Getting to the Island of St Helena

Getting there

Getting to St Helena Island is the first part of your bucket-list adventure. Until late 2017, St Helena had no airport. The island was only accessible by ship; the voyage from Cape Town took five days. But in October 2017, St Helena Airport (HLE) opened to commercial passenger flights. Today, a six-hour flight will transport you from the hustle and bustle of modern life to our incredible, isolated South Atlantic island.

By air

The island has one airport, one runway and one air service provider. Airlink operates a weekly return flight between St Helena Airport (HLE) and Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport (JNB), as well as a monthly return service between St Helena Island and Ascension Island. Flights operate each Saturday, with additional midweek flights added each peak visitor season.

Ticket bookings for the inter-island service can be made via the Ascension Island Government Finance Office or by calling +247 67000 ext 115)

By sea

Located in the midst of the South Atlantic, St Helena is the perfect stopover for yachts and cruise ships. The sea port is open year-round, although peak season for sea arrivals is October-April.

Various yacht races stop off at the island, including the Cape to St Helena Yacht Race, facilated by the Royal Cape Yacht Club, every other year.

The island’s cargo ship arrives around once a month.

Travel Checklist

Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after the day you plan to leave (check the ‘expiry date’).

Travellers from the countries listed on the St Helena Immigration webpage require a visa, which needs to be approved by St Helena Immigration prior to arrival to the island.

Valid medical insurance must cover at least £175,000 (or equivalent), including emergency medical treatment and aeromedical evacuation, for the duration of your stay. You may be asked to provide proof of insurance upon arrival, and this must be presented in English. Both paper and electronic proof of insurance is accepted, however you will most likely not have access to WiFi or cellular data upon arrival at St Helena Airport, so any electronic proof must be pre-downloaded onto a device.

If you are a St Helenian returning to the island, you may be asked to show evidence that you have St Helenian status. Evidence is a Declaration of St Helenian status, a Certificate of St Helenian status or a letter from St Helena Immigration confirming your status. Please note that even if your passport shows your place of birth as St Helena, this alone is not sufficient evidence to demonstrate that status is held. If you are not in possession of sufficient evidence, you may not be permitted to board the aircraft. For further information please contact the St Helena Immigration Office via email
Evisaenquiries@sainthelena.gov.sh or telephone +290 22236.

As St Helena only has one flight per week (two in most peak seasons), travel options in the case of delays are extremely limited. Therefore it is highly recommended that you purchase travel insurance that covers both missed and delayed departures.

Your return ticket, or proof of funds to purchase your return ticket, must be printed and ready to produce to Immigration Officials upon arrival to the island. Flights to St Helena are operated by Airlink. It is easiest to book tickets through either Airlink or Salomon & Compagnie (St Helena) PLC.

Upon arrival to St Helena, you will be asked to show proof of pre-arranged
hébergement

Upon arrival, visitors must pay a £20 entry fee in cash (GBP, USD, EURO and ZAR are accepted). Persons under age 12 are exempt from this fee.

Taxis are not usually available at the airport unless they have been booked in advance. Therefore it is highly recommended that you make your airport transfer arrangements prior to arriving at the island. The St Helena Tourist Office can provide further information and point you in the right direction.

Due to the demand for hire cars, it is highly recommended that you book yours in advance, as it may be difficult or impossible to secure one at short notice (especially during peak visitor season November-April).

It is highly recommended that you arrive to St Helena with some amount of Sterling (GBP), as a £20 entry fee must be paid upon arrival, by cash or the St Helena Tourist Card only (international card payments are not yet widely accepted on the island). Additionally, you may want a small amount of cash in hand to get you through from Saturday’s arrival to Monday morning. This is because St Helena currently has no ATMs, and the Bank (where you can use your international card for cash withdrawals) is closed from Saturday afternoon to Monday morning.

St Helena offers a variety of tours and excursions that can be booked in advance.

À propos de l'aéroport de St Helena

Building an airport on one of the world’s most remote islands was no easy feat. Due to the small size of the island and the mountainous terrain, there was nowhere large and flat enough to build a runway – so in 2015, around 3,700 tonnes of rock was blown up and a valley filled in so the airport and associated facilities could be built. A new 14km road also had to be built between the island’s jetty and the airport site, so that materials could be hauled from the cargo ship to the build site. St Helena Airport was certified for operations by Air Safety Support International (ASSI) in May 2016.

Medevac flights (using smaller aircrafts) could begin operating to the island, allowing a speed of medical referrals never before seen on St Helena. In October 2017, a weekly flight connected St Helena with South Africa, and a monthly flight with Ascension Island. Today, the airport also accommodates frequent private and charter flights, as well as technical stops by aircraft flying between South America and Southern/Western Africa.