Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – On a visit to High Knoll Fort in 2007 with April and Nicole.
A GREAT FAMILY HOLIDAY DESTINATION | Sharon Henry
On the face of it St Helena might seem more suited as a grown-up’s playground with strong appeal to history and Napoleon buffs, divers and hikers. But wait; there are also plenty of fun activities for kids too, to encourage their sense of freedom and adventure.
As a family travel destination St Helena offers a bonus not always available elsewhere. Our friendly, easy-going pace of life allows peace of mind for parents with youngsters and a level of safety that most of us living here take for granted.
Darrin and I don’t have kids of our own but often borrow nieces, godchildren and friends’ children, especially during holidays, who we usually try to return tired and happy at the end of the day.
Using them as guinea pigs we’ve compiled a tried and tested list of things to do with children on St Helena. Great for first time visitors and even locals wishing to fill a half-term break.
1. Donkey Walking
Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – At the start of walking the donkeys during an outing in 2016.
Strolling through the Blue Hill countryside with docile donkeys in tow has become a favourite island attraction. The St Helena Donkey Home does donkey walking Saturday mornings at 10am. Meet at the shelter located approximately a mile along the Blue Hill main road. Donkey rides are also available on the walks although age and weight restrictions apply.
Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – Donkey walking with April on a Saturday morning in 2012.
Cost: Free.
Donations are welcome.
Please check the Donkey Home’s Facebook page for updates as walks might sometimes be cancelled due to exceptional circumstances.
2. Millennium Forest – Adventure Nature Trail
Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – Part of the Millennium Forest, Adventure Nature Trail, involves a mini obstacle course to cross the ‘swamp,’ which is great fun for children of all ages.
This is a great place for kids to explore and learn about St Helena’s endemic flora as they follow the interactive nature trail and monster footprints. There are more than 10,000 gumwood trees planted within this 17-year-old forest which is located just off the airport road below Bottomwoods, Longwood. You’ll also find ebony, hair grass, rosemary and boxwood planted around the site.
Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – St Helena’s endemic gumwood is one the ten rarest species of tree on the planet.
Cost: Free
Learn more about the Millennium Forest by the St Helena National Trust
3. Swimming at Rupert’s Beach
Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – Hand stands at Rupert’s Beach in the school holidays.
St Helena is certainly not classed as a beach destination; however, we do value the only two beaches that are safe to swim off, Lemon Valley and Rupert’s Valley. The latter has easier access and is the most popular. Don’t let the industrial surroundings or even black sand put you off, it’s fun playing in the surf and snorkelling around the bay.
Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – Playing in the surf at Rupert’s Beach.
Cost: Free
4. High Peak Post Box walk
Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – Climbing High Peak with Evan and Jacob. Great views down into Sandy Bay from here; Lot’s Wife sticking up in the distance.
St Helena has 21 Post Box walks and High Peak is one of the easiest. In terms of views it is also one of the most rewarding, offering a spectacular panorama of Sandy Bay, Broadbottom and Fairyland. Each Post Box has a visitors’ book and a unique ink stamp which are fun to collect as mementos and proof that you did indeed complete the walk.
Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – The post box and information board at the top of High Peak, with Evan and Jacob.
The trail starts from the picnic area roughly half a mile after the Donkey Home on the Blue Hill main road. It takes around 15 minutes to reach the peak.
Cost: Free
Top 10 Things To Do With Kids on St Helena
5. Dolphin Watching
Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – Dolphin watching from the bow of the Enchanted Isle.
Watching hundreds of dolphins up close in the wild is exhilarating for kids as well as adults. Especially when the dolphins do showy jumps, race with the tour boat and ride in the bow waves. St Helena waters are home to a resident population of pan tropical spotted dolphins who travel in a pod of 200-300. There are also the bottlenose and rough-toothed dolphins that can be seen all year round.
Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – Dolphins are virtually guaranteed on these trips and they love to race just under the bow of the boat where everyone gets a close up view.
Humpback whales usually visit the island in the winter months from June to December to give birth to calves. Whale sharks, the world’s largest fish, visits from January to April. Swimming with these placid, majestic creatures is on many a bucket list.
A few boats offer dolphin tours, costing around £10-£15 per person. Prices vary between operators and are dependent on the number of attendees.
Some of the tour operators:
Enchanted Isle. Contact Johnny Herne Tel: 61366 Enchanted Isle on Facebook
Gannet 3. Contact Robert Bedwell Tel: 23133
Sub-Tropic Adventures. Contact Anthony Thomas Tel: 22758 Sub-Tropic Adventures website
Into The Blue. Contact Craig Yon Tel: 61400 Into The Blue website
6. Jonathan The Tortoise and Walk to Butcher’s Grave
Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – The four tortoises that live in the Plantation House grounds can be seen from within the viewing corridor at the bottom of the lawn. The general public are not allowed inside the fence in order to protect the tortoises welfare.
