These two islands have so much more to offer than their tiny size would suggest.
To write this guide I spent months hiking among its dense rainforests, lounging on
empty beaches, visiting crumbling colonial plantation houses, climbing extinct
volcanoes (sweating for Britain, or Bradt, rather), and tasting roasted cocoa beans
as well as some of the best chocolate in the world. What’s more, the destination
is, as yet, largely undiscovered. One out-of-season British traveller told me he
didn’t meet a single other tourist in the three weeks he was out there. But the buzz
of change is unmistakable in São Tomé and Príncipe: ecotourism and investment (not least in the oil sector) are beginning to take root. One only hopes the natural beauty of the islands will be preserved.
On a separate note, moving to Portugal has allowed me to see the islands through a kind of reverse prism: the country that previously ruled São Tomé and Príncipe for 500 years is home to many Santomeans, but lots live in difficult conditions, and among many is a longing for their lost Africa. This book is as much for them as it is for the adventurous traveller dabbling with the idea of exploring these African islands. As I said, research was a huge amount of fun, but if the shy ossobó bird could finally show its face next time I visit that would be nice, thanks…
