Meet Jonathan, the world's oldest tortoise

Visit the remote island of St Helena and see Jonathan

Ben
Ben
Africa Specialist and CEO
Published on
06 Mar 2019
Updated on
27 Feb 2025
Jonathan The Tortoise Outside Plantation House

If you're visiting St Helena (and we really think you should, it's an incredible place) we recommend you head over to Plantation House, home of the Governor of St Helena, and perhaps more famously, a Seychelles Giant Tortoise named Jonathan. He's the oldest island inhabitant, and may indeed be the oldest living land animal in the world at around 191 years. What a dude!

Jonathan The Tortoise In 2016
Jonathan in 2016 outside Plantation House

Legend

Jonathan has become a bit of a legend on the island. He appears on the back of the local 5 pence coin, has his own Wikipedia entry, and it's rumored that he met St Helena's other famous resident, Napoleon. The latter however can't be true unless Jonathan's arrival date on the island had been mis-recorded by about 60 years. Which is a shame. That would have made one hell of a story.

Jonathan With St Helena Residents In The 1860S
Jonathan (left) with St Helena Residents in the 1860s

The secret to a long life

No-one knows why Jonathan has lived for so long (150 years is usually the max for giant tortoises), but some attribute his vitality to the consumption of a local herb called 'Monkey's Ears' which is found all over the pastures on St Helena. The herb has medicinal properties and is used extensively in Asia as a diuretic to clear toxins, reduce inflammation and boost immunity. Apparently in China it was even used to make a 'long-life' tea, where a professor who drank it reputedly lived for 265 years and married 24 times. Now what was the name of that plant again...?

Escape Artist

In his more sprightly younger years, Jonathan regularly escaped from his enclosure on St Helena. He would bust through fences, crawl up hills and disrupt croquet games at Plantation House by sitting on the balls and knocking over the benches. His behavior was put down to loneliness, and resulted in two other tortoises (Emily and David) being sent over from the Seychelles to the island to keep him company.

Jonathan The Tortoise
Jonathan on the move
Jonathan The Tortoise Disrupting Croquet
Jonathan stops a game of croquet
Jonathan At Lunch
Lunch time

Let's not forget Plantation House

Jonathan isn't the only reason you should visit Plantation House, although admittedly he's definitely the star of the show. The house itself was built in the late 18th Century as a country residence for the Governor of the East India Company, and is now home to the Governor of St Helena, currently Lisa Honan, the first female on the island to hold this position. Visiting the house gives a fascinating glimpse into life on the island over the past 200 years, and is one of the top things to do on St Helena.

What: Guided house tours last an hour, with a full showing of the ground and first floors. The tour is followed by a visit to the tortoises, and a cup of tea in the coffee shop where souvenirs are available to buy.

When: Every Tuesday and Thursday at 11am.

Cost: £10 per person.

Plantation House On St Helena
Plantation House and grounds
Inside Plantation House On St Helena
Inside Plantation House

Visiting Jonathan and his pals

Visits to see Jonathan and the other tortoises take place in a fenced-off viewing area outside the house, but you can enter the paddock with a member of staff to take that all-important selfie if you wish. Just remember to look but not touch.

When you visit Jonathan and the other tortoises, be careful not to startle them because this could make them to go into defence mode, which can cause their breathing to shut down. Obviously not a great idea at Jonathan's age. But don't worry, once they know you're around, these majestic movers don't seem to be bothered by camera flashes or a bit of noise.

Visiting Area To See Jonathan The Tortoise
The viewing area

Will Jonathan outlive us all?

Jonathan is blind from cataracts and has lost his sense of smell, but has excellent hearing, which is pretty impressive for an 191 year old. Whether he'll drop dead tomorrow or carry on for another 100 years and outlive us all is anyone's guess. So we reckon you should come and visit St Helena and meet Jonathan for yourself whilst he's still around.

Jonathan The Giant Tortoise On St Helena
187 and still going strong

If you’d like to arrange a holiday to St Helena, call our friendly experts on 01768 305715 or fill in our enquiry form. Every holiday we make it tailored to your requirements and created from scratch so we can create the perfect safari for you.

Wondering when to visit? Take a look at this guide on the best time to visit St Helena.

Looking for some more inspiration? Take a look at our best safari holidays ideas, our favourite family safaris, our big five safari guide or our top African safari honeymoon suggestions.

