Discover some of the world’s most unusual post offices, from a submerged outpost in the Pacific to mail delivered by mule in the Grand Canyon.
UKAHT has helped make some rather extraordinary postal history over the years. Working with Gerhard, we’ve collaborated on a series of wonderfully inventive postal journeys, sending postcards from Port Lockroy to destinations including the International Space Station (ISS), the world’s northernmost post office at Ny-Ålesund and the world’s only cave post office, among many others.
As such, we thought it was about time we had a look at some of these remarkable institutions. From the seabed to the slopes of Everest, here are some of the world’s most unusual post offices.
Underwater Post Office, Vanuatu
The Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu, lying 1,750km (1,090mi) to the east of Australia, is home to the world’s only underwater post office. The fully functional, submerged post office is located off the island of Mele at the Hideaway Island resort, a vacation spot popular with scuba divers and snorkellers.
To post a letter, customers will have to purchase waterproof postcards and stamps and have them embossed on land before travelling 50m (15ft) off-shore by boat. From there, they can either scuba or free dive down three meters (9ft) below the surface to the post office. Operational since 2003, the post office receives an estimated 100,00 visitors a year and has its own special edition stamp issue and minisheet. Postal staff take it in turns to scuba down to meet customers.
Postojna Cave, Slovenia
The jaw-dropping Postojna Cave system, in southwestern Slovenia, is made up of a series of caverns, halls and passages around 24km (15mi) long and two million years old. It is Europe’s most visited cave and has been a popular tourist attraction since 1819 when Ferdinand I of Austria visited the caves.
Since then, over 40 million people have come to see the fantastical crystalline galleries dripping with needlelike stalactites and columns of improbable stalagmites. Today, the cave comes with an array of attractions including a railway line, a concert hall and, most significantly, a post office.
In 1899, the world’s first cave post office was opened in Postojna Cave. Initially, it was a simple, small, stone building in a chamber called the Dance Hall. In its first year, the post office processed around 7,000 letters but by 1927, when it was renovated and relocated to the much larger Concert Hall, that number had risen to over 90,000. The post office still stands today and is the world’s only cave post office.
Supai Post Office, Arizona, USA
In the Grand Canyon, the US Postal Service still delivers mail by mule to one of the world’s most unusual post offices. Deliveries by mule first began in the 1930s and continue today. Six days a week, between 10 and 22 mules carry mail, food and supplies down a nine-mile (14.5km) trail to the Havasupai people at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
The journey takes around three hours to get down and five hours to get back up. On the return journey, the wrangler untethers the mules and sends them back up on their own. Each pack animal can carry up to 90kg (200lb) and the weight is loaded equally on each side for balance.
The Supai Post Office, located in Supai Village at the bottom of the valley, has a special Mule Train postmark to celebrate its title as the only mule-led mail route in the USA. According to Daniel Piazza, chief curator of philately at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum, it is the last official mail-by-mule route in the country, and probably one of the last in the world.
Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, Norway
The world’s northernmost post office is in Ny-Ålesund, a small town in Svalbard, Norway, located well inside the Arctic Circle at 78°56′N. Ny-Ålesund is the world’s northernmost permanent settlement as well as the world’s northernmost year-round research station. Ny-Ålesund has a permanent population of 35 year-round and 114 in the summer with its residents predominantly hardy scientists and researchers.
The settlement also has a pedigree in polar exploration. It was here where legendary Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen launched his 1926 expedition to the North Pole aboard the airship Norge. Amundsen reached the Pole and flew on to Teller in Alaska. It was the first verified trip of any kind to reach the North Pole and the first crossing of the Arctic Ocean.
Hikkim Post Office, India
Nestled in the folds of the Himalayas in northern India, the Spiti Valley is one of Earth’s most inhabited places. Defined by barren mountains, treacherous passes and winding rivers, the high-altitude, cold desert landscape looks almost otherworldly. That said, it somehow manages to maintain one of the world’s most unusual post offices.
At an elevation of 4,440m (14,400ft), the tiny post office in the village of Hikkim is believed to be the world’s highest post office that operates year-round. Two postmen carry the mail by foot on demanding roundtrips of 46km across mountain passes each day to connect a cluster of small villages in this isolated region to the rest of India and the wider world.
First opened in 1983, the post office was renovated in 2022 to attract more tourists to the village. The new office now occupies a bright-red, letterbox-shaped structure.
Tibetan Paradise Post Office, China
The trek to Everest base camp in Nepal is regularly top of many people’s travel bucket lists but Earth’s highest mountain shares a border with China where the world’s highest temporary post office is located. North Everest base camp, China, at an altitude of around 5,100m (16,730ft) above sea level, is home to the Tibetan Paradise Post Office – the highest temporary post office in the world.
Set up in 2001 to meet the needs of tourists who wanted to send postcards and letters to their families from the Everest base camp, the first China Post office was an old military tent next to the tent guesthouses. In 2008, the post office was upgraded so the Olympic Flame could pass through the station en route to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Then, in 2017, it was upgraded to the Tibet Paradise Post Office, complete with modern facilities, local information and more comfortable amenities. Unlike the Hikkim Post Office in India, the Tibetan Paradise Post Office is not open all year. Instead, it only opens for the trekking and climbing season from mid-April until mid-October.
