Afrinkong
Nature & Landscapes
Obo
Rainforest covering a third of Sao Tome, from the peaks down to the shore.
Islands · Afrinkong
Sao Tome and Principe
Two volcanic islands and a lot of cocoa.
Obo rainforest running from the peaks to the sea, volcanic plugs standing out of the forest, abandoned cocoa plantations being taken back by it, and some of the best chocolate in the world made where the beans grow.
Where it is
Africa · Islands · Sao Tome and Principe
The land in brief
- Spans
- 20 km E–W, 40 km N–S
- Latitude
- On the equator
- Borders
- None — it is an island
- Nearest land
- about 240 km
- Best time
- The gravana, June to September, is the dry season. December and January are a shorter one.
Also in the islands
Cabo VerdeTen islands, and the mornaComorosAn active volcano, and the fish that came back from the deadMadagascarAn island that evolved aloneMauritiusReef, sugar and the volcanic interiorSeychellesGranite islands in the Indian Ocean
Compare Sao Tome and Principe with another countryAll fifty-four, worked through the same twenty-seven categories.When to come
JFMAMJJASOND
The gravana, June to September, is the dry season. December and January are a shorter one.
01Highlights
What Sao Tome and Principe is known for.
Six of the twenty-seven, and the ones most people come for. The rest are below — and none of them is filler.
Nature & Landscapes
Endemic Birds
Twenty-eight species live on these islands and nowhere else — one of the highest rates on earth.
Mountains
Pico de Sao Tome
2,024 metres, in cloud most of the year, and a two-day walk to the top.
Beaches & Coast
Praia Jale and Banana Beach
Turtle-nesting sand in the south of Sao Tome, and the curved bay on Principe.
The Cocoa Forest
Plantations abandoned in the 1970s and taken back by the forest, with the trees still fruiting.
Creole, and Portuguese
Forro, Angolar and Principense creoles, and a culture built on the plantations and against them.
02Experiences
25 ways to spend the time.
Every country we cover works through the same twenty-seven categories, so you can hold two of them side by side and compare like with like rather than one brochure against another. Compare Sao Tome and Principe with another → The two not listed here are the hero picture and the case for going, which has a section of its own below.
Landscapes
- OboRainforest covering a third of Sao Tome, from the peaks down to the shore.
- Pico de Sao Tome2,024 metres, in cloud most of the year, and a two-day walk to the top.
- Sao NicolauA waterfall in the forest above Trindade, reached on a short walk from the road.
- Rivers to the SeaShort, steep rivers off the volcanic interior, and pools in most of them.
- Praia Jale and Banana BeachTurtle-nesting sand in the south of Sao Tome, and the curved bay on Principe.
- The Cocoa ForestPlantations abandoned in the 1970s and taken back by the forest, with the trees still fruiting.
Wildlife
- Endemic BirdsTwenty-eight species live on these islands and nowhere else — one of the highest rates on earth.
- Sea, Not SavannaThere are no large mammals. What there is instead is birds, turtles and whales.
- Cocoa, Grown and MadeCooperatives grow it, and the chocolate is made on the island rather than shipped raw.
- Climbing the PicoTwo days through cloud forest, with a night in a shelter and a lot of rain.
People and culture
- Creole, and PortugueseForro, Angolar and Principense creoles, and a culture built on the plantations and against them.
- The AngolaresDescended from a shipwreck or a maroon community, depending on who tells it, and fishermen either way.
- Auto de FloripesA Principe street play that runs a whole day in August, performed since the sixteenth century.
- Cocoa, Coffee and CarvingSingle-origin chocolate, island coffee, and carving in the plantation villages.
- Calulu and ChocolateCalulu — fish stewed with okra and palm oil — and chocolate made where the beans grow.
- Small and EasyShort distances, calm bays and no dangerous animals — one of the easier African countries with children.
- The Fish LandingDugouts come in through the surf and the fish is sold on the sand within the hour.
Places
- Sao Tome TownA small Portuguese colonial capital with a fort, a market and a cathedral.
- Portuguese Colonial and RocaPastel colonial in town, and the plantation architecture of the rocas in the interior.
- The RocasPlantation estates with hospitals, chapels and rail lines, most of them now half-ruined and lived in.
- Principe BiosphereThe whole of Principe is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, and it is seven thousand people.
Ways to travel
- Walking and DivingCao Grande and the Pico on foot, and volcanic reef straight off the beaches.
- Good, and SmallRestored rocas turned into hotels, and a serious eco-resort on Principe.
- Volcano and CanopyCao Grande through cloud in the early morning, from the road below it.
- Roca Agostinho NetoThe largest plantation on the island, ruined, lived in, and quite unlike anywhere else.
03Why go
The case for Sao Tome and Principe.
Why Visit This Country
Why Sao Tome and Principe
Rainforest to the shore, twenty-eight endemic birds, and chocolate made where it grows.
Hidden Gems
Roca Agostinho Neto
The largest plantation on the island, ruined, lived in, and quite unlike anywhere else.
Eco Tourism
Cocoa, Grown and Made
Cooperatives grow it, and the chocolate is made on the island rather than shipped raw.
Heritage
Principe Biosphere
The whole of Principe is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, and it is seven thousand people.
04Go deeper
All of Sao Tome and Principe, four ways in.
Who would take youAfrinkong
The ground is ours right across Africa: your vehicle, your driver for the whole journey, and the days shaped around what you came for.
In Cameroon, Uganda and Namibia you travel with companies of our own as well.
Plan your journey →
Begin
Your Sao Tome and Principe starts here.
Tell us the month, or simply the thing you want to see, and a guide who works there will answer.