I just rented a car and took off-driving straight onto the American military base and happily snooping around. There were no security checks or interrogations for me. The rest of Ascension looks dead, or at least in a coma.ĭespite all the secrecy, once you’ve managed to legally land on this very remote island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, everybody assumes that you’re supposed to be there. The odd mixture of bananas and vine trees has grown into a miniature rainforest, covering the highest (and wettest) point of the island. Grainy chunks of black and red pumice cover everything, except for the very middle of the island, where a tall green pinnacle of a mountain is proof that humans enjoy gardening-over the past century, bored military officers have experimented with growing all things tropical, be they edible or pretty. A dead, volcanic landscape stretches out between a dozen or so black cones, each streaked with earthy red tones. I had already received written permission from the island administrator and showed proof of the required air evacuation insurance-despite a long history of castaway pirates and marooned sailors, the Ascension Island government does not appreciate modern travelers getting stranded on this particular British colony.Īscension Island looks like Mars, if Mars was planted with imported trees. What could be so terribly secret on such a remote and inaccessible island? I was curious to find out and as luck would have it, I got the chance: while en route across the Atlantic, we had two whole days on Ascension. When a rather adventurous acquaintance of mine once sailed around the world, he tried coming to Ascension but never made it to shore-he was quickly approached by a British military patrol boat and commanded to leave immediately or face arrest. Prior to 2003, civilians were not allowed to visit Ascension, ever. Nor is it so easy getting permission to legally enter. Let me tell you-it’s not easy getting to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean-halfway between Africa and Brazil. I arrived at Ascension after nearly three weeks at sea on board the MV National Geographic Explorer.
Most of them are no longer secret-thanks to GPS and Google Maps, anyone can pretty much look at anywhere they want. And yet the more I travel, the more I run into these “top secret” places all over the world. That’s the whole point of a secret military base-to remain unknown and practically invisible. You probably haven’t heard of Ascension Island because they never wanted you to.
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