Tristan da Cunha

Tristan da Cunha

The Tristan da Cunha Islands consist of four major islands; the inhabited main island Tristan da Cunha, the two uninhabited islands Nightingale and Inaccessible, and an island 400 km (250 miles) to the south, Gough, which is closed to visitors. Tristan da Cunha is located about 2,800 kilometres (1,750 miles) to the west of South Africa. The islands are all volcanic; in fact they are the peaks of large sub-marine volcanoes. The peak of Tristan da Cunha is 2060 metres (6760 feet) high.
Tristan de Cunha is a very special place:an active volcano on which people live, located in the middle of the ocean. And even more, Tristan da Cunha is the most remote inhabited island in the world!

The islands have a long and remarkable history of shipwrecks, fortune hunting, volcanic eruptions and much more. They  were discovered in 1506 by the Portuguese sailor Tristão da Cunha. In 1816 a small British garrison was stationed on the main island in order to prevent the French from using it as a base. The British were afraid that with the island being a French base they might try to liberate their former Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, who was living in confinement on the island of St. Helena.
TristanThe present population of Tristan da Cunha is about 300. The people live from fishing,  agriculture and a little bit of tourism. There is neither an airport nor an airstrip on the island. All regular shipping traffic goes via South Africa or St. Helena. In 1961 all 264 inhabitants were evacuated to the UK because of a volcanic eruption, literally in their backyard. Although the British Government was pushing the Tristanians to give up their life on Tristan da Cunha, all but five decided to return to their island in 1963.

Climate
Tristan da Cunha has a temperate Oceanic Climate. The weather is very changeable, with summer temperatures ranging between 4º to 24ºC (40º to 75ºF).

Please Note; Tristan da Cunha does not have a normal harbour. The seas around the island can be very rough, making it impossible to land. Although we do expect to be able to land, nature does not give us a guarantee. Weather is unpredictable and may prevent our ships from completing the planned itinerary. However, we keep one day in reserve in case of bad weather.

Flora & Fauna

Wandering AlbatrossThe islands of Tristan da Cunha have an important natural value due to the large number of seabirds that breed there. Some of these species are endangered. Two of the islands, Inaccessible and Gough (the latter is closed to visitors), are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The breeding bird species on the islands include Wandering, Yellow-nosed and the Sooty Albatrosses, Great Shearwaters and Antarctic Terns. The Rockhopper Penguin is the only penguin species breeding on the islands. Several bird species are endemic including the Tristan Albatross and the Inaccessible Island Rail, the world's smallest flightless bird.

Frequently visited
places

For more detailed information on our programmes, please see the itineraries section. 

  • Edinburgh, Tristan's only settlement. The settlement is built at the foot of the volcano. In 1961 a small volcanic cone was formed just outside the settlement. This cone can be climbed to admire the view. In the settlement there is a small museum, a school, a hospital, some shops and some pubs.
  • Nightingale Island. On this uninhabited island millions of seabirds breed. Breeding species include, among others, Yellow-nosed Albatross and Brown Noddy.
  • Inaccessible Island. Not often visited due to the difficult landing conditions. On this island a remarkable bird breeds, the Inaccessible Island Rail, the world's smallest flightless bird.
  • Gough. The remote island is closed for visitors, but zodiac cruises are allowed (weather permitting).

Voyages & Rates

If you want to go straight to our dates and rates, please click 'view all' and you will find a total list with all of our voyages.

View all

Plancius and Ortelius vessel tracking