns, birdlife and the island’s unique invertebrates, including the golden sail spider. In all directions, the views from the summit across the island are absolutely breath-taking. Dinner and accommodation will be in Jamestown.
We return to Jamestown for drop off at the end of our tour.
DAY 4 (May 18th, 2025)
After breakfast you will have time to pack and organise your luggage. Check out from hotel then lunch. We can have a final guided tour of the sights of Jamestown, then transfer to Oosterschelde, to embark and start your sailing adventure as part of Voyage Leg 30 to Ascension Island.
Itinerary Highlights
