If you have the cash and need a little time away from the world, there are a range of private islands for you to choose from.
Or, you can take instruction from this couple in Canada, who just made their own private island out of waste.
Then there are islands that are private not because they’ve been set up that way, but because they’re so remote and difficult to get to.
Tristan da Cunha is the world’s most remote island, requiring a seven-day boat trip across the Atlantic. The island that really captures the remote island experience, however, is Pitcairn.
Traveller24 notes that the island only has 50 inhabitants. It also has a really interesting history.
It’s a 32-hour trip to the island, but not before you’ve taken a number of connecting flights to travel to this forsaken corner of the world – not a cheap adventure, it appeals to those who yearn for a truly off-the-beaten-track adventure.
Its 50 inhabitants – consisting of only four families – are the descendants of mutineers from a Royal Naval ship called the Bounty from 1790.
Nine of the mutineers, alongside Tahitian men and women who travelled with them, settled on Pitcairn after setting fire to the ship. Another ship only made landfall on the island about 18 years later.
Today it’s the only remaining British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. There are three islands overall, but Pitcairn is the only one with inhabitants.
This short doccie from 2016 captured what life is like on the island.
Pitcairn is also the world’s smallest democracy. They recently celebrated the election of the first female mayor in its 230-year history.
The island’s 50 inhabitants voted in Charlene Warren-Peu, in what was reportedly a landslide victory. You can see her below with her youngest daughter:
The island’s natural scenery is mostly untouched, with beautiful beaches, thriving forests, and very well protected marine life.
It’s also a birder’s paradise with several varieties of Pacific feathered friends, and various hiking trails through pirate-like caves – you can even dive down to the infamous Bounty.
The ocean surrounding the island has also become a breeding and calving ground for whales, while fishing trips are popular off a traditional Pitcairn longboat.
The island has no airport and is too far from other islands fly to via helicopter. The only option is a boat ride.
It’s not easy going, but worth it to see the island, and while you won’t need a visa to travel there, your stay will be limited.
You have the option of four, 11 and 18 days in Pitcairn, but the price difference is very small between the options. There are no visas required from any nationality for 14 days or less – anything more and less than six months will need an entry clearance application form at least three months before your visit.
It’s now also possible to book Airbnb on the island, although running an Airbnb scam there would be rather tricky.
With only 50 people on the island, that sort of thing would end in a very short investigation.
[source:traveller24]
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