(Image: Wikimedia Commons) — (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

*NOTE: As of August 2024, the settlement process for the Pitcairn Islands is under review and the local government is not accepting new applications.

*Post updated on March 24, 2025

Looking up random, remote islands and learning what it would take to visit them has long been a cherished pastime of mine. And, thanks to said pastime, I now have a new way-the-hell-out-there destination on my radar.

The Pitcairn Islands spoke to me as soon as I discovered their existence. Where are they, you might ask? And even if you didn't, I'm going to tell you anyway. The group of four volcanic islands — Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno — constitute the last British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. These bad boys are more than 3,400 miles southeast of Hawaii's Big Island; more than 3,600 miles west of Santiago, Chile; and more than 3,300 miles east of Auckland, New Zealand.

In other words, if you're having a hard time picturing this: in the middle of the Pacific, surrounded by lots and lots of salty water.

As a means of putting into perspective just how isolated these islands are, allow me to describe the only way you can get to them. For starters, you’ll have to get yourself to Auckland, Los Angeles, or Tokyo. From one of those three cities, you next need to book a flight to Tahiti, in French Polynesia. Once there, you need to hop an Air Tahiti flight that typically only runs Tuesdays and Saturdays over to the island of Mangareva, the largest of the Gambier Islands.

And then comes the really fun part: boarding a ship called the MV Silver Supporter for a 32-hour ocean crossing that will at last see you to Pitcairn Island. Why a long-butt boat ride, you ask? It’s simple, Fred. Pitcairn Island, with its steep and hilly landscape, is not accessible by plane. The relative difficulty in getting there is only one reason this little glob of land in the middle of the world's largest ocean sounds so attractive!

According to EBSCO Information Services, Adamstown — the only settlement on Pitcairn Island — has a population of fewer than 50 people, making it one of the smallest national capitals in the world. What's more, most of the people who live there are descendants of British mutineers and Tahitians who overthrew the captain of the Royal Navy’s HMS Bounty in 1789. The wreck of the vessel is an historical landmark located in Bounty Bay.

Now, get this: if you wanted to go a step further and settle on the island, rather than just visit, the local government gives away tracts of land at no charge. Of course, it’s not as simple as hopping a couple planes and cruising to Adamstown on the Silver Supporter with suitcase in tow. The local government has a short laundry list of requirements for would-be settlers, not the least of which includes finding temporary accommodations, having the means to build a house, and possessing “relevant skills to contribute to the community”. The settlement process takes up to two years (!), so if you have commitment issues, this one might not be for you.

There is probably a 0.00000000000001 percent chance I will ever live on Pitcairn Island, and I'm sure the same goes for you, dear reader. But might a visit be in the cards? Perhaps not anytime soon, but let a ramblin' man dream, okay?

-LTH

The Pitcairn Islands Are One of the Most Remote Destinations in the World