No secret about the remote island of St Helena will be left untold on the new 19 day Hideaway Tour thanks to the expertise of leader Professor Colin Lewis. Travellers will board one of the last working Royal Mail Ships (Royal Mail Ship (RMS) St Helena) in Cape Town for a five day voyage to St Helena. The Hideaway Tour costs from £2,745 per person, and with the island’s first airport due to be fully operational in 2016, it will be one of the last opportunities to visit the island in this way.

En route to St Helena, Colin will share his in-depth understanding of the island through a series of talks and presentations. A Professor at Rhodes University South Africa, Colin’s expertise lies in the island’s natural environment, land formations and history. He will also be on hand throughout the voyage to answer any questions.

Exploring the destination first hand will bring Colin’s talks to life and further enhance the group’s experience. During the eight days on St Helena the group will visit the island’s key landmarks including: the Napoleonic sites, the Governor’s residence, Plantation House and Deadwood Plain – the Boer Camp amongst others. They will also benefit from the knowledge of local guides Basil George and Vanessa Thomas who specialise in the island’s history and environment respectively. 

The tour departing Cape Town on the 11 September includes full board accommodation onboard the RMS St Helena in a twin berth cabin on A deck, a twin/double room with shared facilities at the Wellington House Hotel on St Helena on a bed and breakfast basis and all tours mentioned.

It is recommended that guests joining the New Hideaway Tour book themselves a night in Cape Town pre and post voyage when arranging their flights. International flights and accommodation in Cape Town are not included as part of the package. 

St Helena lies 1,200 miles North West of Cape Town and is currently only accessible by sea with the 155 berth RMS St Helena still the only regular means of accessing the island. A unique passenger/cargo ship, a trip on board is an experience in itself, and very much part of the overall St Helena adventure.

For further information on the tour or to book visit: www.rms-st-helena.com or call 0207 575 6480.

-Ends-

Notes to the Editor

Colin Lewis is an Emeritus Professor of Rhodes University in South Africa. He was born in Wales, lectured in Ireland at Dublin, and then moved to South Africa where he specialised in the study of climate change as evidenced by landforms and other features. Colin has published over a dozen books and many research papers and has broadcast on radio and television in various parts of the world. He has also written for national and local newspapers.


For more information on St Helena visit www.sthelenatourism.com, follow the latest news on our blog www.sthelenawirebird.com and join the official St Helena Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/visit.sthelena.

For media information on St Helena contact: Lara Huberman or Suzanne Holiday at Keene on 020 7839 2140 or e-mail: sthelena@keenecomms.com. 

1. St Helena is an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom, with its own legislature and a high degree of internal self-government. 

2. It is an island of 47 square miles (122 sq.km) situated 1,200 miles off the west coast of Africa.

3. Currently the only access to the Island is by sea, via the ship RMS St Helena, plus a number of cruise ships and yachts. 

4. The number of tourists currently around 2,000 a year but the opening of an airport could quadruple that number in the next ten years without undermining the essential way of life and natural attractions of St Helena.

5. On the 3rd November 2011 the International Development Secretary announced the official go ahead for the airport and appointed South African company, Basil Read (Pty), to design and construct the airport. The airport is scheduled to be operational that the airport will be completed in late 2015/early 2016.