Afrinkong
Nature & LandscapesObo
Rainforest covering a third of Sao Tome, from the peaks down to the shore.
Photo Henrique Prado / Pexels
SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE · Tourism
Pico Cao Grande
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.
IslandsRegion
27Tourism experiences
Two volcanic islands and a lot of cocoaKnown for
01
Featured destinations
Where the country actually takes you.
Nature & Landscapes
MountainsPico de Sao Tome
2,024 metres, in cloud most of the year, and a two-day walk to the top.
Photo ByChelo / Pexels
WaterfallsSao Nicolau
A waterfall in the forest above Trindade, reached on a short walk from the road.
Rivers to the Sea
Short, steep rivers off the volcanic interior, and pools in most of them.
Beaches & CoastPraia Jale and Banana Beach
Turtle-nesting sand in the south of Sao Tome, and the curved bay on Principe.
Photo Jade Orhville / Pexels
The Cocoa Forest
Plantations abandoned in the 1970s and taken back by the forest, with the trees still fruiting.
Photo Kawê Rodrigues / Pexels
02
Wildlife & safari
What lives here, and how you see it without disturbing it.
Wildlife
Endemic Birds
Twenty-eight species live on these islands and nowhere else — one of the highest rates on earth.
SafariSea, Not Savanna
There are no large mammals. What there is instead is birds, turtles and whales.
Photo Keith Lobo / Pexels
Cocoa, Grown and Made
Cooperatives grow it, and the chocolate is made on the island rather than shipped raw.
Photo Garba Bakura / Pexels
03
Culture & heritage
The part of a country you cannot photograph from a vehicle.
Culture
Creole, and Portuguese
Forro, Angolar and Principense creoles, and a culture built on the plantations and against them.
Photo Eliane Soraya / Pexels
The Angolares
Descended from a shipwreck or a maroon community, depending on who tells it, and fishermen either way.
Photo Wale Adebisi / Pexels
Food & CuisineCalulu and Chocolate
Calulu — fish stewed with okra and palm oil — and chocolate made where the beans grow.
Festivals & CelebrationsAuto de Floripes
A Principe street play that runs a whole day in August, performed since the sixteenth century.
Traditional Arts & CraftsCocoa, Coffee and Carving
Single-origin chocolate, island coffee, and carving in the plantation villages.
Photo Ákos Helgert / Pexels
Historic SitesThe Rocas
Plantation estates with hospitals, chapels and rail lines, most of them now half-ruined and lived in.
Photo Sami Aksu / Pexels
HeritagePrincipe Biosphere
The whole of Principe is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, and it is seven thousand people.
Photo Atharv Ingle / Pexels
04
Cities & everyday life
Where people actually live between the landmarks.
Sao Tome Town
A small Portuguese colonial capital with a fort, a market and a cathedral.
Photo AXP Photography / Pexels
ArchitecturePortuguese Colonial and Roca
Pastel colonial in town, and the plantation architecture of the rocas in the interior.
Local LifeThe Fish Landing
Dugouts come in through the surf and the fish is sold on the sand within the hour.
Small and Easy
Short distances, calm bays and no dangerous animals — one of the easier African countries with children.
Photo Mengtry Lorn / Pexels
05
Adventure & outdoors
For travellers who would rather walk it than watch it.
Adventure
Walking and Diving
Cao Grande and the Pico on foot, and volcanic reef straight off the beaches.
Outdoor ExperiencesClimbing the Pico
Two days through cloud forest, with a night in a shelter and a lot of rain.
Photo Ramon Perucho / Pexels
Good, and Small
Restored rocas turned into hotels, and a serious eco-resort on Principe.
Photo Vika Glitter / Pexels
06
Travel inspiration
The frames people come home with.
Volcano and Canopy
Cao Grande through cloud in the early morning, from the road below it.
Hidden GemsRoca Agostinho Neto
The largest plantation on the island, ruined, lived in, and quite unlike anywhere else.
Photo James Yarema / Unsplash
Why Visit This Country
Why Sao Tome and Principe
Rainforest to the shore, twenty-eight endemic birds, and chocolate made where it grows.
Why Sao Tome and Principe
Rainforest to the shore, twenty-eight endemic birds, and chocolate made where it grows.
Build a journey