São Tomé and Principe

This tiny West African island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the coast of Gabon, is made up of two islands; São Tomé and Príncipe. They are the smallest Portuguese speaking nation in the world as well as Africa’s smallest country. Situated on extinct volcanoes, these islands lie almost at the equator, making the climate quite temperate. Here is where you go to really avoid tourists and glitzy infrastructure. There are no packaged tours here.  In fact you will pretty much need to make all the arrangements yourself. So, enjoy the white palm beaches and crystal clear waters. Trek through unexplored jungle. Just make sure that before you go, you’ve already made reservations and arrangements for after your return from your adventures, famished and hungry!  The small amount of visitors that actually travel there means that they have to plan for your needs in advance!

Travel Tips From Our Members
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1. Audrey's Tip on Sao Tome
Sao Tome, same, São Tomé and Principe
Beautiful place..eventhough there is not what most tourists look for at this time, it is a place to just get away for a little while
2. Tim's Tip on Sao Tome
Sao Tome, same, São Tomé and Principe
Traveling by road can be a tad difficult in Sao Tome. There is one road that curves around the eastern shoreline of the island but few cars and busses. Tourist transport is very expensive. There are trucks that will take hitchhikers free for very small amounts of money but it can be tricking finding one. A good way to catch one of these trucks is to look for Palm Wine Ladies. Palm wine is harvested several times each morning. In the first hour or two it is sweet and non-alcoholic. Then it is mildly alcoholic similar to wine for about five hours and then it becomes rancid. Therefore the Palm Wine has a short shelf life and needs to be transported when it is fresh. The Palm Wine Ladies usually have several 25-liter plastic containers, are dressed up for travel and stand under a tree. They tend to be friendly, jovial and have great senses of humor. It’s easy to approach and make friends with the Palm Wine Ladies when they are waiting for their transport truck. Once the truck comes they will make sure there is room for you if you have been a good companion under the tree.Palm wine travels inbound to Sao Tome City in the morning and empty containers return outbound in the afternoon. Make your travel plans accordingly.
3. Tim's Tip on Sao Tome
Sao Tome, same, São Tomé and Principe
Two thirds of the island of Sao Tome is an uninhabited world nature park. This is why the road no longer circles the entire island. It is possible to hike the former path of the road north from Porto Alegre along the western shoreline to Sao Tome Cidade. However, it is tricky and should not be undertaken without a local guide. An adventurer wishing to see the western side of the island has two good choices for hired guides. Wild pig hunters know the terrain well. When they are hunting they travel alone with a pack of trained dogs. They use the dogs to kill the wild pigs then cutting the pigs in half, half for the dogs and half for sale. It is possible to hire one of these hunters as a guide. I suggest that you arrange for the dogs to stay home. The other option is to hire a fisherman with his dugout canoe. When hiring a guide you will be expected to pay them and cover all expenses. It’s a good idea to negotiate the pay rate carefully and conservatively but be generous with food and incidental expenses.