Most Isolated Town in the World: Tristan da Cunha

It takes six days by boat to get to this small island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and 200 people live there.

Most Isolated Town in the World: Tristan da Cunha

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There are lots of far-off places that take a long time or are hard to get to. But how far is too far?

You can go nonstop from New York to Singapore in 20 hours (the world's current longest flight). A boat to the Galapagos from Ecuador takes about three days (but I hear you get great food on the way ... something like that).

But to get to the world's most isolated town, it takes six days by boat, and the trip is made no more than a dozen times per year if you’re lucky.

Tristan da Cunha is called the world’s most remote community. It is more than 1,700 miles from the closest continent (Africa — South Africa) and 1,500 miles from the next nearest inhabited island (St. Helena). It’s too rocky for an airport and has no natural harbors.

Despite all of that, it's been the year-round home to a couple hundred people whose ancestors came from the United Kingdom a century ago.

Welcome to the Most Remote Community on Earth

It Takes Six Days by Boat to Reach Tristan da Cunha

Tristan da Cunha location on a map of the Atlantic Ocean

Tristan is part of a small volcanic island chain in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It was first seen by explorers in the 1500s, but no one lived there until the 1800s. Residents built up over time, and there have been a couple hundred people living there since the late 1800s.

The island has sometimes gone years without an outsider’s visit. From 1909 to 1919, no ships recorded landing there for 10 years.

This Is Not Your Average Remote Village

Map of Tristan da Cunha in Southern Atlantic Ocean

Because of this isolation, Tristanians have developed thier own way of doing things.

They speak in their own dialect that’s considered the most isolated variety of English in the world.

They celebrate unique holidays (most of which are forms of older British traditions that never went out of style).

They are extremely self-sufficient and don’t have to rely on any regular supplies from the outside.

Before regular news and live TV, which came in 2001, news was spotty. Tristanians learned of the end of the World War I only when a ship stopped by to tell them the news eight months later.

But there’s hope. You can be one of the lucky few to visit now. A few adventure cruises go by each year.

Meet the People Who Live on Tristan da Cunha

Women resident who lives on Tristan da Cunha — Rachel is one of the 200 residents who live on Tristan da Cunha.

I had the fortunate opportunity to ask actual residents what it's really like to reside in this extraordinary place.

We spoke to them!!!

Honestly, it's amazing.

A few weeks ago, I made a video about how extraordinary this place is. Tristan Da Cunha is the world’s most isolated community. To get there, it takes six days by boat.

Amazingly, that video reached the island, and we got in touch with the people that live there! They volunteered to answer your questions about what it’s like to live in the world’s most isolated town. To add some perspective, the people you are about to hear from live on a volcanic island in the middle of the Pacific that is 1500 miles from the next nearest inhabited place.

Here we go.

The No. 1 Question from viewers has got to be "Do They Get Amazon?!"

»One of the ways Tristan is able to support itself is from the limited adventure tourism that comes by. Unfortunately, COVID regulations have not let tourists land on the island for a while now. I strongly encourage you to show your love for the people of Tristan by checking out their store: Tristan DC Gift Shop.