Tristan da Cunha is not typical island vacation. There are
no restaurants. There are no hotels. Credit cards are not accepted, the beaches
aren't safe for swimming, and every month brings between 17 and 26 days of
rain. Smack-dab in the middle of the island lies a giant volcano. But Tristan
da Cunha is enticing because it offers something that no other island
destination can: the most extreme isolation.
Located in the south Atlantic Ocean, the 8-mile-wide British
overseas territory is the most remote populated island in the world. The
nearest mainland city, 1,743 miles east, is Cape Town in South Africa. The
journey from there takes seven days by boat—traveling by air is not an option,
as there is no airport on the island.
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Every inhabitant of Tristan da Cunha—269, at last
count—lives in the island's only settlement, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas.
Established in the early 19th century, the village is located on the north
coast and home to 70 families, all of whom are farmers. Electricity is supplied
by diesel generators. The island's lone road, a narrow, winding path, is
flanked by bungalow-style cottages, potato patches and roaming cows. The
looming volcanic cliffs and low-lying mist create a secluded, hazy setting.
It's a peaceful, pared-back existence with few
anxieties—unless the volcano erupts. Such was the case in 1961, when
earthquakes, landslides, and an eruption from one of the north vents sent the
entire population fleeing to England via Cape Town. (Fed up with England's busy
streets and savage winters, most returned two years later after getting the
all-clear from geologists who had visited the island post-eruption.
Now that the volcano has calmed down, life on Tristan da
Cunha is an exercise in patience and planning. There is a grocery store, but
orders must be placed months in advance so the goods can be loaded onto
scheduled fishing vessels and delivered. Bad weather can cause delays by making
it impossible to land on the island. A hospital equipped with x-ray machines, a
labor ward, operating theater, emergency room and dental treatment facilities
takes care of most health concerns, but patients requiring more specialized
treatment must be evacuated to South Africa or the UK.
In addition to farming, residents sustain themselves by
selling souvenirs, handcrafts, and rare Tristan da Cunha postage stamps online.
Among the more distinctive souvenirs are the traditional "love socks"
knitted by island women—the size and number of stripes on each pair of socks
denotes a particular meaning, from "friends forever" to "head
over heels in love."
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