At the grand old age of 185 Jonathan is reportedly the world’s oldest living land animal. He lives on the lawn of Plantation House with three other tortoises and is identified by a white cataract spot in his right eye. The tortoises can be seen from the viewing corridor accessible through the bottom gate. Jonathan is a rare Seychelles giant tortoise who arrived fully grown in 1882, estimated then to be around 50 years old.
Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – Tortoise Jonathan is believed to be 185 years old and therefore probably the oldest living land animal on earth.
Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – The butcher’s graves in Plantation Forest.
A path at the end of the corridor leads to the ‘Butcher’s Graves’ about 100 metres into the forest. In a valley surrounded by giant bamboo are the graves of Francis Butcher and his wife Margaret (dated November 1777) who were slaves of Plantation House.
Plantation House is located 50 metres through the white gate of ‘White Gate’ near St Paul’s cathedral.
Cost: Free
7. The Castle Gardens, Jamestown
Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – Another activity to try in the school holidays, floating paper boats in the Castle Gardens pond.
A tranquil spot under the cool canopy of centuries-old banyan trees makes Castle Gardens (also known as the ‘public gardens’) a beautiful place to visit. Here is where you find the largest green area in Jamestown just minutes from the seafront. Kids can spot fish and tadpoles swimming in the fountain pond, hide and climb the knotty banyan trunks and even play outdoor chess.
Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – This tile-topped table in Castle Gardens has a built in chess board which generated plenty of competition on a day out, even if the rules being followed at the time were a little suspect!
You’ll also find topiary sculptures fashioned from hibiscus trees, and memorials, in particular the HM Waterwitch monument that honours the crew who died intercepting slave ships crossing the Middle Passage from Africa to the Americas during 1839-43.
Cost: Free
(£5 refundable deposit at the Library to borrow chess pieces)
8. High Knoll Fort Exploration
Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – Exploring the inner chambers of High Knoll Fort in 2016 with the Siobhan, Mairen and Niall from yacht, Totem.
Originally built in 1798 this military fortification is really cool to explore, although some parts have collapsed and are off limits. There are dark rooms and secret chambers with lots of nooks and crannies to let kid’s imaginations run wild. High Knoll also has spectacular 360 degree views of the island, excellent for photographers. It makes a wonderful setting for a picnic.
Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – The entrance to High Knoll Fort.
This landmark is visible across the island and is easy to locate. The entrance can be found leading off the main road above Half Tree Hollow, just across from Red Gate. Please note: enter at your own risk.
Cost: Free
9. Longwood Green Play Park
Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – The playground equipment on Longwood Green is well used by kids on St Helena.
Play parks are always fun and the one on Longwood Green also has lots of open space. With spectacular views of Flagstaff and the Barn, the Green is a lovely place to enjoy a picnic. Just across the road is Longwood House, the last residence of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Park cost: Free
Learn more about the district of Longwood here.
10. Museum of St Helena
Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – Evan and Jacob checking out a model of the first RMS St Helena, one of the many fascinating things to see in the Museum of St Helena.
Sat at the base of Jacob’s Ladder the Museum gives a fascinating insight into St Helena’s history and culture with artefacts and memorabilia dating from the 1600’s. On display is a model of the old RMS St Helena that was commandeered in 1982 to serve in the Falklands War along with the story and names of the St Helenian crew who volunteered to stay with the ship. The Museum permanently exhibits ‘Liberty Bound – Slavery In St Helena’ which had originally opened in Liverpool’s International Slavery Museum in 2014.
Things To Do With Kids On St Helena – Inside the Museum of St Helena.
Cost: Free.
Donations are welcome.
The Museum is open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays from 10 – 4pm and Saturdays from 10 – 1pm. There are special openings when the RMS St Helena is anchored in James’s Bay and during cruise ship visits.
If I were a kid I think I would like to try Jacobs ladder. Don’t know how safe that would be. Great article.
Beautiful photography. Love the idea of ‘borrowing’ children to show them a good time.
Thanks Angelika – I suppose we have the easy end of the stick – ‘borrowing’ kids for fun days out and hand them over to the parents for the not-so-fun ‘parenting’ side of things! 🙂
You are absolutely right. 🙂
Hi Sharon, A brilliant portrayal of the freedom and activities that kids experience on St Helena.
It is right? We sometimes take for granted the lovely sense of freedom we feel here. 🙂
All activities are suitable for children of all ages!!! And extremely enjoyable.
Hee hee totally agree Sheila – kid, adult and family friendly (even the swings at Longwood!) 🙂