Penguin Post Office, Port Lockroy, Antarctica
Okay, so maybe we’re a little biased with this one but we think our beloved Penguin Post Office at Base A, Port Lockroy, is one of the world’s most extraordinary post offices.
The location has been a safe anchorage since it was first named in 1903. For this reason, in 1944 it was selected as Base A – the first continuously occupied British base in Antarctica as part of the secret wartime mission, Operation Tabarin. Over the ensuing years, Port Lockroy witnessed the birth of British Antarctic science while it operated as an atmospheric research base until 1962.
Abandoned for three decades, Port Lockroy was restored in 1996 with support from UKAHT, who then took over full management of the site in 2006. Since then, we’ve been welcoming visitors to the museum and the world’s southernmost public post office, while capturing important data on our resident gentoo colony.
On 11 February 2024, our penguin post office celebrated its 80th birthday. From secret mission to penguin post office, Port Lockroy is an ever-evolving story and among the world’s most unusual post offices. We’re looking forward to what the next eight decades have to say.
Death Valley Post Office, USA
Perched at the edge of the Furnace Creek village in Death Valley National Park, California, the United States Postal Service Death Valley Post Office (ZIP code 92328) serves as a vital lifeline for the residents, park staff and intrepid travellers passing through one of the hottest places on Earth.
Furnace Creek holds the record for the highest reliably recorded air temperature in the world at 56.7°C (134°F) on 10 July 1913. Death Valley is also the lowest point in North America at 86m (282ft) below sea level and the driest place in North America with only 38mm (1.5in) of annual rainfall.
Established in 1908 and relocated to its current site during the mid‑20th century, the post office offers a full suite of USPS services, from first‑class mail and package delivery to PO boxes, bulk mail handling, money orders and, naturally, philatelic (stamp‑collecting) offerings.
Despite its scorching temperatures, the facility supports both tourists and the local Timbisha Shoshone community, providing essential communication links in an area that once suffered the isolation of early mining eras. The post office building and tiny village are surrounded by the vast openness of Death Valley, with scenic views of Badwater Basin and the Panamint Range nearby, making it a memorable waypoint for tourists to the region.
Jungfraujoch, Switzerland
Jungfraujoch, AKA the ‘Top of Europe,’ is nestled in the heart of the Swiss Alps. Located at an elevation of 3,454m (11,332ft) above sea level, the site sits between the iconic peaks of the Jungfrau and the Mönch.
Accessible via the Jungfrau Railway, which travels through a tunnel inside the Eiger and Mönch mountains, the ‘Top of Europe’ complex has breathtaking views of the surrounding alpine landscape, including the UNESCO-listed Aletsch Glacier – the longest glacier in Europe.
Within the complex is the Jungfraujoch post office, Europe’s highest post office, which first opened in 1912. Operated by Swiss Post, visitors can send postcards or letters stamped with a special Jungfraujoch postmark from the post office, which also boasts its own area code (3081).
It’s a popular stop for tourists looking to send a memorable souvenir to loved ones from this extraordinary height. The facility is fully functional, offering standard postal services despite the extreme altitude and challenging weather conditions.
Beyond its postal fame, Jungfraujoch is a hub for both scientific research and alpine tourism. The Sphinx Observatory, one of the highest observatories in the world, conducts important meteorological and astronomical studies. The entire complex is a marvel of engineering and logistics, showcasing Switzerland’s dedication to blending innovation with natural beauty.
Santa Claus Post Office, USA
The Santa Claus Post Office is located in the town of Santa Claus, Indiana, where even the address sounds as though it belongs on a Christmas card: 45 Kringle Place, Santa Claus, IN 47579, USA.
The town’s post office is especially popular during December, when people from across the United States and around the world send cards and letters there to receive its special Christmas postmark. Each year, the festive postmark is designed by a local high school student, making every season’s cancellation unique. For collectors, these details matter. A postmark is more than proof of postage; it is a small mark of time and place.
Ochopee Post Office, USA
The Ochopee Post Office in Florida, USA, is tucked beside Route 41 in the Everglades. It is a tiny white wooden hut measuring just 61.3 square feet. The building was originally used as a storage shed for irrigation pipes on a nearby tomato farm, but was pressed into service as a post office in 1953 after a fire destroyed Ochopee’s previous post office and general store.
What began as a temporary solution became permanent. More than 70 years later, the little shed is still a fully functioning post office, serving residents across a wide rural area, including nearby Seminole and Miccosukee communities. It has just enough room inside for one postal worker, a counter and a set of mail slots.
Its tiny size has also made it a much-loved roadside landmark. Tourists, travellers and stamp collectors regularly stop by to take photographs at one of the world’s most unusual post offices and request the famous Ochopee postmark.
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Eighty years in Antarctica have left their mark on this beloved site. Now, Port Lockroy urgently needs restoration to protect its future. Please donate today.
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