Tristan da Cunha - Edinburgh of the Seven Seas

Tristan is not easy to reach.  With no air service, the only way is on a ship.

The major constraint for visitors is berth availability. There are 9 scheduled visits by fishing ships each year. Based in Cape Town, these vessels can carry up to 12 passengers. Schedules are extremely changeable. Depending on the time of year, the weather can make such trips extremely uncomfortable. Disembarkation at Tristan is via a rope ladder, or in poor weather in a large wooden crate lowered by crane, onto a small barge waiting below. It is not unknown for bad weather to preclude disembarkation for several days. There are rarely enough berths to go round, and a system of prioritisation applies to passenger allocations. For example, islanders who need medical treatment in Cape Town take priority on return journeys, so passengers can find themselves “bumped” at very short notice, and some have spent a lot longer on Tristan than they planned.

In addition we receive an annual visit, each September, by the South African Government’s research vessel “MV Agulhas”. This vessel can carry up to 30 passengers and is larger and more comfortable than the fishing ships. It also usually carries helicopters, and it is often possible to arrange for passengers to be landed on Tristan in this way. All bookings for the fishing ships are handled by Tristan Administrator’s office – details on the contacts page.

Given the challenges referred to above, a more reliable way of arranging a visit to Tristan is on one of several cruise ships that regularly visit around February and March each year. These include the MS Europa, MS Discovery, MS Minerva, NG Explorer, SV Corinthian, the Professor Molchanov and the Professor Multanovskiy. Check the ships’ websites for details of schedules.

Staying on Tristan

There are no hotels on Tristan. Visitors stay either with local families on a full board basis or, if a small group, in one of the three guesthouses on the island. This can be on either a self-catering or full board basis. In order to be fair to everyone running these establishments, visitors are allocated accommodation on a rotational basis.

More information on tourism

Rules for Visitors

• No one may visit without first securing the island’s Council’s permission to do so (there are special arrangements for cruise ships).
• Journalists and photographers are subject to special provisions.
• Anyone visiting for more than a few days may be asked (in advance) for a police certificate and proof of medical insurance. Medical treatment for visitors is expensive and is based on South African tariffs.
• As a general rule, residency on Tristan (either temporary or permanent) is out of the question for foreigners, unless they are appointed to a specific job either with Government or as part of an offshore-funded development project.
• The Tristan community enjoys its privacy and expects visitors to respect this. It is regarded as ill mannered to take a resident’s photo without first asking.
• Disruptive behaviour (e.g. ringing the emergency bells found around the Settlement) is frowned upon. Smoking inside public buildings (e.g. the pub) is illegal.
• No one may import more than one bottle of spirits.
• No one is allowed to bring any pets with them.