Ascension Island
Island Exploration and Turtles
Ascension Island should carry a government health warning - it's addictive! This tiny speck in the midst of the South Atlantic - just 8° south of the Equator - has the power to captivate and to intrigue, to relax and to challenge.
At first sight the island seems inhospitable with more than 40 volcanic craters and a landscape dominated by cinder. Look further and you find a fascinating and varied landscape with enigmas such as Green Mountain, its highest peak and now the island's first National Park.
Until a few years ago Ascension Island was closed to visitors. It was a vital communications centre during the Cold War and remnants of the old NASA base (described by one client last year as "something out of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.") are a poignant reminder of those days. Both US and British forces still have bases on Ascension; the BBC still has a relay station and there is still a forest of radio masts to be seen. There are also Green Turtles which come from Brazil to lay their eggs on many of the 32 sandy beaches between November and April; there is a magnificent sea-bird island just off shore with new colonies being established on the "main" island thanks to the work of conservationists.
The island has no native inhabitants but is home to a few hundred people - a mix of American and European, dominated by the "Saints" from neighbouring St Helena who work on Ascension. Crime is practically unheard of, everyone greets each other in the street and the atmosphere is one of peace and community with visitors being made to feel thoroughly at home.
For 2007 we are offering island exploration during which we will hope to see turtles laying their eggs and take a boat trip to the bird island as well as exploring the island in the company of our friends at Ascension Conservation.