Speak To Our St Helena Specialist Today

and start planning your tailor-made holiday

Call 0203 111 1315
or
Ben morison bio pic May18

Ben

Travel Expert

Shirley Newman

What can I say….my son and myself had the most wonderful time in Kenya thanks to the first-class itinerary that Ben and Louise put together for us. We spoke with Ben many times to ensure he ‘got it right’. This was our 2nd visit to Kenya, and it certainly lived up to our expectations and memories. We stayed in four locations, firstly at the wonderful El Karama Lodge, Laikipia Wildlife Conservancy, where we even had a visit from Ruth from Far and Wild! Then, for a return visit, to Saruni Samburu, which is absolutely stunning and still one of our favourite places in the world. Next came Basecamp Mara Camp, where we saw our first Cheetah, the only animal we didn’t see on our first visit. After that, onto the wonderful Leopards Hill in the Naiboisho Conservancy, what a way to spend the last four days of this trip. Here we finally spent many hours with a beautiful leopard. Throughout our time in Kenya, we saw many lions, giraffes, elephants, ostriches, hyenas, cheetahs, and leopards, to name just a few. Nothing was too much trouble for all the staff; we cannot have been looked after any better. Since our return again Ben phoned to see how it went in addition to emails. I would highly recommend Far and Wild; they are so knowledgeable and have personally visited the lodges and areas. We are already planning another visit, and we cannot wait.

16 Aug 2025
Elizabeth Spells

I have just returned from the most amazing trip to Tanzania, booked with Far & Wild. Everything went so smoothly from the first time I spoke with them. The planning was great, the itinerary was perfect for us, and the lodges were amazing. We spent 10 nights with an amazing guide, travelling through Northern Tanzania and even got to see the migration, which was a lifetime ambition of mine. This wasn't our first safari, so we were nervous as to how it would compare, but it was spot on. We're particularly grateful that she suggested a private 'bush lunch' in the Ngorongoro Crater as the public picnic spot was very busy! I will certainly be using them again to book our next trip....we're thinking of a relaxing beach stay next time to get over the excitement of safari!

17 Sept 2025
Orla Rhodes

Just back from another amazing F&W organised trip to Namibia with the family (8 adults). Having been there before, Alistair tailored our trip to include our favourite locations and added a new one for us, Okonjima Plains camp, which we loved.The quality of accommodation and guiding, activities, food and drinks was exceptional throughout. Although not inexpensive I felt it was good value for the level of luxury we had. Kwessi Dunes, Shipwreck lodge, Ongava, Okonjima with pit stops Windhoek (city tour recommended ), Swakopmund (Sandwich Harbour and Walvis Bay tour) and Grootberg lodge (best sundowner drive )

31 Jul 2024
Arnhild Schia

We had a wonderful trip to São Tomé and Príncipe - a small island nation in the Gulf of Guinea with paradise (almost empty) beaches and jungle forest. It was all well organised by Far and Wild and we stayed at Omali lodge at Sao Tome, then on Roca Sundy, and Sunday Praia at Principe - a great combination of different types of resorts/hotels. Omali is close to Sao Tome town with its colonial buildings, markets, hustle and bustle. Roca Sunday gives an old plantation experience and Sundy Praia a luxury beach experience. Very friendly (from time to time a bit slow) service, great fresh food, specifically if you like fish/seafood, vegetables and fruits (almost all sourced locally). Nice temperature between 23 and 30 degrees Celsius, nice swimming conditions. We really recommend this for those who want to experience a pristine destination with few other tourists and friendly and welcoming people. The islands also feel (and I believe are) very safe. At Principe, there are no dangerous animals, snakes or whatever, and it was great to be able to hike in the jungle without being very conscious of where to put your hands and feet. Go before everyone else does!

3 Jul 2024
Henri Papenfus

Back home again, basking in the joys of a superb safari. Every aspect you arranged for us, including linking up with Mack Air and Wild Horizons locally to transport us. The choice of camps, Camp Hwange in Zimbabwe and Muchenenje Safari Lodge in Botswana, was spot on and exactly what we had hoped for - ideally situated, comfortable, in good surroundings, and with excellent wildlife on the doorstep and throughout the wider country. The service staff in each looked after us very well, catering was excellent, and the game guides were professional, knowledgeable and helpful. The weather was, as usual for that part of the world, also good at the time of our visit. Blue skies and stunning sunsets. Warm but not too hot during the day, although quite cold at sunrise when viewing game. The viewing started. You made us happy, and we recommend you to similar safari enthusiasts with confidence.

28 Jun 2024
AC

Far and Wild went above and beyond to make sure my trip to Zambia was special. I would definitely recommend them and their services to anyone wanting to travel to Africa.

5 Jun 2024
Tiny

Lovely holiday at the amazing Almanara on Galu beach, a beach like no other. Far and Wild excelled themselves from beginning to end of our holiday in beautiful Kenya.... What a country!,

5 Jun 2024
Stodge

Wow! These guys are amazing. Can’t recommend them highly enough. Friendly AND efficient! Sorted out our trip (last minute and lots of different family member needs, sorry!) in record time and everything worked like clockwork. Trip of a lifetime to the Masai Mara. Will be back (and use F&W again!)!

5 Jun 2024
Fiona C

It was a dreamy holiday on the Kenyan Coast - Far and Wild, their efficiency and professionalism allowed us to relax and be the happiest family alive !! We cannot fault them, their care and understanding of what we wanted from a holiday ensured we had the most memorable trip. We will be booking with them again for sure!

5 Jun 2024