From the Cape to St. Helena by Royal Mail

The operation of the Royal Mail service to St. Helena provides the only opportunity to reach this isolated and remote tropical island, travelling on a vessel carrying vital supplies and a world away from the glamour and commercialism of ocean cruising today. With extended periods at sea, the RMS St. Helena takes independently-minded passengers to this unspoilt destination for exploration or relaxation. Located 1,200 miles from the nearest landfall, St. Helena offers deep verdant valleys, barren desert, volcanic scree and plenty of birdlife. The prospect of an airport was initially planned but it is now suggested that it is ‘on hold’ indefinitely, which has allowed us to offer a selection of departures before this last ‘Royal Mail’ vessel is consigned to history.

This unique cruise is combined with a stay in Cape Town, allowing us to explore its maritime history. Simon’s Town, located on the Cape Peninsula, was founded in 1741 by the Dutch and in 1806 it became a Royal Naval Base and home to the British South Atlantic Squadron, whose tasks involved supervising Napoleon during his exile in St. Helena, which still remains a British outpost.The first recorded discovery of the Cape of Good Hope was in 1488, by Bartholomew Diaz, seeking a route to India. Later, Sir Francis Drake was to describe it as “…the fairest cape in the whole circumference of the earth”.