Saint Helena, a Remote Outpost of LGBTQ+ Friendliness
Hard to get to, easy to love: the tiny island community that embraces diversity.
Chiefly known as Napoleon’s prison and where he spent his last few years in exile, Saint Helena remains one of the most enigmatic places on Earth. Around the size of a small city, this compact island rests 1850 kilometers off the coast of Angola and is home to a mere 4,500 people. It's also diverse in every way, from the terrain and the local ancestry, right through to the equality laws.
Saint Helena brings a new meaning to the word remote too – before the airport opened in 2017, a 5-day journey aboard a British mail ship from Cape Town was the only way to reach its volcanic shores.
It's impossible to fully explain the terrain of Saint Helena. The astounding views sometimes conjure up images of Egyptian landscapes, other times it's the lush forests of Costa Rica, and occasionally there's even a touch of the Scottish countryside. The local people have a mix of European, African, and Asian ancestry and, best of all, the island is an extraordinary outpost of LGBTQ+ friendliness.
A marriage equality bill was passed in 2017, and Longwood House, the mansion where Napoleon spent his last years, has already hosted a number of same-sex weddings.
The most famous inhabitant of the island is easily Jonathan the tortoise. At the impressive age of 189 years, he's the oldest living land animal on Earth and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community – Around the time the same-sex marriage bill was passed, the island vet revealed that Frederika, Jonathan's partner of 26 years, was in fact male.
The Mantis in Jamestown is the island's only modern luxury hotel. Housed in the former barracks of the British East India Company, it's right next to the oldest Anglican church in the Southern Hemisphere.
To take a step back in time, opt for Farm Lodge, part of a grand 17th-century estate. Surrounded by beautiful gardens, plantations, and forests, the walls are filled with portraits of British royalty and stuffed pheasants; display cases overflow with silver, china, books, and faded issues of National Geographic.
Just get in touch, let us know when you want to go and we'll make it happen.
Jurriaan Teulings
Jurriaan dreamt of becoming either an astronomer or a circus clown. He became a lawyer instead, but finally found the ultimate fit for his free-range mind as a travel writer and photographer. A Stroopwafel evangelist, he's also won a few awards: two in plexiglass, one in bronze, and one made of beads. The biggest prize: 20 years of travel to all continents and 99 countries so far.