Searching for the most isolated place on the planet is becoming more and more of a problem. An island with a population of just fifty seems unlikely in today’s world, but it does exist.
Add to that the fact that the local population are the descendants of mutineers and you have the twist of notoriety that attracts you even more. If you seek such a destination, try Pitcairn Island, a British overseas territory, home to the Bounty mutineers.
Image credit: Timflorianhorn
If you have a map of the Pacific Ocean nearby, you will find Pitcairn Island at latitude 25° 04′ south, longitude 130° 06′ west.
Image credit: Darn
The other uninhabited Pitcairn islands include: Henderson Island the largest island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with several endangered bird species, Oeno Island/Sandy Island - a close pair of islands, and Ducie Island - distant from the others, with lots of exotic bird life. The islanders periodically visit the island for wood, fishing, or ‘on holiday’.
Pitcairn is a small volcanic island with approximately 1.75 square miles of land area, located. It has no tourist facilties, and not even an accessible beach. It is very difficult for boats to land there due to the pounding surf.
Bounty Bay, Image credit
Travel to Pitcairn is difficult at best, and communication options are limited to the community telephone (very expensive), mail (very slow) and ham radio. Getting there is only for those determined enough to do so.
There is no broadcast television on Pitcairn. What then does it hold?
Image credit: Richard Grover
Well, personally I love nature even with all its rough, rocky edges, but those of you who want more can go swimming at St. Paul’s Pool, a tidal pool in Eastern Pitcairn , Oeno island has the only sandy beaches suitable for swimming, Henderson is good for bird watching. You do get a chance to go snorkeling or scuba diving among coral reefs and a few shipwrecks. Add to that Polynesian rock carvings and the Bounty Bible and your trip is complete.
St. Paul’s Pool. While this small, protected pool was great for swimming and snorkeling, at high tide, the crashing waves on the rock walls could sweep you out to the ocean if you weren’t careful. Image source: National Geographic, Photographer Jimmy Chin
The people: Pitcairn culture, like its language, is a mix of English and Tahitian influences. They live in a communal village style in houses that are a combination of European and Tahitian architecture.
Mark Synnott is on the back of Brenda Christian’s four-wheeler. The islanders were incredibly adept at riding these four-wheelers along very tricky, cliffside trails, where a slight misjudgement of speed or cornering would result in plummeting into the rocky coastline far below.Source: National Geographic, Photographer Jimmy Chin
Provisions not grown or manufactured on Pitcairn are brought in by sea, as there are no aircraft landing facilities. The once-strict moral codes, which prohibited dancing, public shows of affection, and consumption of alcohol, have been relaxed in recent years.
Kevin Thaw feeds Mrs. T, the islanders’ family pet. She was previously known as Mr. T until a biologist visited the island and informed the Pitcairners of the tortoise’s correct gender.Photographer Jimmy Chin
Best time to go: If the mutiny on the bounty attracted you here in the first place then do go around, January 23, “Bounty Day” is celebrated with a huge community dinner and the burning of a model of the Bounty.
Mark Synnott, Brenda Christian, and Greg Child stand at the mouth of Christian’s Cave for a spectacular view of the island. Image source: National Geographic, Photographer Jimmy Chin
How to get to these islands: There are no aircraft landing facilities in these islands. Pitcairn Island is accessible to tourists via scheduled visits by a small number of commercial cruise ships, and via private ocean-traversing yachts.
Sailing from French Polynesia is relatively practical; from almost anywhere else (e.g. New Zealand, Chile) it requires crossing thousands of miles of the Pacific Ocean.
Climbing beautiful sea stacks, Image source: National Geographic, Photographer Jimmy Chin
To this day, Pitcairn remains one of the most isolated habited places on earth. Since Pitcairn lies outside the normal shipping navigation paths, contact with the island is sporadic at best. Pitcairn visitors must obtain arrange to stay with native families, and written permission from the government is required to visit the island. So if you get a chance, do visit these islands before even they succumb to becoming crowded.
