Travel to Sao Tome and Principe

a unique and unobvious choice for a beach vacation

São Tomé and Príncipe is an island country in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa.

It’s the second-smallest African sovereign state (after the Seychelles), with a combined area of just 1001 square kilometres. The population is around 200,000, the vast majority of whom are practising Roman Catholics.

The main language is Portuguese, along with a local creole language called Forro. English is not widely spoken at all, French being a little more common.

These islands are very much the archetypal tropical paradise, with wonderful scenery, tropical forests, remote beaches and rich marine life. As well as extensive hiking trails and superb diving, there are also some interesting colonial forts and plantations to explore.

The islands are very sparsely inhabited and host very low numbers of international tourists, making them ideal for hikers and divers who really enjoy getting off the beaten track.

The islands of São Tomé and Príncipe can be visited year round, although are perhaps at their best during Jun-Sep.

Getting there

The primary route to Sao Tome is the main flight from Lisbon in Portugal, which sometimes flies via Accra in Ghana on the way.

There are also flights from Togo.

Where to stay

The majority of visitors like to stay on both of the main islands, São Tomé for culture, history and hiking, Príncipe for remote beauty and virginal nature. A light aircraft service connects the two islands.

In São Tomé town there are several small pousadas (bed and breakfast hotels) of indiscernible quality. The three main hotels are the historic Miramar (which is now well past its best), the modern but rather bland Pestana Hotel and the more characterful Agosto Neto on a side street a couple of blocks from the Presidential Palace.

We tend to use the smaller and more intimate Omali Lodge, which is just to the north of town, whilst the much larger Club Santana certainly offers a wider range of facilities.

On Príncipe there are three main options, the rather cool and funky Sundy Praia, the chic Roca Sundy (centred on a restored plantation house) and the more conventional Bom Bom Resort.

usually accessed from Lisbon in Portugal